Voluntary measures will not solve the nitrogen runoff problems - a talk with David Osterberg

Nutrient-laden runoff from Iowa's farm fields is a major contributor to the "Dead Zone' in the Gulf of Mexico.  In this discussion, David Osterberg lays out options for dealing with the problem.   He makes a potent case that getting enough farmers to take voluntary measures to reduce runoff, as currently hoped for in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, is not going to work.  As LWV UMRR Vice-chair Mary Ellen Miller points out in this meeting: Voluntary [change in ag practices as recommended in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy] is not working, and it's not working because too many federal dollars are going to support the current practices." 
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                     <<<<Advance video to 5:30 unless you want to see the chit chat as we all gather for the Zoom.>>>>

David Osterberg is a former Iowa state representative who was chairman of the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee as well as the Agriculture Committee. David was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in 1998 and worked for one year as a consultant to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. David holds an M.S. in water resources management and another in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is professor emeritus in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa, and a staff member at Common Good Iowa.

This discussion was part of the LWV Upper Mississippi October 12 meeting.   The LWV UMRR Board meets on the first Monday of even numbered months (if you do the math, that's 6 times/year).  Before Covid, we traveled around the watershed getting to know people and issues across our four-state area.  At each Board meeting, we'd have an educational/advocacy session on local issues where local Leaguers and the general public joined us. Now, everything's virtual, so no travel, but we are still doing sessions like this on the first Monday of every even-numbered month.  Watch our newsletter for notice of upcoming events like this talk with David Osterberg!