Funding to prevent nutrient loss on hog farms

Pork producers encouraged to install saturated buffers and bioreactors to prevent nutrient loss

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Iowa’s pork producers have a chance make a positive impact on the environment.

Farmers who would like to utilize new nutrient loss reduction technology in their operations can now obtain funding from the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), according to a release March 30.

Interested producers can apply for funding to cover up to 50 percent of the cost of saturated buffers or bioreactors.

By implementing these projects, farmers can help protect the quality of local water. 

“Pig farmers take environmental management and regulations designed to protect our natural resources very seriously,” Gregg Hora, IPPA’s president, said in the release. “Today’s barns … are designed to protect our rivers, streams and drinking water.”

Farmers can access this financial support thanks to a $25,000 investment from the IPPA.

The IPPA’s investment “will help support our efforts to scale-up the adoption of these edge-of-field practices focused on improving water quality,” Mike Naig, the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, said in the release.

“Both bioreactors and saturated buffers are still fairly new practices and this investment will help us continue to place these practices throughout the state to show farmers how they might fit in their operation."

Iowa farmers who would like to be considered for funding can fill out this survey.

Farms.com has reached out to the IPPA for further comment.

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