The Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here tour visited Iowa State University research farms with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA), and IAWA Business Council members to showcase innovative water quality research and implementation projects being conducted in the state.
One example is the Iowa Systems Approach to Conservation Drainage (ISACD) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a project focused on improving water quality through the implementation of edge-of-field practices and cover crops. The ISACD is co-led by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and IAWA. Iowa State University will have a central role in implementing the project along with 15 other public and private partners.
“We’ve learned a lot about soil health and water quality since we developed the Nutrient Reduction Strategy. We’re continuously developing and testing new science-based practices that can be scaled-up to make an even greater impact,” said Secretary Naig. “The research being conducted at the Biocentury Research Farm has direct benefits for Iowa farmers, and is critical to getting more practices on the ground and at a faster rate than ever before.”
The ISACD project has received $10 million in funding from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and an additional $22.5 million from non-federal partners to help advance the goals outlined in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. This project showcases the value and efficiency of integrating crop production methods with proven conservation practices to minimize project development costs and maximize soil health and water quality benefits. When it is complete, the project is expected to reduce nitrogen losses by 1.185 million pounds per year and phosphorous losses by 40,000 pounds per year."
“Iowa State University is working to improve the efficiency of crop production by taking a systems approach to understand how advances in genetics and management interact to increase productivity, profitability and environmental quality,” explains Dr. Michael Castellano, Professor of Agronomy at Iowa State University.
Members of the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance Business Council also gathered to hear from researchers at the Biocentury Research Farm and to tour Iowa State University’s research plots at the Bayer-ISU Water Quality Partnership Research Farm and the Drain Space Research Farm. The research conducted on-site has a strong focus on optimizing cover crops, fertilizer management and sub-surface agricultural drainage to improve water quality.
“The IAWA Business Council members continue to invest substantial resources in these areas to help meet the goals of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and improve Iowa’s water quality,” says IAWA Executive Director Sean McMahon.