Dustin Vande Hoef
Communications Director
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
515/281-3375 or 515/326-1616 (cell) or Dustin.VandeHoef@IowaAgriculture.gov
Co-chairs for Residue Matters:
Jerry DeWitt, Director of the Leopold Center, Iowa State University, (515) 294-3711
Bill Ehm, Water Policy Director, Department of Natural Resources, (515) 281-4701
For More Information: rmatters@iastate.edu or (515) 509-4768 or www.residuematters.org
SPENCER – Residue matters. A new campaign aims to show Iowans why, informing farmers about the importance of what’s left over after harvest.
Call it stover, residue, cobs or stalks – crop residue plays an important role in building soil quality, reducing soil erosion, improving water quality, saving time and increasing long-term profitability.
“In these volatile economic times, knowledge is key for crop producers to make the right decisions for both short and long-term profitability,” said Bill Northey, the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, during opening day of the Clay County Fair. “Knowledge about residue’s value and its management can help producers make the right choices for their operation.”
Northey kicked off the “Residue Matters” campaign, urging northwest Iowa producers to consider the value of residue as they make management and tillage decisions. While it is relatively inexpensive to improve residue management, there are many decisions to make.
Twelve public and private partners developed the campaign, which includes information to help farmers make those decisions. The group’s goal is to increase the acres of conservation tillage in 15 northwest Iowa counties by 25 percent within the next five years.
“When we began preparations for this campaign, we worked with commodity groups and Ag Partners, an Albert City-based agribusiness, to identify farmers’ concerns,” said Bill Ehm, DNR water policy coordinator. “Because of their input, we identified soil quality and soil erosion, the value of crop residue, and profitability as the three main issues farmers were asking about in northwest Iowa.
“In response, our main theme is that crop residue saves money, time and soil,” he said. “Ag Partners’ input ensures that we are meeting farmers’ needs and that they can go to private and public sources for technical information.”
Producers can get more information from their local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service center or their local Iowa State University Extension office. They can also talk with their Ag Partners’ agronomist. Or, they can go directly to the Web site at www.residuematters.org for more detailed information and research publications.
Partners in the campaign include: Ag Partners, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, Conservation Districts of Iowa, Iowa Certified Crop Advisors, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship-Division of Soil Conservation, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa State University and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
