Conservation is best nurtured through collaboration

Harvest is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only do I get to enjoy Iowa's beautiful countryside, there's also a sense of accomplishment to look over your shoulder from the seat of a combine and see the progress you've made.

Iowa farmers are motivated by progress that comes from hard work, consistency and innovation. That innovation enables us to use fewer resources today while growing more abundant and diverse food choices that consumers have come to expect.

However, sometimes farming innovation can cause a disconnect with folks who remember a very different type of agriculture and farmers need to do a better job explaining not just how they farm today, but why. Unfortunately, recent reports from the Environmental Working Group and other like-minded individuals ignores agricultural advancements that brought measurable improvement to our water quality.

Iowa farmers accept the challenge of improving water quality and that is evidence in the Iowa's Water Quality Initiative's annual report. The report card, developed by researchers from Iowa State University and submitted to Iowa's environmental officials, shows steady, measurable progress on Iowa's water quality initiative goals, which were developed three years ago as part of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy. That strategy is a research and technology-based approach to assess and reduce nutrients delivered to Iowa waterways and the Gulf of Mexico. The scientifically-proven practices in the strategy are being embraced by farmers, utilities, agencies and academia. ISU's John Lawrence says Iowa is making strides on just about every variable we are measuring.

Here are a few highlights of the progress report, which covers the 12 months ending May 31, 2016:

' The implementation of select conservation practices prevented 3.8 million pounds of total nitrogen from the watershed and nearly 218,000 pounds of phosphorus.

' 57 percent of farmers reported a moderate to major increase in precision farming practices, where fertilizer is applied to select areas of a crop only when it's needed.

' 54 percent of farmers report a moderate to major increase in the use of conservation structures such as terraces, grassed waterways and sediment control basins.

' Iowa farmers have restored more than 413,945 acres of wetlands through FSA and NRCS restoration programs, as of March 2016. (Iowa is the fourth best in the country in CRP wetland restoration, behind only Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to the Farm Service Agency.)

' Iowa farmers have planted this year or intend to plant next year more than 99,000 acres of pollinator habitat through the FSA's continuous CRP. That's more than any other state and almost 40 percent of the national total planted in all states. The program helps farmers establish high-quality native wildflowers, legumes and shrubs that support pollinators.

Are we done? No, but every once in awhile we need to find the highest point on our farm, look around the countryside and acknowledge just how far we've come.

Farmers need the tools of science, the support of funding and the strength of unity to keep the momentum moving forward. Working together, urban and rural, will help more communities achieve the kind of progress currently underway in the Cedar Rapids watershed, because here, both urban and rural residents realized years ago that progress is a seed best nurtured through collaboration.

' Craig Hill is president of the Iowa Farm Bureau and a fourth-generation farmer in Warren County.