Ernst Leads Bipartisan Effort to Improve Water Quality and Soil Health for Iowans

Today, U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) announced a new, bipartisan bill to streamline the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) approval process for new technologies and innovative practices that can be used by landowners to improve water quality and soil health while maintaining productivity. The effort will provide more transparency for stakeholders and set a clear, standardized process for citizens to engage in conservation practices.

“Iowa’s ability to remain a powerhouse and leader in conservation is heavily determined by how efficiently we can improve and streamline the process for getting new technologies into farmers’ hands,” said Senator Ernst. “By boosting efforts to conserve vulnerable areas, we can promote positive habitat health, increase water quality, strengthen the health of our soil, and ultimately ensure that future generations also have the opportunity to farm.”

“Regenerative agriculture and soil health practices help farmers and producers make their working lands more resilient, something that is widely wanted and needed. As Congress negotiates the next Farm Bill, Republicans and Democrats agree that we must update the process for developing new conservation practice standards at the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and make that process more transparent and accessible for all. By leveraging innovation happening in New Mexico and across the country, producers can build more resilience into their operations and make a real difference in our fight against climate change,” said Senator Heinrich.

“The current process for adopting and updating the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation practice standards (CPS) is flawed by bureaucratic processes that lack clear and consistent guidelines. Our producers are rightfully frustrated by the federal government complicating their conservation efforts. We should always strive to make government agencies just as nimble and innovative as the farmers they serve. I’m proud to work on this bipartisan solution with my colleagues to ensure farmers have the tools necessary to support conservation efforts and help producers leave their land cleaner, safer, and healthier than they found it,” said Senator Marshall.

“Minnesota farmers have been long-time leaders in protecting soil and water quality. That is why it is crucial that we have an effective and efficient process for conservation practices to be approved and implemented on the ground,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This bipartisan legislation makes common sense improvements that will ensure our farmers have access to the latest tools to support conservation practices.”

“We are making water quality progress and Iowa continues to set records for conservation practice adoption, but we have much more work to do in the years and decades ahead,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “Greater efficiency, transparency and predictability within federal agencies and programs are necessary for us to more effectively partner together to accelerate our statewide water quality efforts.”

“We thank Senator Ernst and her colleagues including Senator Heinrich, Senator Marshall and Senator Klobuchar, for their leadership in introducing this bipartisan legislation to align federal policy with the latest science and technology already in use on farms, particularly approaches that improve farmer economics and reduce environmental impacts caused by lost synthetic nitrogen fertilizer,” said Karsten Temme, Pivot Bio Co-Founder and CEO. “By directing NRCS cost-share, technical assistance and other resources where they can be most effective, this legislation supports shared priorities across the agriculture system: ensuring farmers have the most promising technologies at their disposal to keep our land, water and air healthy, and our farms and rural communities strong and resilient for the next generation.”

Background:

Ernst has long held that farmers are the original conservationists. Currently, the state of Iowa:

• Maintains nearly 140 wetlands, including 416,383 acres of wetland that farmers have restored, which reduce nitrate loss by up to 90 percent.
• Ranks first in several proven conservation practices, including the quality wetlands, filter strips, grassed waterways, buffer strips, pollinator habitat, and conservation tillage that help improve water quality.
• Has over 90,000 miles of terraces, helping reduce soil erosion and phosphorus loss by 77 percent.
• Saw erosion on cropland reduced by 47 percent due to the efforts of farmers from 1982-2017. Nitrate levels were reduced by 77 percent in the Raccoon River and 83 percent lower in the Des Moines River, while corn and soybean yields continue to increase.