Over the course of this month, the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) has hosted a series of field days across the state to highlight water conservation practices and the defining decade of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS). The final event took place on the farm of Lee Tesdell just outside of Slater, and many farmers were in attendance to hear about the past 10 years of the NRS as well as its future. IAWA Executive Director Sean McMahon said several practices have been highlighted throughout this May.
Prior to the NRS, Iowa only had 10,000 acres of cover crops. Now, that number is almost 3 million acres. And on top of improving participation in conservation practices, McMahon said we?ve developed new practices in Iowa as well.
McMahon said that, especially when you look at the last couple of years, the next decade of the NRS looks very encouraging.
While we have seen lots of improvements, the IAWA has also identified some areas that need improvement, with nitrogen use being the foremost of those issues.
McMahon added that the Tesdell farm is a leader in trying new conservation practices, and he encourages all farmers to consider a new practice for their operations as well.
For more information, visit iaagwater.org.
