  First results from simulations of improved actions for both gauge fields and
staggered fermion fields in three dimensional QCD are presented. This work
provides insight into some issues of relevance to lattice theories in four
dimensions. In particular, the renormalization of the bare lattice coupling is
dramatically reduced when the tree-level $O(a^2)$ improved action is used. Naik
improvement of the staggered fermion action produces little reduction in
scaling violations of the rho meson mass. String breaking in the heavy quark
potential in the unquenched theory is also clearly resolved, using Wilson loops
to bound the ground state energy.
