Iowa

Opinion: Invest in ag tech innovations every day, not just Earth Day

Published

1 year ago

April 23, 2023

Press Room

Opinion: Invest in ag tech innovations every day, not just Earth Day

As we take into account Iowa’s function on the planet, particularly on Earth Day, step one is to become involved. After we come along with a transparent plan, Iowa makes issues occur.

Paul Schickler
| Visitor columnist

Farming could also be in Iowa’s blood, however innovation has all the time been our basis.

The Earth Day theme this yr, “Make investments In Our Planet,” reminds us that everybody has a stake in attempting to enhance our use of pure assets – particularly to satisfy our primary want of meals manufacturing.

For many years, Iowa’s agriculture know-how sector has centered on bettering the productiveness and profitability of meals manufacturing. And now a 3rd issue has been added to the equation… sustainability. Whereas nice progress has been made, we’re solely now getting the funding wanted to show these improvements into merchandise that considerably change crop and livestock manufacturing to spice up productiveness and profitability for farmers whereas additionally defending our planet.

A living proof for Iowa’s success is Ankeny-based PowerPollen, an organization that with early enterprise capital funding proved that amassing and storing pollen from corn crops then making use of it on the optimum time would assist growers keep away from climate associated catastrophe, enhance plant genetics and enhance productiveness.

PowerPollen’s success illustrates that progressive concepts can and ought to be nurtured and funded to the purpose of economic success in Iowa. The excellent news is Iowa-based investments for startups have considerably elevated in recent times, advancing an business on the coronary heart of our state – agriculture.

However to construct upon this momentum, we should make investments extra.

In 2017, Iowan neighborhood leaders started taking steps to reverse considerations that Iowa had fallen behind in offering enough enterprise capital wanted to spur innovation and job creation by way of start-ups. A key step was the creation of BioConnect Iowa, an Iowa-focused enterprise accelerator that now features a five-year $30 million enterprise capital fund and helps our state’s entrepreneurs navigate licensing, advertising, acquisition plans and product improvement.

BioConnect Iowa has helped many firms get began together with Iowa Metropolis-based FarrPro, which is constructing new applied sciences to enhance farrowing, animal welfare and agricultural sustainability, and Ames-based Clayton Farms, which grows pesticide-free lettuce and a wide range of microgreens on farms in Iowa and Minnesota for residence supply by way of a year-round subscription service.

One other driver of success is Ag Startup Engine (ASE) based in 2016 on the Iowa State College Analysis Park in Ames. ASE gives early seed-stage funding and arranged mentorship from profitable entrepreneurs and has invested $750,000 over three years in 15 startups. A second fund has been added with the aim to assist 30 to 45 startups over 5 years.

Iowa additionally has enhanced its capability to stretch past its borders to draw firms, expertise and capital to Iowa. Over the previous a number of years, America’s Cultivation Hall has helped elevate our profile in locations like Silicon Valley to draw gamers throughout the agtech ecosystem to Iowa.

The technique our neighborhood leaders started in 2017 is paying off. Iowa funding in agriculture know-how and biosciences is now conserving tempo with the U.S. total and with peer states within the Midwest, in keeping with a current report.

However our job isn’t accomplished. Now greater than ever we should preserve this momentum with continued funding in addition to methods tackling elementary challenges to Iowa’s agricultural future.

Certainly one of our largest roadblocks stays retaining or attracting sufficient employees to fill out there agricultural jobs. I consider partaking youth is vital.

The USDA’s 2021 census of agriculture signifies that Iowa farmers’ common age is 57 years, and 4 occasions as many farmers are over the age of 65 than below the age of 35. As ag tech brings the identical degree of computation and engineering to the farm that’s deployed in finance, drugs and even area, we’ve the chance to encourage younger expertise to remain in agriculture and guarantee our management function in world manufacturing agriculture sooner or later.

Tomorrow, the World Meals Prize Iowa Youth Institute will welcome over 500 college students and educators to Iowa State College to current their options for ending starvation across the globe. This annual occasion connects younger Iowans with main specialists to discover thrilling methods to make a distinction in Iowa and all over the world. Since 2012, over 3,000 Iowa college students have participated from over 75% of Iowa’s excessive faculties, and Iowa State College has supplied over $250,000 value of scholarships to those college students.

As we take into account Iowa’s function on the planet, particularly on Earth Day, step one is to become involved.

After we come along with a transparent plan, Iowa makes issues occur. Now greater than ever, we should proceed to put money into our future – for our youth, for our neighborhood and for our planet.

Paul Schickler is former president of DuPont Pioneer (now Corteva) and founding father of III Ag. He serves on the board for a number of ag tech firms in addition to organizations just like the World Meals Prize Basis.

Source link

Iowa

Iowa State women’s basketball star Emily Ryan discusses eating disorder in video

Published

6 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Press Room

Iowa State women’s basketball star Emily Ryan discusses eating disorder in video

Iowa State women’s basketball star Emily Ryan released a video Thursday in which she discusses her battle with an eating disorder.

Ryan, a senior from Claflin, Kansas, has been one of the Big 12 Conference’s best point guards for the past few seasons. She was a first-team all-conference pick in 2022, and a second-team selection in 2023.

“By sharing my story, I hope to build awareness and provide hope to everyone else fighting an invisible battle,” Ryan said in the video.

Ryan said her sense of self-worth was dependent on Iowa State’s success and her individual performance. That led to increased time spent in the weight room in an effort to get stronger and faster. When Ryan didn’t see the results that she desired, she began to focus on her diet.

