This week, April 24th through May 1st is National Soil and Water Conservation week, or also known as Stewardship Week. It’s a time to call attention to the importance of conserving our land and water. Tim Palmer is the past president of the National Association of Conservation Districts and a south-central Iowa farmer. He says conservation goes beyond agriculture and involves everyone.
With commodity grain prices at or near record levels, are farmers doing away with conservation measures, and instead farming the highly sensitive and erodible ground?
Palmer says the theme for this year’s Soil and Water Conservation week is “Healthy Soil – Healthy Life” and he says the theme describes how farmers are taking better care of their resources, with more farmers aware of the nitrate run-off that often penetrates the ground water. He says farmers are planting cover crops to help reduce the nitrate run-off, as well as to help control carbon.
