It is your turn to be the expert!Alright, get ready. Generally I write the blog post, you read the blog post, and I have no idea what you think. This time I challenge you to read the post and then expend some effort. Yes, I want your feedback. Now read on, and don’t wimp out on me.Recently the Environmental Working Group (EWG) published a report entitled, Fooling Ourselves: Voluntary Programs Fail to Clean Up Dirty Water. If you haven’t read the report, you should. It focuses on Iowa, but I am sure it can be applied to almost any state. …
Maximizing Conservation Investments
Imagine being on the TV reality show Shark Tank. You are there asking for $5,000,000 of venture capital. Immediately after you make the request, Mark Cuban asks, "How are you going to spend the money?” You respond, “I really don’t know. I will probably keep doing what I have been doing, but only work harder; do more of the same.” It is at that point Mark Cuban’s head explodes and in unison with every other Shark Tank investor, he says “I’m out!” And who could blame them. I don’t know anyone that would invest their money into a business …
Sediment – how far is too far?
How far is too far? As a grandpa, this is a subject of great concern. The distance an ornery grandson can travel in just a few seconds is amazing. Sometimes this distance really matters and sometimes it doesn’t. In a busy parking lot, yes, it really matters. In an empty field, it probably doesn’t much matter. But as a responsible Grandpa, I better know how far is too far for the different situations or I will have to deal with the consequences.Likewise, how far is too far for soil to move in the erosion process? Well I guess that depends …
It’s January…do you know where your nitrogen is?
It’s January 25th, do you know where your nitrogen is? What about your soil? Given the changes we have seen in our weather patterns, these are appropriate questions for farmers at any time of the year. Even though this is not the time of year when we typically think about losing nitrogen and soil, we saw a 5+ inch rainfall event in central Iowa in mid-December and an even larger rainfall event in Missouri two days after Christmas with historic flooding at the beginning of the new year! I did a quick internet search for extreme weather …
Top 5 Scary Conservation Math Facts
Do you dread the 5 words “just do the math” like I do? As a high school student, I hated those words. Let’s just say I was mathematically challenged. Yes me, mathematically challenged! As proof, I will let you in on a little secret. I ended my first quarter in Algebra II with an F. (Fortunately, I still learned enough to do simple algebra.)If you haven’t done the math on conservation, I encourage you to do so. I will tell you it is scary, really scary.Here are my Top 5 Scary Math Facts for Conservation.5. Current Funding Levels Aren't …
The Conservation Cop
Last month, I attended a conference where the topic of “more regulations in agriculture” was a reoccurring theme. Sitting in the audience, I began to notice my hands were getting sweaty and I started to feel anxious. It took me awhile to realize I was having a flashback to events that occurred years ago. I was recalling those days when I was responsible for enforcing “Conservation Compliance”.For those of you who think the front line of environmental enforcement is a cakewalk, think again! Certainly, a few of my colleagues reveled in the power, …