News
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Data centers and water: economic growth or environmental threat?
Posted onData centers aren’t new, but they’ve been getting an increasing amount of attention as tech companies work to meet the demands of an increasingly online society. In this article, IAWA breaks down the pros and cons of data center investments and corrects common misinformation. By Dan Looker Key Takeaways Water availability: Location matters. Some utilities…
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Great Outdoors Foundation drives change and momentum with inaugural conference
Posted onAthene Watershed26 focused on incubating innovative solutions, powerful funding mechanisms, and voices for change to improve Iowa’s water quality. By Dan Looker Des Moines, Iowa, and its suburbs sprawl outward from the confluence of two river systems, the Des Moines and Raccoon. In the week before the nation’s 250th Independence celebration and 183 years after…
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Cover crops get big boost in 22 Iowa counties
Posted on*Adapted from Iowa Dept of Ag & Land Stewardship press release DES MOINES, Iowa – Farmers in 22 counties upstream of the Des Moines area will have access to more cover crop cost share from a newly announced initiative called the “Greater Des Moines Watershed Program.” The initiative has goals to accelerate and scale up the…
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Nutrient Reduction Strategy Dashboards Receive New Updates, Show Positive Trends
Posted onRecently, 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…
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How Soil Testing Impacts Water Quality
Posted onBridging 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?…
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New IDALS Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project to Help Farmers Save Money, Benefit Water Quality
Posted onResidual 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…
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IAWA Launches Conservation Compass
Posted onNews 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…
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New IAWA Resource Helps Farmers, Public Break Down Complex Cycle
Posted onNitrogen 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…
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Farmer Demand far exceeds NRCS funding in Iowa; Is new funding on the horizon?
Posted onBy Rebekah Jones STATEWIDE, Iowa – March 28, 2026 – Only about one in five Iowa NRCS applications received conservation funding in 2025, according to NRCS data for three of the most popular farmer programs. Those programs pay for conservation practices like cover crops, prairie, and grazing infrastructure. Why it matters Demand grows, funding shrinks…
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Cover crop interest strong, despite tough farm economy
Posted onBy Dan Looker, IAWA writer DES MOINES, Iowa – March 25, 2026 – In a struggling farm economy, will Iowa’s progress with cover crops be dragged down by burdensome operational costs and prices? It’s too early to tell, but our insights say, “no.” Multiple vendors of cover crop seed and cost share say demand continues…