Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin blamed his state’s farm runoff for a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico at a recent Senate Ag hearing. But the solution could apply to neighboring states as well.
When it comes to preventing farm runoff, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin told USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack at a recent Ag hearing, his state doesn’t have such a good record.
“We’re about number four in the nation in terms of agricultural production, pretty big state, but we rank 37th in the nation when it comes to participation in the major conservation programs, soil conservation programs, that might avoid some of this runoff.”
So, what to do about that? Secretary Vilsack.
“The resources that you all provided under the Inflation Reduction Act, provide some ammunition to begin to address this issue in a more meaningful way. We’ve expanded the number of cooperative groups that are reaching out to farmers to encourage them to participate in basic conservation that could potentially, significantly reduce the need.”
Nutrient research and precision ag are also key—and not just for Illinois.
“I’ve been told that perhaps, as many as 30 percent of our corn acres in Iowa and Illinois, may not require any fertilizer at all. We have resources that have been applied from the CCC that we’re using to create alternatives to the fertilizer, so we’re going to look at different ways to fertilize the land.”
While Vilsack says, USDA’s Climate Smart practices that encourage farmers to produce crops sustainably and get a premium for doing so should also help reduce runoff in the Mississippi, Missouri, and other rivers.
And he says, better conservation will improve the productivity and value of farmland, making it a better investment.
**Story Courtesy of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters**
