New practices emerging to curb nitrate loss

In a world without people, Iowa’s soils would still have nitrates.
Some nitrates are released as plant material breaks down, says Iowa State University Ag and Bio System Engineering Professor Matt Helmers. Nature has a way of managing those nitrates, he said.
“Before (people cultivated land for specific crop farming), we would have something growing out there year-round,” Helmers said.
Nitrates are the form of nitrogen that can be absorbed in water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns against drinking water that has nitrate levels higher than 10 parts per million, because of the potential health hazards, including excessive production of urine and hemorrhaging of the spleen, as well as decreasing infants’ blood’s ability to carry oxygen. Those limits have been a hot topic among farmers, scientists and environmentalists for years, particularly in states with large agricultural industries. Farmers apply nitrogen to their fields as fertilizers, which creates nitrates that are “susceptible to loss,” Helmers said. 
Read more in the Feb. 25 edition.