Farm Progress

Iowa legislators visited the LICA farm recently to get firsthand look at water quality improvement practices.

Rod Swoboda 1, Editor, Wallaces Farmer

May 4, 2017

3 Min Read
LISTENING, LEARNING: Iowa legislators were among a group of farmers and state officials attending a field day at a conservation demonstration farm near Melbourne. They listened to presentations and took a walking tour, learning about various water quality improvement practices and how they work.

The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association hosted their annual water quality and agriculture field day for legislators last week. The afternoon event took place at the LICA farm located in central Iowa, near Melbourne in Marshall County. The tour included in-depth explanations of a variety of water quality practices employed on the 80-acre farm.

These practices include wetlands, terraces, sediment control basins, grassed waterways, water control structures, a bioreactor and a rain garden. This was the fifth year the LICA farm has hosted the special tour for legislators.

"While prices for our crops are struggling, we want to show the continued investment farmers are making in adopting new technologies and methods to improve water quality," said Iowa Corn Growers Association President Kurt Hora, a farmer from Washington in southeast Iowa. "Legislators face similar fiscal restraints with tight or declining budgets. Today's event demonstrates the importance for state and federal investment in research, financial incentives and technical assistance for farmers to continue adoption of these measures."

Learning about conservation practices
Farmers, contractors and conservation experts discussed with legislators how the practices work, how they are constructed and the costs of installation, as well as cost-share programs available. Conservation partners of LICA attending and helping present information included staff from the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship, Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council, Conservation Districts of Iowa, and the Agri Drain Co.

Guests in attendance for the LICA farm tour included U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, staff from the offices of U.S. Reps. Rod Blum and Dave Loebsack; Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey; and NRCS State Conservationist Kurt Simon.

"As I continue on my 99-county tour, it's important for me to hear from Iowa's farmers, contractors and conservation experts as I did today at this water quality and agriculture field day," said Ernst, who serves on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "Soil and water conservation starts with our farmers and in our communities, and I’m continually encouraged by our farmers’ level of involvement and innovation in our water-quality improvement programs. I'm grateful to all those who shared their experience with me today, as conservation and water quality will continue to be a very critical issue for Iowa's agriculture industry moving forward."

Practices can be used on any farm
This farm was purchased and established in 2004 by the Land Improvement Contractors Association, which bought the land for the purpose of building a farm to demonstrate soil conservation and water-quality protection practices to various groups and the public, which tour the farm. Today, it has a variety of conservation structures and practices in place, including sediment basins, terraces, a wetland and a soon-to-be completed deep-water pond.

Tim Recker, a LICA member from northeast Iowa and a past president of the Iowa Corn Growers explained the purpose of the farm. “Little did we know at the time we established this LICA farm that we were building an entire water quality system on an 80-acre farm. So what you see today is a farm that has every kind of conservation practice used in Iowa. These practices can be installed on any Iowa farmland.”

Recker says LICA welcomes anyone to visit the farm east of Melbourne to see and learn about the variety of conservation projects. “There is nothing special about this farm,” he says. “These soil and water quality protection practices can work for any Iowa farmer or landowner, and anyone in the Midwest.”

The Iowa Corn Growers Association is a 7,500-member grassroots-driven organization, headquartered in Johnston. ICGA serves members across the state, and lobbies on ag issues on behalf of its farmer members to create opportunities for long-term Iowa corn grower profitability.

About the Author(s)

Rod Swoboda 1

Editor, Wallaces Farmer

Rod, who has been a member of the editorial staff of Wallaces Farmer magazine since 1976, was appointed editor of the magazine in April 2003. He is widely recognized around the state, especially for his articles on crop production and soil conservation topics, and has won several writing awards, in addition to honors from farm, commodity and conservation organizations.

"As only the tenth person to hold the position of Wallaces Farmer editor in the past 100 years, I take seriously my responsibility to provide readers with timely articles useful to them in their farming operations," Rod says.

Raised on a farm that is still owned and operated by his family, Rod enjoys writing and interviewing farmers and others involved in agriculture, as well as planning and editing the magazine. You can also find Rod at other Farm Progress Company activities where he has responsibilities associated with the magazine, including hosting the Farm Progress Show, Farm Progress Hay Expo and the Iowa Master Farmer program.

A University of Illinois grad with a Bachelors of Science degree in agriculture (ag journalism major), Rod joined Wallaces Farmer after working several years in Washington D.C. as a writer for Farm Business Incorporated.

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