The Defining Decade in Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
Whether providing clean drinking water to communities, irrigation for Iowa's food growers or ensuring safe access to our abundant recreational opportunities, Iowa's rivers, lakes, and streams provide essential benefits to the lives of all Iowans. Learn more about the people and practices impacting our state's nutrient reduction goals and improving water quality across our great state.
Latest stewardship stories
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Impacting all Iowans
A single group or solution doesn't define our successes. While we are far from finished, these last ten years of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy have shown how one common goal can bring together an entire state to spark change that impacts all Iowans.
A Decade Defined In
Building on our promise of progress
By increasing cover crop use, expanding the state's nation-leading adoption of bioreactors and saturated buffers, and establishing hundreds of new wetlands — we've laid the groundwork for meeting our state's ambitious nutrient reduction goals. We remain 100 percent committed to reaching our state's nitrogen and phosphorous loss goals by building momentum around edge-of-field practices.
3 million acres of cover crops implemented across Iowa.
650% average increase in bioreactors and saturated buffers year over year.
93% completion of phosphorous loss goals.
About the NRS
The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force was established in 1997 to coordinate activities to reduce the size, severity, and duration of hypoxia in the Gulf. In 2008, the task force called upon each of the 10 states along the Mississippi River and Indiana and Ohio to develop an actionable nutrient reduction strategy.
Iowa's action plan was developed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Collaboration at every corner
An effort of this scale wouldn't be possible without the 350+ organizations implementing Iowa's Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Plus, we want to extend a special thanks to the following leaders and donors supporting Iowa's Defining Decade campaign.
