Clint Sires

What are you doing to practice and promote soil and water quality?

AgState has a proud history of being a member of the Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance (ACWA). We are well known in Northwest Iowa for being early and significant adopters of various forms of Precision Agriculture including our InSiteCDM precision ag data management program. Through this program, grower’s focus on nutrient management, including intense nitrogen management through variable rate and yield goals, to not only increase yields but to better manage input dollars and protect the environment. We also work with the Iowa Soybean Association to employ a conservation agronomist within our company to help our growers better understand the different management practices that are out there to conserve resources and protect ground and surface waters.

What is being done in your county to support soil and water quality?

We are seeing increases in the number of strip-till and no-till acres in many areas. We have also seen some steady increases in those trying cover crops in some areas.

What could be done with more public funding for soil and water quality?

Continue to get the word out through real world, working examples of best use management practices including bioreactors, saturated buffer strips and cover crops. As more growers see these working in the real world and understand that there are sources of funding for these types of projects, I believe more of them will be constructed and utilized for the betterment of the environment.