WASHINGTON, D.C. - Iowa Congressman David Young introduced innovative legislation which addresses the nation’s watersheds to advance water quality and conservation efforts. The legislation, the Water Quality Conservation Act of 2017 (H.R.3646), targets existing federal grant funds to assist farmers with innovative efforts to increase nutrient retention in soil, reduce soil erosion, improve soil health and improve overall water quality.
The program, which does not include a single penny of new federal spending, is designed to use the same technology farmers are using to increase their yields by pinpointing which areas need the most attention. The bill is focused on funding technical and financial assistance to help farmers implement conservation techniques at the right time, at the right place and at the right scale.
To qualify for the grants, communities must bring farmers together with non-profits, universities and community organizations to make a precision conservation plan for their community and states must provide matching funds.
"People on the ground know their own communities, terrain and environment better than those Washington, D.C.," Congressman Young said. "This fiscally responsible solution identifies, targets and provides existing federal grant funds and directs it to local communities where we can be more effective at improving water quality."
Once the precision conservation plan has been implemented, states will provide farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a report detailing the effectiveness of the plan. The USDA will use all the results to establish a transparent, interactive, and user-friendly database to enable farmers to learn best practices on how different conservation practices work on different soils with varying topographies.
Congressman Young worked with, and sought the input of, a number of Iowa organizations when writing the bill including Iowa State University, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Iowa Farmers Union, Iowa Environmental Law and Policy Center, Nature Conservancy, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Des Moines Water Works, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
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