Groups representing soybean, corn and hog farmers in Iowa formed an alliance to encourage farmers in the Hawkeye state to voluntarily reduce nutrient runoff, said DTN. The state opened an initiative in May 2013 to reduction nitrogen and phosphorus content in waterways by 45 percent. The Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance “will be tasked with raising more awareness about the state’s nutrient-reduction strategy as well as championing farm practices that reduce water and nutrient runoff from fields,” said DTN. At a news conference to announce formation of the group, Governor Terry Branstad said improvements in water quality will take time because of the size of the job.
Runoff from agriculture and other human activities in the Mississippi River basin is blamed for the annual creation of a “dead zone” of low-oxygen water that kills marine life in the Gulf of Mexico. The dead zone this year covers 5,052 square miles, about the size of Connecticut, according to a survey from July 27-Aug 2, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is nearly three times larger than the goal of a federal/state working group, “meaning nutrients from the Mississippi River watershed are continuing to affect the nation’s coastal resources and habitats in the Gulf.”