Seeing great improvement in Iowa’s water quality, and yet we’re just getting started. It’s the result of lot of efforts not only urban but also rural and Rebekah Jones, Communications Director for the Iowa Agricultural Water Alliance says a lot of time, effort and resources have been dedicated to making Iowa a better place to live for everybody by cleaning up the water.
“What’s really cool is that it impacts not only communities, but it can really benefit farms too. 3400 tons of soil protected from entering the watershed, I did the math, and that’s like over 1000 F-150 truckloads. I mean, think about the weight of all that soil that you pay for when you buy that land and need it to produce for you. You want it to grow amazing crops, for your community for your country, and in order to do that, you have got to keep it there.”
That reduction certainly is on display in the wintertime due to reduced tillage practices and cover crops. When the ditches are full of snow and there’s no black soil blowing over top of them, then that is a sign of progress. The Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance is here to help.
“Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance was created by Iowa corn, soy and pork commodity groups to really help farmers lead the way in conservation efforts to improve water quality across the state. Of course that has a ripple effect down all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.”
Jones added that there are also many advancements and new developments to help treat on farm stormwater runoff.
“Things like prairie strips and wetlands and bio reactors and saturated buffers, which those two things are underground at the edge of a field cleaning in the water even though no one can see them. But you add all that together. I mean, that’s amazing impact for everybody.”
Jones said that, in most cases, there’s cost share money that’s available and there may even be some ROI involved if you add practices to your land and now’s the time to get plan started.
