Rick Morain is the former publisher and owner of the Jefferson Herald, for which he writes a regular column. This essay first appeared on Substack.
The state of Iowa in 2013 approved its “Nutrient Reduction Strategy” for reducing nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into the state’s streams and rivers, and eventually downstream into the Gulf of Mexico. The voluntary strategy was officially adopted in 2018, with a goal of reducing the pollutants’ runoff by 45 percent.
While some farmers have been diligent in their efforts to comply with the strategy, and they deserve Iowans’ gratitude, too few of them do enough to adequately reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff. There are several reasons for the lag, including cost, inertia, failure to learn and/or appreciate the best practices proposed by the strategy, and individual resistance to change.
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