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In addition to the many organizations working issues related to nutrient management and hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, there are a number of innovative farmers and ranchers who have adopted sustainable practices with an array of natural services and economic benefits including a direct benefit to water quality and watershed health and a reduction in nutrient loss from agricultural land.
The following case studies highlight some of these individuals and put face on what’s possible on the landscape that benefits farmers, the Mississippi River and the Gulf.
Roger Wolf, Iowa Soybean Association
In any discussion about monitoring and improving the performance of row-crop agriculture in the Midwest, it doesn’t take long for Roger Wolf’s name to come up. He is director of environmental programs for the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), the largest state-based, row-crop commodity organization in the United States. Roger advocates for farmers and farm organizations to become knowledgeable stakeholders in water quality discussions, and has championed on-farm monitoring and farmer networking.
Roger is most well known for his leadership in a program called Certified Environmental Management Systems for Agriculture (CEMSA). Initiated in 2001, CEMSA is a voluntary program that provides farmers with metrics for monitoring, measuring, and validating a farm’s environmental performance. With oversight from ISA, coupled with a strong farmer-to-farmer network, CEMSA has developed a level of trust with farmers on environmental issues that is the envy of any agency or environmental organization.
For regional environmental issues like hypoxia and nitrate runoff, Roger recognizes that “it takes a watershed”. Prior to joining the Iowa Soybean Association, Roger directed a watershed collaboration between farmers, agribusiness, and the City of Des Moines in the Raccoon River Watershed. He is now working to develop local leadership, recruit farmer participants, and provide monitoring and evaluation assistance for four Iowa watersheds that are addressing nitrate issues. ISA’s goal is to enroll at least half of each watershed’s production acreage into the On-Farm Network and improve the watershed’s environmental performance.
Roger and the Iowa Soybean Association are demonstrating that profitable commodity production and environmental leadership are not mutually exclusive objectives.
Added on Dec. 5, 2006
