A retired University of Iowa water researcher, Chris Jones, explains that there has been enough rain in the first two weeks of May to fill Iowa’s rivers with nitrate runoff. Jones reports: “1.6 million pounds of nitrate-nitrogen are passing the Iowa River gaging station in southeast Iowa, *every day*. That’s the equivalent of 11 rail cars of anhydrous ammonia.”

Why is stream nitrate greater after a drought, which Iowa has experienced? “Because nitrate is accumulated in the soil by 1) lack of normal loss from crop fields to the stream network during dry years, and 2) poor nitrogen uptake by corn when moisture is in short supply.”

Jones reports that, “Iowa’s Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), which could be more accurately named Iowa Department of Agriculture or Land Stewardship, tracks commercial fertilizer sales. For the 2023 crop year, 2.39 billion pounds of nitrogen were sold in commercial formulations. The overwhelming majority of this is applied to corn, and while it’s impossible to know exactly what that percentage is, I think I’m anchored in a pretty safe harbor by saying it’s at least 90%. From that, 90% of 2.39 billion is 2.15 billion pounds.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a nonprofit known as U.S. PIRG, warns that: “PFAS, nicknamed forever chemicals due to the way they stick around in our bodies and our environment, are present in nearly half of all tap water in the United States, and they're a hazard to our health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently set limits on six forever chemicals present in tap water across the country.

“PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of 15,000 synthetic chemicals used to make products waterproof as well as heat or stain resistant. PFAS are used in consumer products and they don't break down in the environment. PFAS have been found in a number of food products and in the blood and urine of humans around the globe.

“The 2024 UN Food Waste Index report — which measured food waste at the consumer and retail level across more than 100 countries — found that over a trillion dollars worth of food gets thrown out every year, from households to grocery stores to farms, all across the globe.

“Such waste takes a significant toll on the environment. The process of producing food — the raising of animals, the land and water use, and the subsequent pollution that goes with it — is horribly intensive on the planet. Food waste squanders those efforts, and then makes it worse: as it rots in landfills, it creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Food waste alone is responsible for an estimated 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report. To put that into perspective, if food waste were a country, it would be third in emissions produced, behind only the United States and China.'

The Land Institute is developing sainfoin as a potential perennial pulse crop that could yield nutritious, edible seeds and deliver numerous ecological benefits under the trademarked “perennial Baki™ bean.” Baki means eternal in Turkish, acknowledging the plant's origins, honoring our collaborative efforts with researchers in this Fertile Crescent region, and symbolizing our vision for perennial agriculture. While The Land Institute's exploration of sainfoin as a potential staple food is relatively recent, people have used it as a forage crop for hundreds of years in Eurasia. The legume could deliver ecological and economic benefits on farms. Its ability to pull nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plants, from the atmosphere and incorporate it into soils may reduce or eliminate the need to apply synthetic fertilizers, decreasing farm input costs.

Plants can alter their structure in response to changes in their environment: this turning of part or all of the organism is called tropism. The various types of tropisms include gravitropism (reacting to gravity), thigmotropism (reacting to physical contact), phototropism (reacting to light), and heliotropism (growing or changing their shape in response to sunlight specifically). An example of this is a flower opening, closing, and/or orienting itself at different times of the day according to when the sun is out and where it is. Heliotropism requires some use of energy, but it’s worth the effort for plants because it helps them to get much more of the energy they need to continue growing, maintain ideal temperatures, and attract pollinators.

Composting is a sustainable and environmentally friendly method of managing organic waste. It offers numerous benefits for the environment and communities by converting food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic materials into nutrient-rich soil amendments. Composting not only reduces waste but also mitigates greenhouse gas emissions and promotes sustainable agriculture.

The process of composting requires a balance of carbon-rich (browns) and nitrogen-rich (greens) materials, along with adequate moisture and oxygen. Sustainability, in the context of composting, entails utilizing organic waste in a way that minimizes environmental impact and supports long-term ecological balance.