Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI) staff participated in the fourth annual water quality and agriculture field day for legislators at the Iowa Land Improvement Contractors of Association (LICA) farm located northeast of Des Moines near Melbourne, IA. The event was hosted by the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA), Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) and AAI member LICA.
AAI’s Environmental Technology Director Shawn Richmond and Marketing Director Tyler Teske attended the field day representing the Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council (INREC). The guided tour included in-depth explanations of a variety of water quality practices employed on the 80 acre farm including wetlands, terraces, sediment control basins, grassed waterways, water control structures, bioreactor, and rain garden.
Legislators who attended the field day:
- U.S. Representative Rod Blum, representing Iowa’s 1st District
- State Senators Mark Segebart and Tom Shipley
- State Representatives Dave Deyoe, Dean Fisher, John Landon, Mary Mascher and Dave Maxwell
In addition to a number of one-on-one conversations with the various legislators, the field day presented the value of land improvements in controlling nutrient movement, the advantages and costs of these improvements, and the efforts agriculture is putting forth to manage land well.