Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Leopold Center puts nitrate videos in Iowa ag classrooms

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September 24, 2012

AMES, Iowa -- More than 200 Iowa high school and community college ag instructors have copies of four new videos that explain the science behind conservation practices that improve water quality.

The video series, “Nabbing Nitrates: Before Water Leaves the Farm,” were produced by the Missouri & Mississippi Divide Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D), supported by a Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, one of 13 groups that provided in-kind service for the project, purchased the videos for distribution to high school and community college ag instructors during their annual meeting in June.

In both English and Spanish, the series includes animation showing what happens below the ground to remove nitrates from water in four conservation practices: conservation drainage, riparian forest buffers, working wetlands and bioreactors. For example, a mature forested buffer can remove up to 90 percent the nitrate from groundwater before it reaches a stream.

“The videos are a wonderful resource because they show the science behind the practices, and why these practices work so well, which is exactly what the Leopold Center has been supporting with research grants,” said Jeri Neal, who leads the Leopold Center’s Ecology Initiative. “Getting the videos into the hands of educators to use in the classroom is the logical next step.”

The videos also can be viewed at M&M Divide’s projects page at: www.mmdividercd.org or on the Leopold Center website.

Copies of the videos have been distributed to NRCS, Farm Service Agencies (FSA) and Iowa State University Extension offices in 25 counties that are part of the Iowa Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) target watersheds. Those watersheds (and counties) are:

  • North Raccoon River: Buena Vista, Pocahontas, Sac, Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, Dallas and Polk;
  • Boone River: Kossuth, Hancock, Humboldt, Wright and Hamilton;
  • Upper Cedar River: Worth, Mitchell, Floyd, Chickasaw and Bremer; and
  • Maquoketa River: Fayette, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Jones, Jackson and Clinton.

Soil & Water Conservation Districts and NRCS offices in the six counties served by M&M Divide also received copies of the video, which can be checked out for viewing. They are: Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Green, Guthrie and Sac.

Other partner sponsors who helped fund the series with cash and in-kind donations include: the Des Moines Water Works, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Department of Agriculture – Soil Conservation Division, Agri Drain Corporation, Raccoon River Watershed Association, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Soil & Water Conservation Society, Carroll County Extension Council, Carroll County Soil & Water Conservation District, the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition and the Iowa chapter of the Soil & Water Conservation Society.

For more info contact:

Jeri Neal, Leopold Center Ecology Initiative, (515) 294-5610, wink@iastate.edu

Chris Wilbeck, M&M Divide RC&D, (712) 659-3799, director.mmdivide@gmail.com

Laura Miller, Leopold Center communications, (515) 294-5272, lwmiller@iastate.edu

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