Conservation Compass

Author: Tom Collins

  • Nutrient Reduction Strategy Dashboards Receive New Updates, Show Positive Trends

    Tom Collins
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    Recently, the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy Interactive Dashboards received an update with 2024 data. With nearly every data set showing an improvement, here are some highlights from two of the updated dashboards, “Land Use and In-Field Practices” and “Edge-of-Field Practices and Structural Erosion Control.” If you’re interested in exploring the data for yourself, visit the…

  • How Soil Testing Impacts Water Quality

    Tom Collins
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    Bridging the Gap: How Soil Testing Impacts Water Quality Water quality in Iowa is a pressing concern every spring, as heavy rains wash nutrients from fields into waterways. Using proactive strategies to reduce nitrate runoff and manage input costs is now essential, benefiting both water quality and farm finances. What do “proactive measures” truly mean?…

  • New IDALS Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project to Help Farmers Save Money, Benefit Water Quality

    Tom Collins
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    Residual nitrogen data coupled with N-FACT help farmers optimize fertilizer application rates, delivering monetary and environmental benefits  DES MOINES, Iowa (Apr. 13, 2026) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and the Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC) today announced a new, three-year Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project that will conduct nitrogen soil testing for farmers in targeted areas upstream from the Des Moines metro. Testing for residual nitrogen in the soil can help farmers dial in their…

  • IAWA Launches Conservation Compass

    Tom Collins
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    News Release  CONTACT: Rebekah Jones, Cell: 515- 901-3147 | rjones@iaagwater.org  MEDIA KIT: Conservation Photos & Videos | Compass materials  Additional media tools can be found in our media kit.  IAWA Launches Conservation Compass  A suite of tools, info, and people to navigate conservation funding options  ANKENY, Iowa — April 6, 2026 – The Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance is proud to announce Conservation Compass – a suite of tools and education…

  • New IAWA Resource Helps Farmers, Public Break Down Complex Cycle

    Tom Collins
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    Nitrogen makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere; it is an essential building block for life, and it is also a topic of many water quality discussions in Iowa. With Iowa’s water nitrate level a concern for many, it is understandable that people have questions like what it is, how it works, and why farmers are…

  • Farmer Feature: Ross Kurash

    Tom Collins
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    Ross Kurash’s Recipe for Conservation Success: Recognition + Education + Implementation By Micaela Cashman Ross Kurash and his wife, Cassie, farm in northeast Iowa on the border of the Paleozoic Plateau, also known as the “Driftless Region.” This region is very different from the rest of the state, with steep bluffs, dense woodland, and rugged…

  • The Secret to Clean Water in Cedar Rapids

    Tom Collins
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    How the City of Cedar Rapids Treats It’s Drinking Water: A Step-By-Step Process As the second most populous city in Iowa, Cedar Rapids has a massive responsibility to provide clean drinking water to it’s over 138,000 residents. This is something that the city does not take lightly and has an advanced technological approach to accomplishing.…

  • Cedar Rapids Farmers are Protecting Soil and Water with Proven Practices

    Tom Collins
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    How the City of Cedar Rapids Supports Farmers to Implement Water Quality Practices ANKENY, IA — The Cedar River Source Water Partnership (CRSWP) is a $20 million USDA-NRCS funded water quality grant backed by 13 partners from both public and private industries. The grant focuses on building relationships with farmers and supporting the implementation of…

  • Celebrating Iowa’s Farmers with the Des Moines Bucs

    Tom Collins
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    Des Moines Bucs Celebrate Iowa’s Farmers With a 6-2 Win Farmer Appreciation Night Hockey Game Ends #1 Green Bay’s 14-Game Winning Streak On Saturday, January 3rd, IAWA partnered with Holganix and Versova to sponsor the Des Moines Buccaneers hockey team and put on a night celebrating the hard work and dedication of Iowa’s farmers. The…

  • Farmer Feature: Emery Davis

    Tom Collins
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    How one Eastern Iowa farmer makes conservation rewarding By: Micaela Cashman Emery Davis farms in Crawfordsville, Iowa, near the Iowa State Research Farm. His small family farm in the Southern Iowa Drift Plain was shaped by glaciers over 500,000 years ago and has been deeply eroded by streams, rolling hills, and valleys. Sloped land and…