The Bioeconomy Institute advances sustainable bioeconomy systems through experimentation and analysis of crop, livestock, and natural systems underpinning the bioeconomy. We partner with various stakeholders to develop and evaluate innovative practices that improve productivity, environmental outcomes, and long-term resilience.
What the Bioeconomy Institute does
- Advances the understanding of biomass crops and how to grow them
- Advances the circular use of resources in agricultural production
- Invests in research teams working at the convergence of food, energy, soil, water, and wildlife systems
- Partners with ISU departments of Agronomy, Animal Science, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE), Natural Resource Ecology and Management (NREM), Iowa Soybean Research Center (ISRC), ISU Extension, and others
- Partners with farmers to innovate and quantify impacts
- Partners with other Land-Grant Universities and USDA-ARS Labs
Example projects and resources supported through the Bioeconomy Institute
Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips
Sustainable Advanced Bioeconomy Research
Recent publications on Agroecosystems
Blauwet, MJ, SH Villarino, BD Emmett, MD McDaniel, LA Schulte, FE Miguez. 2026. Carbon loading regulates soil organic matter dynamics after digestate applications. Geoderma, 472, 117952.
Cross, JF, K Mallick, G Aslan‐Sungur, A VanLoocke, DT Drewry. 2026. A Hybrid Biophysical‐Machine Learning Framework for Diurnal Surface Energy Flux Estimation Using Proximal Sensing. Water Resources Research, 62(5), e2025WR041510.
Emran, SA. BM Petersen, HE Roney, MD Masters, S Varela, T Hedrick, Andrew DB Leakey, Andy VanLoocke, Emily A Heaton. 2026. Yield From Iowa's First Commercial Miscanthus Fields: Implications of Spatial Variability for Productivity and Sustainability Beyond Research Plots. GCB Bioenergy 18(1), e70094.
Magala, R, JC Tyndall, LA Schulte. 2026. Effectiveness of PEWI for student learning about agriculture and ecosystem service trade‐offs. Natural Sciences Education, 55(1), e70053.