What will drive the next innovations in agricultural water technology? The February issue of Soy Perspectives highlights three individuals whose personal experiences drove them to develop new solutions to manage water more efficiently now and in the future.  When “Life-Giving” River Runs Dry Iran’s Zayandeh-Rood river may literally mean ‘life-giving,’ but its lower reaches began drying up decades ago due to years of mismanagement and overuse. One river section flowed through Esfahani, hometown of Amin Afzal, who later led a group of Pennsylvania State University researchers working on a breakthrough moisture sensor. “The river had a large impact on [...]

ISA-supported field day highlights best soil and water quality practices and partnerships Thanks to the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) released in 2015, more federal and private-industry grant dollars are flowing into local watershed efforts. The goal is to help farmers consider the benefits of adopting new voluntary Best Management Practices (BMPs). A prime example is the Upper Macoupin Creek Watershed new Carlinville, Ill. American Farmland Trust (AFT) recently secured a USDA/NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) grant that dedicates $1 million per year during the next five years to increase local conservation efforts. These dollars include both [...]

In case you missed the headlines in the national papers, the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone was the largest in recorded history this summer. Yes, that’s the bad news. The good news is, despite high flows and large nitrate-nitrogen (nitrate-N) loads in the Illinois River in April and May, the 2017 yearly nitrate-N loading in the river was about 5% lower than the 1980-96 baseline average load. The 1980-96 baseline is important because it serves as the reference point for IL-EPA’s requested reductions of 45% for nitrate nitrogen and total phosphorus loading to the Gulf of Mexico by 2035. [...]

URBANA, Ill. – The Midwest, blessed with rich soils and abundant precipitation, leads the country and the world in corn and soybean production. It also contributes the majority of the nitrate load in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to its large low-oxygen “dead zone.” Nitrate applied to farm fields also winds up in local drinking water supplies, which must be removed at a major cost to municipalities. Fortunately, there are ways for farmers to reduce nitrogen loss, and a new University of Illinois Extension booklet provides details on 10 suggested practices. “In this booklet, we present a consistent source [...]