Iowa Nutrient Research Center Funds Third Year of Water Quality-related Projects

AMES, Iowa — The Iowa Nutrient Research Center at Iowa State University has funded 11 new projects related to water quality.

Researchers from Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa will collaborate on the projects with those from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Soybean Association, The Nature Conservancy and AgSolver Inc. This is the third year the center has funded research.

The projects address critical needs or gaps in nitrogen and phosphorus research identified in the science assessment that was part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. The strategy is a science and technology-based approach to assess and reduce nutrients delivered to Iowa waterways and the Gulf of Mexico.

Among the topics to be examined are:
—Water quality performance of prairie strips.
—Scientific and technological tools to implement the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
—Linking nutrient reduction practices with biomass energy.
—Evaluation of stacked conservation practices on phosphorus and sediment loss.
—Quantifying benefits from nutrient reduction practices.
—Reducing nutrient losses while increasing farm profit through precision conservation.
—Impacts of cover crops on phosphorus and nitrogen loss with surface runoff.

More information on the projects and the researchers involved are listed on the center’s web site:  https://www.cals.iastate.edu/nutrientcenter/project. The site also includes previous projects and quarterly progress reports of each study.

The Iowa Nutrient Research Center was established in 2013 by the Iowa Board of Regents in response to legislation passed by the Iowa Legislature and signed by Gov. Terry Branstad. The center receives funding for research to evaluate the performance of current and emerging nutrient management practices, providing recommendations on implementing the practices and developing new practices.

The center’s director is John Lawrence, the associate dean for extension and outreach in Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension and Outreach.