Iowa Farm Bureau sets agenda for 2017

Sep 12, 2016

Water quality and property rights among the important issues

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

The Iowa Farm Bureau recently held its Summer Policy Conference where it outlined some of the issues it would focus on in 2017.

The issues the Bureau will continue to advocate for include soil conservation, water quality, animal disease management and taxpayer protection for landowners.

When it comes to soil conservation and water quality, the Bureau understands those issues reach far beyond the field.

Iowa Farm Bureau

Delegates passed a resolution that supports finding or exploring new state tax revenue to fund water quality or soil conservation initiatives.

“It is really important that we lead on this issue and bring all Iowans with us,” Fayette County voting delegate Chad Ingels said in a release.

But Craig Hill, Farm Bureau president, said participation should be on a voluntary basis to accommodate the different farm landscapes in the state.

“Every farm is unique, every farm is diverse (and) every farm is different in its slope or its topography or its drainage,” Hill told WNAX. “We need to develop plans that are uniquely qualified for that farm, and you don’t do that through regulation. You do it through voluntary, incentive-based action.”

Video: Dr. Emerson Nafziger: Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates for Corn

The Crop Science Podcast Show, Dr. Emerson Nafziger from the University of Illinois breaks down decades of nitrogen research. From the evolution of N rate guidelines to how soil health and hybrid genetics influence nitrogen use efficiency, this conversation unpacks the science behind smarter fertilization. Improving how we set nitrogen fertilizer rates for rainfed corn is a key focus. Discover why the MRTN model matters more than ever, and how shifting mindsets and better data can boost yields and environmental outcomes. Tune in now on all major platforms!

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Dr. Emerson Nafziger is Professor Emeritus of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with degrees in agronomy from Ohio State, Purdue, and Illinois. His research has focused on nitrogen rate strategies and crop productivity. He co-developed the Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN) model, which is widely used across the Midwest. His research spans N response trials, hybrid interactions, crop rotation effects, and yield stability.