Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here Tour Heads North to Kossuth County
Campaign encourages all Iowans to take an active role in improving water quality
DES MOINES, Iowa (Sept. 30, 2020) – The Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here tour will visit Dave Gerber’s farm in Algona, Iowa, today. The stop, hosted by Montag Manufacturing, highlights the soil and water quality benefits that can be achieved by using strip-tillage and best nutrient management practices. Gerber has been using no-till/strip-till to tend to his fields for more than 15 years.
“My wife, Kathie, and I farm 1,000 acres of corn and soybeans and have farmed this ground for almost 50 years. Fifteen years ago we switched to strip-till/no-till and have been doing it ever since,” said Gerber. “We stripped the first eight years with liquid fertilizer and dry the last seven years. Dry fits our operation much better. We believe this system has improved our soil quality and our bottom line greatly. We’ll never go back to full tillage again.”
“Montag is very pleased to be on Dave Gerber’s farm today, showcasing the hard work he and his wife have put into their farming operation,” said Anthony Montag, CEO and Vice-President of Montag Manufacturing. “The Gerbers engagement in sustainable agriculture is significant, but they don’t lose focus on the need to farm smarter by reducing input costs with conservation tillage practices, like no-till and strip-till with banded fertility.”
Conservation tillage is one of many practices farmers and landowners can use to help the state achieve the phosphorus-reduction goals outlined in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (INRS).
The most recent INRS annual report showed the state reduced phosphorous losses by an estimated 18.5 percent during the 2006-2010 time period, compared to the 1980-1996 baseline. The state has continuously made progress on reducing phosphorous losses from farm fields because of the increased adoption of soil conservation practices, including no-till and conservation tillage, cover crops and terraces, over the last two decades.
“Conservation is a complex challenge and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. It takes a combination of permanent changes to the landscape, conservation tillage, and properly timed nutrient applications to make the greatest impact on soil health and water quality,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “The Gerber family is a great example of a producer who made the decision to try a new conservation practice, tested and modified it to fit their operation, and discovered it helped them increase productivity and sustainability along the way.”
The Gerbers are one of many Iowa farmers who have recognized the benefits of no-till/strip-till farming. Iowa farmers practiced no-till on an estimated 8.2 million acres and conservation tillage on more than 10 million acres in 2017, representing an increase of 1.2 million and 1.4 million acres, respectively, since 2012, according to the INRS annual report. To learn more about the benefits of conservation tillage, visit cleanwateriowa.org/no-till-strip-till.
About the Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here Campaign
The Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here campaign, created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) and Newsradio 1040 WHO, aims to raise awareness about the conservation work underway across Iowa, and encourages all Iowans to get personally involved in water quality activities.
The Big Show will visit locations throughout Iowa showcasing the people and practices that are having a positive and measurable impact on water quality. The conversations with farmers, landowners, business operators and conservation leaders will be broadcast Wednesdays on The Big Show airing 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on WHO and 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. on WMT.
The implementation of conservation practices isn’t limited to rural areas. Urban residents can do their part by keeping leaves, grass clippings and other yard debris out of the street and gutters and slowing runoff and recycling rainwater through rain barrels, rain gardens and swales. These practices act as a filter for oil, fertilizer and other pollutants to prevent them from running into the storm drains. Seeding pollinator habitats and properly disposing of paints, solvents and metals also have a positive impact on water quality.
Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here campaign partners include Agri-Drain, Hagie Manufacturing, Hands on Excavating, Heartland Co-op, Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Land Improvement Contractors of America, Montag Manufacturing, and The Nature Conservancy.
To learn more about the campaign and conservation practices that can be implemented, go to CleanWaterIowa.org/CleanWaterStartsHere.