Report: Big Ag is to blame for Iowa's poor water quality
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Iowa's most powerful farm lobby is under fresh scrutiny in a Bloomberg investigation into its influence on water policy.
Why it matters: Researchers have stated that Iowa's drinking water sources are increasingly polluted by nitrates from fertilizer and manure runoff, and even low levels have been linked to health issues and higher water bill costs for customers.
State of play: The Bloomberg report accuses the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation of shaping state strategies for decades, including blocking local conservation funding and pressuring regulators to back off polluters.
Zoom in: The report shows the group's lobbying efforts are apparent throughout Iowa, including:
- When Des Moines Water Works sued drainage districts in three Iowa counties for not following the EPA's Clean Water Act, Farm Bureau helped pay the drainage districts' legal fees.
- The group lobbied against counties issuing bonds for watershed restoration and flood mitigation, per Bloomberg.
- And it was the only Iowa group to support a bill that would divert conservation sales tax revenue to property tax relief.
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is one of the most influential political forces in Iowa, often referred to within state agencies as the "fourth branch of government," according to Bloomberg.
- The Federation, which advocates for farmers, serves as the political arm of the group, while Iowa Farm Bureau Financial Services is a for-profit entity that sells insurance.
- Since 2018, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation has spent more than $1.2 million lobbying state lawmakers and earns $65 million in annual revenue, per Bloomberg.
What they're saying: "We couldn't do anything until checking with the Farm Bureau," Allen Bonini, a retired Iowa DNR staffer who supervised water quality programs, told Bloomberg.
The other side: In response to the story, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, which has long defended its conservation work, told Axios in an emailed statement that it is "committed to helping family farmers adopt conservation practices that improve water quality."
- The statement also said Iowa Farm Bureau Federation supported Iowa Senate 512, which provides long-term funding to farmers' water quality efforts through Iowa's Nutrient Reduction Strategy — though its efficacy has been questioned.
- Iowa Farm Bureau also helped start a program at Iowa State that teaches farmers how to use fertilizer more efficiently.
- The bureau said it's helping farmers grow more cover crops, expanding from 10,000 acres in 2009 to nearly 4 million today.
Go deeper: Big agriculture is stopping polluted water from being cleaned in Iowa