Proposed House Farm Bill Would Worsen Fertilizer Pollution in Iowa – Leave Farmers Paying for Waste

A recently released U.S. House farm bill proposal underinvests in proven solutions farmers rely on to cut fertilizer waste, protect drinking water and reduce climate pollution, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

With mounting financial pressures on farmers, lawmakers should instead help ease their operating costs by providing greater support for conservation programs that reduce fertilizer use. They can do this on February 23 when the House Agriculture Committee begins markup of the proposed legislation.

A new UCS report, “Less Fertilizer, Better Outcomes,” finds that of the approximately 780,000 metric tons of nitrogen fertilizer used by Iowa corn and soybean producers each year, an estimated 230,000 to 390,000 metric tons are applied in excess of what crops can absorb. That wasted fertilizer contaminates waterways and groundwater and emits heat-trapping gases equivalent to between 600,000 and 900,000 gas-powered cars driven for a year.