Letter to the editor

After reading Rob Maharry’s recent editorial regarding Iowa’s water quality and the recent bill signed by Governor Reynolds, I was troubled by many things, including the title “It has to be somebody’s fault.”  That “somebody” he alludes to is Iowa’s farmers, despite farmers leading the way in Iowa’s conservation efforts.   Before this new law and funding mechanism, farmers began adopting practices outlined in Iowa’s Nutrient (fertilizer) Reduction Strategy.
 
As a fifth generation farmer raising kids on our family farm, nothing is more important to me than sustainability and leaving the family farm in better condition for my kids, if they choose to farm for a living.  Responsible use of manure as an organic fertilizer, post-harvest cover crops, and grass waterways are just a few of the ways we’re committed to taking steps to improve water quality. 
 
Improving Iowa’s water quality is a goal we all share, and we all have a role to play to continue the success we’ve seen.  While the water quality isn’t a natural disaster, forces of nature like rainfall, soil organisms, and subsoil variability create currently unpredictable challenges for a one size fits all approach.  Water quality challenges didn’t arise overnight, and the fix won’t be immediate, but we have a plan, and we’re finding out what conservation practices are successful. 
 
Thanks to the water quality-funding bill, we now have dedicated funding for the next 12 years.  We are making strides toward the improvement we all desire. 
Maharry said it’s time for the good people of this state to find a way out, and I feel strongly that we are doing that.  There are a number of local farmers and landowners joining together to create a plan for the Holland Creek and Black Hawk Creek Watersheds.
 
Iowa’s water quality funding bill provides additional funding for Iowa’s science-based Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, or Water Quality Initiative (WQI).  That means the successful projects that are underway in watersheds across the state will receive additional funding to continue their momentum.  New projects will be formed with the additional funds, and the DNR will lead efforts to incorporate urban conservation practices and infrastructure improvements to protect our water.
 
Rather than “drowning in the negativity,” which Maharry said is easy to do, we should focus on our goal of improvement.  We know conservation practices and farmers’ efforts are working because Iowa State University publishes an annual report on the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, which is publicly available.  The WQI has strategies and goals, and there is accountability. Pointing fingers and assessing blame won’t improve Iowa’s water quality, but collaborative conservation efforts will. 
 
 I am proud of everyone committed to improving our water quality and encourage everyone to evaluate additional steps they can take.  We have made many improvements in our farm, but know we have more we can do.  When we work together, we can make big strides improving water quality, and there are many examples of that improvement today, and there will be more success stories as the water quality funding translates to additional in-field conservation practices and watershed projects. 
 
Brian Feldpausch,
Beaman, Iowa