Ryan said the Iowa State medical staff expressed their concern about Ryan’s eating habits and what it was doing to her body. Ryan said she was in “complete denial” about having an eating disorder, but her health continued to worsen.

Ryan missed the first nine games of the 2023-24 season due to the eating disorder. When she returned, she said, “off the court I was really struggling. By the end of the season, I was physically and mentally hanging on by a thread.”

During the offseason, Ryan spent 88 days at a treatment center in Denver.

“It took a long time but I finally came to the understanding that being sick wasn’t my fault, and eating disorders are real, complex illnesses,” she said.

How to get help

For resources on disordered eating, call the National Eating Disorders Helpline at 800-931-2237 or text NEDA to 741741.

Source link

Iowa

Latest Iowa high school volleyball rankings reveal regional pairings

Published

16 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Press Room

Latest Iowa high school volleyball rankings reveal regional pairings

It was an important date around the state for volleyball teams in Iowa, as the latest rankings were released and regional pairings in all five classes were revealed.

The two come into play once regionals reach the championship round, as the higher-ranked team will serve as the host for those games.

All five No. 1 squads remained the same, as Ankeny Centennial (Class 5A), Cedar Rapids Xavier (4A), Mount Vernon (3A), Denver (2A) and Ankeny Christian (1A) held serve.

New teams to the Top-15 include Iowa City West in 5A, Ballard in 4A, Wapsie Valley in 2A and Stanton in 1A. The entire 3A poll remained the same while Sidney made one of the biggest climbs, moving to ninth from 12th in 1A.

Regional play for 1A and 2A begins Oct. 21 with 3A, 4A and 5A starting Oct. 22. The state tournament is scheduled for Nov. 4-7 in Coralville from the Xtream Arena. Complete regional pairings can be found on Bound.

Class 5A

1. Ankeny Centennial; 2. Pleasant Valley; 3. Ankeny; 4. West Des Moines Dowling; 5. Indianola; 6. Waukee Northwest; 7. Cedar Falls; 8. Cedar Rapids Prairie; 9. Waukee; 10. Iowa City Liberty; 11. West Des Moines Valley; 12. Sioux City East; 13. Iowa City West; 14. Iowa City High; 15. Linn-Mar.

Class 4A

1. Cedar Rapids Xavier; 2. Sioux City Bishop Heelan; 3. North Scott; 4. Clear Creek-Amana; 5. Lewis Central; 6. Pella; 7. Glenwood; 8. Carlisle; 9. Marion; 10. Adel-ADM; 11. Norwalk; 12. Sergeant Bluff-Luton; 13. MOC-Floyd Valley; 14. Ballard; 15. Grinnell.

Class 3A

1. Mount Vernon; 2. Western Christian; 3. West Delaware; 4. Dubuque Wahlert; 5. Davenport Assumption; 6. Sioux Center; 7. Carroll Kuemper; 8. Mid-Prairie; 9. Cherokee; 10. Wilton; 11. Solon; 12. Anamosa; 13. Roland-Story; 14. Clarinda; 15. Nevada.

Class 2A

1. Denver; 2. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont; 3. Dyersville Beckman; 4. Dike-New Hartford; 5. Aplington-Parkersburg; 6. South Hardin; 7. Boyden-Hull; 8. Pella Christian; 9. Iowa City Regina; 10. Hinton; 11. Grundy Center; 12. Sumner-Fredericksburg; 13. Wapsie Valley; 14. West Burlington; 15. Shenandoah.

Class 1A

1. Ankeny Christian; 2. Holy Trinity; 3. Saint Ansgar; 4. Riverside; 5. BCLUW; 6. Janesville; 7. North Tama; 8. Don Bosco; 9. Sidney; 10. River Valley; 11. Akron-Westfield; 12. Stanton; 13. Fremont-Mills; 14. Southwest Valley; 15. Gladbrook-Reinbeck.

Source link

Iowa

Iowa high school football computer rankings (10/10/2024)

Published

24 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Press Room

Iowa high school football computer rankings (10/10/2024)

Week 6 of the 2024 Iowa high school football season has wrapped up, and High School on SI is continuing its weekly computer rankings for the season.

The Dowling Maroons kept their top five placing in this week’s 5A Iowa computer rankings after a thrilling 41-35 victory over Ankeny Centennial. They face a strong Urbandale team on Friday, to keep their momentum going.

The top of the 5A computer rankings stay the same this week as the Bettendorf Bulldogs take home another win, this time defeating Kennedy 33-14. The Bulldogs look forward to Friday, where they will travel to Davenport Central in hopes to hold their place in the standings.

SBLive’s formula was created using its linear algebra-based ranking algorithm inspired by the Colley Bias-Free Ranking Method. Colley’s Method was created by Wes Colley, Ph.D., an astrophysicist at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He devised his algorithm to help address the subjectivity and controversy regarding BCS college football selections in the 1990s and early 2000s, using a method that used no subjective variables.

FAQ: SBLive High School Football Computer Rankings

Here are SBLive’s latest Iowa football computer rankings, as of Oct. 7, 2024:

IOWA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COMPUTER RANKINGS

CLASS 5A | CLASS 4A

CLASS 3A | CLASS 2A

CLASS 1A | CLASS A

CLASS 8 MAN

DOWNLOAD THE SBLIVE APP

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App

— Ben Dagg | @sblivesports

Source link