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Calhoun County Farm Selected As Site For Water Quality Research Project

A Calhoun County farm was one of eleven projects selected to receive funding from the Iowa Nutrient Research Center in Ames as a site for water quality investigations. Program Coordinator, Malcolm Robertson, says their plan at the 160-acre farm, which is owned by Jake Geisler, is to collect baseline statistics on how nutrients collect and move through the land and waterways.

Data collection begins this fall and is expected to extend into 2018. The farm was recently tiled with more than 65,000 feet of new drainage tile and will provide more accurate information on how nitrates and phosphates move through the land. Robertson says collecting data is only the first step in the project.

It is well known that conservation practices show positive results, but there is very limited data on the specific effects. Having baseline and final stats allow scientists to provide quantifiable data on the benefits. Primary researcher, Keith Shilling, was awarded $60,000 to gather the data. The Iowa Nutrient Research Center has awarded nearly $500,000 in grant money to water quality projects in 2017. A list of the other 10 projects funded this year can be found included below.

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Click ­HERE to view other funded projects

 

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