Author: Tom Collins
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Tile Contractor Duo Shares Conservation Story
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New IAWA video shares father/son conservation story: “Who doesn’t want cleaner water? I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t care about water quality, especially if you’re raising a family here,” said Chase Broulik, a tile contractor that partners with his dad to install functional water quality structures on Iowa farms. In this video, the IAWA team…
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Farmer Feature: Emily Boettcher
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A New Generation of Conservation: Emily Boettcher Carries on Father’s Commitment to Healthy Soil Even after growing up on a Dickinson County farm that’s been in her family since 1936, Emily Boettcher never thought she’d become a farmer. She got her degree in sociological justice from Northwestern College and planned to become a police officer. …
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FREE TICKETS: Iowa Hockey Games for Farmers
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Two Farmer Appreciation Nights Coming to Iowa Hockey Games in 2026 Iowa’s farmers play a vital role in feeding our communities and protecting our natural resources, and in 2026, we’re excited to honor them with two special Farmer Appreciation Nights at hockey arenas across the state. IAWA is proud to partner with two USHL teams,…
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An Introduction to Drainage Water Management
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Managing Water, Boosting Farmland: An Introduction to Drainage Water Management By: Tom Collins In 1938, the invention of in-field tile drainage systems ushered in a new era of productivity for US farmers. Tile works by effectively draining water off agricultural farmland to prevent flooding and oversaturation within the field. Sometimes, though, this drainage can be…
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Drainage water recycling improves crop yields and water quality
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Emerging Farm Resiliency Practice Provides Significant Farm-Level and Public Benefits, New Report from EDF New economic analysis of drainage water recycling shows the practice can increase crop yields and improve water quality, highlighting the opportunity for public and private co-investment strategies October 21, 2025 – In the face of increasingly volatile and extreme weather across…
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IAWA Launches New Water Quality Website
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IAWA Launches New Water Quality Website Iowa Ag Water Alliance’s new website includes goals-based conservation resources ANKENY, IA (IAWA) – Farmers, agri-businesses, and water quality professionals can access powerful resources on The Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance’s (IAWA) newly launched website at iaagwater.org. With pages organized by the user’s end goal, such as reducing erosion or…
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Iowa farmers use “water quality toolbox”
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Proven practices find success on Iowa farms, benefit downstream neighbors By Dan Looker, IAWA Writer Iowa (IAWA) – Seven years ago Jon Bakehouse of Hastings, Iowa, started planting cover crops where he grows corn and soybeans with his father. Switching to no-till farming in the 1990s improved water filtration in wet spots on their West Nishnabotna…
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Complex Nitrogen Cycle Made Simple and Brings Multiple Benefits
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Raising Better Crops and Minimizing Our Impact on the Environment Space aliens turning a telescope to Earth might think it’s a static blue ball. We know better. Earth is driven by dynamic cycles. Some are long, as the geologic ones with glaciers that grind rock into dust over centuries. Much shorter weather cycles bring life-giving…