Latest News
HuffPost: This Lawsuit Has Put Big Ag On The Defensive In A Major WayPosted Jul 30, 2016Earlier this month, the Iowa Soybean Association had a big announcement to make.
The group, which represents some 11,000 growers of the state’s second-most-lucrative crop, pledged $150,000 in support for three highly agricultural counties — Buena Vista, Calhoun and Sac — named in a controversial lawsuit brought by the Des Moines Water Works.
The lawsuit, which was filed in 2015, claims that nitrogen-rich water flowing off the area’s farms pollutes the...
Read More » DMR: Branstad offers a twist on his controversial water quality planPosted Jul 28, 2016Gov. Terry Branstad has put a twist on his controversial proposal to use a portion of a major school infrastructure fund to help pay for water quality improvements in Iowa.
Branstad told the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale earlier this week that he would consider extending and splitting a 1-cent statewide sales tax now used by school districts to build classrooms, gyms and other school buildings.
His plan calls for designating...
Read More » DMR: Iowa is losing millions of trees — and it's hurting water quality, experts sayPosted Jul 18, 2016Iowa's thirst for new farmland helped drive the loss of 97,000 acres of woodlands in just five years, a new federal report shows.
It's the first time in nearly 40 years that the state has seen a net loss of forested land, a disturbing development that experts fear is contributing to Iowa's problems with farm runoff and poor water quality.
Record-high prices for corn and soybeans in 2012 fueled much of Iowa's woodland losses, as farmers put more land into production to reap...
Read More » More News »