Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here Tour Stops at Kirkwood Community College
DES MOINES, Iowa (Oct. 21, 2020) – The Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here tour will visit Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, today. The stop, hosted by Iowa Corn, highlights the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) and a number of farmers who are exploring the economic and environmental benefits of soil health practices on their farms.
The SHP is the flagship sustainability program of the National Corn Growers Association. SHP collects on-farm agronomic and economic data to evaluate the impacts of soil health practices on the soil, the environment and the farmer’s bottom line.
Kirkwood Community College has been part of the SHP since 2017. Their field trial compares cover crop strips to strips with no cover crops. Eastern Iowa farmers and students have the opportunity to learn about the research trials and findings being done on the Kirkwood farm.
“Field trials like this prove the effectiveness of our conservation efforts and allow farmers to learn about practices that can help improve the health of their fields,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.
Mark Heckman, a farmer in West Liberty, will be joining the stop to discuss the conservation practices he uses on his family farm. Economics and the farm’s bottom line are always important but water quality and soil health are also important to Heckman. His operation uses cover crops, nutrient management, and no-till to get closer to their conservation goals. They have also added a wetland, CRP, and pollinator plots to their farm.
North Central Iowa farmer Wade Kent, whose operation is near Algona, will also be on-site to talk about the soil health practices his family uses to reduce tillage, increase cover crop utility and maximize yields. Having been in the program since its inception, the Kent family has gathered long-term data for SHP’s science team to analyze.
To learn more about the SHP, visit soilhealthpartnership.org.
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, The Nature Conservancy and the Soil Health Partnership.
To learn more about the campaign and conservation practices that can be implemented, go to CleanWaterIowa.org/CleanWaterStartsHere.