For
Immediate Release: May 15, 2006
Contact: Iowa CCI at (515) 282-0484, or Barb Kalbach at (515)523-2863
Des Moines,
IA – Members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
are applauding the Environmental Protection Commission’s (EPC)
move to initiate rules to ban manure application on ground going
into soybeans. The Commission voted 5 to 4 to start the rulemaking
process. The decision to initiate rules stems from the desire to
reduce the amount of nitrogen going into our water.
“This is a common sense decision that
should not adversely impact livestock but could go a long way to
reduce the amount of nitrogen that is going into our water,”
states Barb Kalbach, a member of Iowa CCI, and a fourth generation
family farmer from Dexter.
Iowa CCI members have been calling on the
state to ban manure application to ground going into soybeans for
several years. The organization sites a growing number of impaired
waters. A Recent Des Moines register story also showed that Iowa
currently has some of the dirtiest waters in the nation –
in a large part because of excess nitrogen.
The EPC directed the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) to come back in July with a draft rule that
would phase out the questionable practice of applying manure on
ground that will be planted in soybeans. Soybeans ‘fix’
nitrogen from the soil or air and do not need to have additional
nitrogen applied to it. Research shows that adding nitrogen does
not increase the crop yield but does increase the chance of water
pollution.
The factory farm industry opposes the ban
because they tend to treat manure like a waste and are often concerned
more with disposal of the manure rather than whether or not it makes
sense to put it on a certain crop. Banning manure on soybeans could
also save farmers money. According to one commercial applicator,
factory farms charge farmers $35-$40 per acre to apply manure. Since
soybeans do not need manure, stopping this practice could help farmers
save money.
“The state of Iowa has just budgeted
to spend $18 million to clean up Iowa’s water. If we want
to ensure this money isn’t wasted, we have to be proactive
and prohibit bad practices that increase the potential for pollution,”
continues Kalbach.
Iowa CCI is also supporting another common
sense proposal from the DNR which spells out the DNR’s authority
to deny or modify a factory farm construction permit or manure management
plan in order to protect water. This important rule will be voted
on at the June EPC meeting.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
is thousands of people from all walks of life who talk, act and
get things done on issues that matter most. From factory farms moving
in next door ruining quality of life to shady lenders taking advantage
of families, CCI has been tackling tough issues and getting things
done for 30 years. To learn more visit: www.iowacci.org
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