There’s no way around it — we all need safe water. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that water quality has been a hot button issue in Iowa.
Agricultural practices play a vital role in maintaining quality water for Iowans. In collaboration with Iowa State University and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship developed a Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
The NRS was first released for public comment in 2012, and the Agriculture Department said it was a new beginning in the state’s efforts to assess and reduce nutrient loading to Iowa waters. The main goal of the NRS is to scale back the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus entering the state’s waterways.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are natural parts of aquatic ecosystems, but according to the Environmental Protection Agency, when too much nitrogen and phosphorus enter the environment, the nutrients pollute the air and water. High levels of the nutrients cause algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle, causing fish to die and producing toxins that make people ill.
One component of the strategy is to implement more cover crops, and Iowa farmers have responded. According to Iowa Learning Farms, less than 10,000 acres of cover crops graced the state’s farmland in 2009. Iowa Learning Farms’ 2016 Field Day Evaluation Report revealed the number has grown to more than 623,000 acres.
From a farmer’s perspective, the use of cover crops can also be a strategy to maintain quality soil. Common cover crops, such as rye and wheat, reduce soil erosion, limit nitrogen leaching, suppress weeds and increase soil organic matter, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Although the use of cover crops in Iowa has increased in recent years, the vast majority of farming acres do not incorporate the strategy. The Environmental Working Group teamed up with Practical Farmers of Iowa to produce a report based on satellite data to look at cover crops from 2015 to 2016. The report, which was released earlier this month, found only 2.6 percent of corn and soybean acres in Iowa were utilizing cover crops.
Jasper County Cover Crop Field Day is scheduled for Thursday at the Farm of Gordon Wassenaar just south of Prairie City. Registration will start at 11:30 a.m. NRCS soil health specialist Doug Peterson will talk about how to improve soil health. Bert Strayer of La Crosse Seed will discuss different cover crop species and the goals they support. There will also be a cover crop plot tour at the event.
Contact Justin Jagler at
641-792-3121 ext 6532 or
jjagler@newtondailynews.com