Research underway by the Iowa Nutrient Research Center (INRC) and the Iowa Soybean Association is analyzing drainage water recycling’s costs and benefits, with funding from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the INRC and the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture.
Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center and Conservation Learning Group, will hold a virtual field day focused on drainage water recycling, Thursday, Dec. 8, at 1:00 p.m. CDT,. The event will feature Matt Helmers, Iowa Nutrient Research Center director and agricultural engineering specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach; Chris Hay, Iowa Soybean Association senior research scientist; Shane Wulf, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship senior environmental specialist; and Mark Schleisman, Calhoun County farmer and landowner.. Get more details at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/node/3736/)
By Madeleine Resener, GeoPols
Nitrogen, one of the most plentiful gases in our environment, is both a friend and foe to our planet and to ourselves.
It makes up 45% of the nutrients used in fertilizers to grow corn, wheat, and soybeans. That’s why it is essential to crop output. However, nitrogen can be a pollutant – especially when it seeps into water supplies through agricultural run-off or leaching.
Researchers have been exploring various techniques to reduce the nitrogen that ends up in lakes, streams, and other bodies of water.
The Iowa Soybean Association’s Research Center for Farming Innovation (RCFI) is exploring the potential for drainage water recycling at the farm level and at the watershed scale.
