Principals Modernize Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy to Incorporate New Insights, Science and Technology
Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy continues to evolve based on nutrient-reduction data, real-world applications and new technical solutions
DES MOINES, Iowa (Feb. 6, 2025) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Iowa State University (ISU) introduced updates to Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy (INRS) today. The three Principals modernized the INRS – the state’s soil health and water quality framework – to reflect new research, practices, partnerships and funding that have emerged since the strategy was finalized in 2013.
“We’ve learned valuable lessons working alongside farmers and landowners to implement conservation practices, and that’s helping accelerate and scale-up adoption. The strategy must reflect real-world scenarios, challenges and work that’s happening in priority watersheds,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “The document will continue to evolve with new research and technology, but we’re unwavering in our commitment to working alongside our public and private partners to achieve the goals outlined in Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy.”
“Iowa State University is committed to the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and to providing scientific leadership to ensure its long-term success. Our faculty, staff and students have enabled this important initiative through our land grant university missions, and we continue to do so. This includes generating relevant new water quality research, developing new technologies to support INRS implementation and studying the performance of existing conservation practices,” said Daniel J. Robison, Endowed Dean’s Chair of the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “We are also actively involved in efforts to understand and accelerate the rate of practice adoption and track activities and practice implementation associated with the INRS. In these ways and others, the university and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences seek to serve landowners and farmers in Iowa and beyond, and all our communities, through science, technology development and extension.”
“We appreciate the hard work of communities and industries across the state who made critical upgrades that led to significant reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus entering Iowa’s waterways,” said Kayla Lyon, Director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “These advancements reflect the dedication of local governments, engineers, and environmental partners to implement innovative technologies and practices that benefit our water systems and the broader health of our environment and communities. While there is still much to do, the strides we’ve made so far are a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together.”
Key Updates
The INRS was last revised in 2017. The 2025 version includes the following updates:
• Nonpoint source – recommends a three-year extended rotation to reduce nitrogen loss.
• Point source – list of affected facilities is now posted on the INRS website so it can be updated regularly.
• Measurement – evolved from a static annual report to an online dashboard updated quarterly.
• Clarified partner roles – Iowa Water Resources Coordinating Council (WRCC) and 19 state and federal agencies are now listed as collaborators and advisors.
• Nutrient credit trading – Iowa Nutrient Reduction Exchange, established in 2019, is listed as the formal framework for the voluntary nutrient credit trading program.
New Implementation Strategies
Conservation practices will continue to be deployed in watersheds identified in the original INRS. The updated document outlines new implementation strategies the INRS Principals and their public and private partners are using to maximize funding and impact while accelerating practice adoption.
• The Batch and Build process, which began in 2020, streamlines the development process for landowners by building a group of practices at the same time instead of working with individual landowners. The state has completed five “batches” to date and is expanding this process to include new geographies and partners.
• The Department has led or partnered on 23 Regional Conservation Partnership Projects (RCPP) since 2015. These projects have been awarded over $142 million in financial and technical assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
• Established and expanded partnerships with Conservation Agronomists, Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, and many others, play vital roles in research, outreach and engagement, technical support and project funding.
• Edge-of-field practices like saturated buffers and multi-purpose oxbows were listed as approved nutrient-reduction strategies after the original strategy was developed.
• The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s cover crop insurance discount program provides financial incentives in partnership with USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) to reduce farmers and landowners’ costs to add cover crops to production acres. This program has served as a model for RMA and several other states.
• New crop production technologies, like biologics, reduce the need for synthetic fertilizer applications, and precision ag tools like variable rate technology and Y-drop nozzles to fine-tune fertilizer management.
• The Iowa Nitrogen Initiative developed the N-FACT precision ag tool to help farmers optimize nitrogen application rates based on their operations and the unique needs of each acre.
• A cooperative agreement with ISU College of Agriculture and Life Science will increase monitoring of installed edge-of-field practices. This data will enhance current understanding of practice efficacy and inform future implementation efforts.
The revised INRS is now available online at nutrientstrategy.iastate.edu.