On November 31, 2016  Shawn Richmond, AAI Environmental Technology Director and John Lawrence, Associate Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director, Ag and Natural Resources Extension and Outreach, Iowa State University discussed measuring progress on the Nutrient Reduction Strategy at the Integrated Crop Management Conference in Ames, IA. 

The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) was officially launched by Governor Brandstad in May, 2013.  The collabortive science-based strategy is in place to meet the Gulf Hypoxia Task Force goal of reducing the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus reaching the Gulf of Mexico by 45%.  Twelve states along the main stem of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers are striving for that goal so as to reduce the size of the so called dead zone in the Gulf to its 1980-1996 level.

Richmond and Lawrence discussed the highlights from the NRS annual report:

• Approximately $10 million more in Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) funding was reported by partner organizations for the 2016 reporting period than in 2015.  This brought the total to $122.7 million in annual spending not including the $225 million of CRP payments in 2016.
• In the 2016 reporting period, 178 outreach and education events were conducted by partner organizations. These events brought in approximately 21,000 attendees in total.
• The percent of farmers considering themselves at least somewhat knowledgeable about the NRS increased from 44% to 70% in one year.
• For the 149 wastewater treatment facilities currently listed in the NRS to receive new permits and conduct feasibility studies to explore improved technology and nutrient removal systems, 86 permits have been reissued. 20 facilities have submitted feasibility studies.
• Estimated nutrients not entering Iowa's waterways in 2016 due to select conservation practices was 1,915 tons of N and 109 tons of P.

For more information please visit: 

• Lawrence, John D. Measuring Progress. Vol 9 No 2 2015 Protecting Soil and Water. STORIES Magazine.   https://stories.cals.iastate.edu/2015/11/measuring-progress/
• NRS Report 2016. http://www.nutrientstrategy.iastate.
  edu/sites/default/files/documents/1516progress.pdf

The Iowa Institute for Cooperatives held their annual meeting on November 22, 2016 in Ames, IA. AAI was invited to attend and was represented by Joel Brinkmeyer, AAI CEO and Reilly Vaughan, AAI Membership Director. This one day event included breakout sessions covering watershed management, rebuilding infrastructure, and pesticide resistance. The IIC keynote speaker was singer songwriter Keni Thomas. 

ICC's 2016 Hall of Fame recipients were  Brent Bunte - retired New Co-op and Marty Reagan - former AGP CEO. We want to say a special congratulations to Brent and Marty for their career achievements. 

Thank you to ICC Executive Director, Dave Holm for inviting AAI to their annual meeting. The Institute is a great partner with AAI and we strive to continue to work together on many important issues for our members. 

by: Agribusiness Report 

The Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for next year, reaching the target of 15 billion gallons for ethanol, much higher than the proposal.

Though, that may not immediately help out corn prices according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

Executive Director of IRFA Monte Shaw says there's a lot of corn this year, "But it definitely puts an upward pressure on corn demand and corn prices, which is good for farmers. It sends a signal to retailers saying hey we are going to get these higher blends out there and I think it gets the RFS back on track for the handoff to the next administration and so we are very excited about that." [...] read more. 

b y: Iowa Farmer Today

The discussion of water quality in Iowa and many other Midwestern states has often centered on nitrates, but phosphorus can also be a concern as well.  "We tend to think of phosphorus as immobile," says John Kovar, a research soil scientist with the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment (formerly known as the National Soil Tilth Lab) at Iowa State University.  But scientists accept that phosphorus is a water quality issue and that it is not immobile, Kovar says. Most water researchers understand that phosphorus is a part of the puzzle when it comes to water quality.  Phosphorus issues will vary according to the geography of the area and the farming practices commonly used in that area. [...] read more.