State Flower: Flower
Updates in 2023:
HF282 [LS] relating to the management of soil and water resources – in Senate on adjournment
HF376 [LS] relating to water quality by increasing the sales and use tax rates and conditioning the use of moneys from the natural resources and outdoor recreation trust fund – in committee on adjournment
Updates in 2022:
HF241 [LS], authorizing riparian buffer ordinances; includes soil health – stalled in committee
SF376 [LS], agriculture climate adaptation advisory task force; includes soil health – “[p]romote the health and preservation of soils, including but not limited to cover crops, no-till planting, ridge-till planting, contouring, and contour strip-cropping.” – stalled in committee
HF394 [LS], soil health in leases of public land – stalled in committee
HF457 [LS], sustainable agricultural land, soils, water quality, and land tenure initiative committee; includes soil health – stalled in committee
HF801 [LS], Act related to the management of soil and water resources – stalled in committee
Updates in 2021:
HF241, authorizing riparian buffer ordinances; includes soil health
SF376, agriculture climate adaptation advisory task force; includes soil health
HF394, soil health in leases of public land
HF457, sustainable agricultural land, soils, water quality, and land tenure initiative committee; includes soil health
HF646, nutrient reduction bill — amended to include soil health in soil and water conservation programs
NOT PASSED: Soil resource health and recovery monitoring system
The bill was held in committee but remains eligible to move forward in the 2020 legislative session pending the advancement of a champion in the Environmental Protection Committee, who would need to move it out of committee and to a vote.
Legislative Information
Date:
Introduced January 24, 2019
Legislation:
Sponsors:
Representative Charles Isenhart
Agencies Involved:
- Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)
- IDALS Division of Soil Conservation & Water Quality
Rule Making Processes:
Would be co-run by the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Nutrient Research Center
Program Summary
Description:
The Bill was conceived in the fall of 2018 as a new approach to managing soil health across the state as a means to support Iowa farmers.
The Bill would have directed the Division of Soil Conservation & Water Quality (within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship) and the Iowa Nutrient Research Center (within Iowa State University) to create a statewide soil resource, health, and recovery monitoring system. There is no funding associated with this Bill.
The Division and Research Center would work together to create objectives, goals, and benchmarks on the State’s soil health.
The program requires submission of a report on the status of state soils, recommendations and proposed legislation to the legislature every two years. Work has yet to be specified due to the bill’s pending passage.
Soil Health Definitions:
As defined by the Iowa NRCS, “… the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans”
Stated Goals:
To measure, analyze, and track soil health regarding the continued capacity of Iowa’s soils to permanently sustain plant and animal life
Program Required Measurements:
- Nutrient retention capacity and fertility of a soil
- Structure, stability, and compaction of a soil
- Soil depth and degrees of soil erosion
- Capacity of a soil to retain precipitation and its capacity to filter the transport of nutrients
- A soil’s habitat for earthworms and soil microbes
- The value of a soil to produce crops, and levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, and calcium present in a soil
Tools & Guidance:
- Iowa Soil Health Resources through the NRCS
- Additional tools to be used by the monitoring system not yet specified
Funding Sources
Founding Source/s:
No mention of the funding source in the original bill
Funding Type/s:
N/A
Practices Eligible for Funding:
Lessons Learned
- A strong champion/s of the bill is essential. While many organizations supported HF 102, it stalled without strong leadership.
- Messaging within the context of the political landscape is critical to building allyship and support. Well done, it can build bipartisan support from the beginning and put farmers at the forefront of the conversation.
- Building relationships is the first step towards building a coalition that can play a leadership role in supporting the bill.
Legislative Committees
House Committee:
Senate Committee:
State Universities & Researchers
Iowa State University’s Iowa Nutrient Research Center: Provides studies and technical assistance for nutrient management practices. It would also help run the monitoring system. (Land-grant university)
Agricultural Organizations & Technical Assistance
Education & Advocacy Groups
Media & Additional Resources