2025 December Stewardship Advocate

2025 December Stewardship Advocate

Related Articles

INREC Practices Survey Results

Iowa Corn is a founder and funder of the Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council (INREC) since its inception 10 years ago. The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (INRS) was created through a collaboration between the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University (ISU). It was released in 2013 and laid out the strategies and goals to reduce by 45% the nitrogen and phosphorus loads going into Iowa's waterways, compared to the 1980-1996 baseline. INREC was created two years later in 2015 to measure and report on progress towards these goals through the efforts of farmers throughout the state.

Since 2017, INREC has conducted an annual survey that describes the management practices used by Iowa farmers. They conduct the survey by gathering farming records from more than 1000 fields identified by 150 participating ag retailers to measure progress towards the INRS goals. The aggregated data collected from the survey is analyzed by ISU's statistics lab and reported as an annual summary in addition to results going back to 2017.

The 2024 results were released in November and revealed some promising progress in a number of areas. The table below shows some of the highlights from 2024 compared to the first year of the survey in 2017:

¹ Nearly 90% of cover crop acres were planted to rye.

² Nitrogen rates are similar to ISU's optimum economic nitrogen rates.

The results of the survey are influenced somewhat by year to year variation in fertilizer prices, biotic and abiotic factors, and spring and fall weather patterns that affect planting, harvesting and fertilizer application timing.

Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Nitrogen rates in corn-soy rotations remained remarkably consistent across the eight years of the survey, ranging from a low of 167 lbs./acre in 2023 to a high of 183 lbs./acre in 2020. The average nitrogen rate during those eight years was 174 lbs./acre.

One common way to measure nitrogen use efficiency is calculating the pounds of nitrogen applied for each bushel of corn produced. In 1973, a renowned USDA soil scientist published a paper that stated a bushel of corn needed 1.2 pounds of nitrogen. That number was often repeated and became a rule of thumb for several decades after that paper was published. In 1973, the average corn yield in Iowa was 91 bushels/acres and a 1.2 ratio indicated 109 pounds of nitrogen was needed to produce a yield of 91 bushels.

More recently, nitrogen to bushel ratios have declined significantly, meaning that it now takes less nitrogen to produce a bushel of corn than in prior decades. The table shows that nitrogen use efficiency is in the 0.85 range in both 2017 and 2024. These improvements are due to using the 4R principles of nutrient management, that is, the right source, rate, time and place. Advances in genetics and plant breeding have also played a role in better nutrient use efficiency.

Iowa Corn has supported INREC for the last 10 years because it produces the country's most accurate and statistically sound report on farmer practices and is the best source of truth to refute the claims made by critics who say Iowa farmers are not stewards of the land.

Sources:

INREC website at https://iowanrec.org/progress-measurements/

UNL Crop Watch at https://cropwatch.unl.edu/nitrogen-corn-12-lb-n-bushel-where-did-come/

Latest Information

USDA Announces January 15 National Batching Deadline for Major NRCS Conservation Programs | Natural Resources Conservation Service

Discover Good Ideas that improve your soil, land, and bottom line. - One Good Idea

The ROI of Conservation Drainage

Secretary Naig Opens Sign-Up Window for Iowa's Crop Insurance Discount Program | Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Bryce Lidtka farms with his father Randy on a farm located north of Grinnell in Poweshiek County. He grew up on the family farm where they had a farrow to finish operation. Bryce started renting his own ground in 2022 to kick off the fifth generation of the century farm.

He is proud to carry on the legacy of the farm, saying, "I feel blessed to farm the same land my great-great-grandfather once worked. My hope is to keep this farm thriving so future generations of our family can enjoy it too. For me, it's about more than income. It's about building a legacy that reflects our values. Farming has changed a lot since he first broke ground, but the principles of hard work and determination he lived by still guide us today. Every season brings new challenges and opportunities, and I see that as part of the responsibility and privilege of carrying this ethic forward."

The Lidtkas run a corn soybean rotation where they plant corn at 32,000 seeds per acre. They have a combined fertility program that includes 150 lbs. of liquid fertilizer and 1.5 tons of chicken manure per acre. They no-till their soybeans and do minimum tillage on their corn ground. They plan to plant oats with a drone in September 2026 as their first entry into cover crops. Their commitment to the environment is shown by a Conservation Stewardship Program contract that includes pollinator habitat that targets lower production soils in their fields.

When asked about changes for 2026, Bryce says, "This year, I'm working more closely with my commodity broker to manage price risk and improve returns. One strategy is using a mix of forward contracts and options to lock in favorable prices while keeping some flexibility for market swings. Another is setting clear profit targets and using incremental sales to spread risk over time instead of making large one-time decisions. These steps help protect margins while still allowing room for upside."

Bryce's day job is as an Ag Loan Officer at South Ottumwa Savings Bank. He says, "I work with southeast Iowa producers to help them reach their financial goals and keep their farms strong. I review credit, set up new loans and restructure existing debt to maximize cash flow. I also maintain strong client relationships and monitor loan performance to support sustainable growth for both the bank and our farming community."

While keeping very busy with the family farm and at the bank, Bryce finds time to give back to his fellow corn growers saying, "I participate in Iowa Corn because I believe in supporting initiatives that strengthen our farming community. Iowa Corn invests in market development, education, and research, and they take their mission seriously by being good stewards of the funds they receive to maximize return to the corn farmer."

He serves on the Iowa Corn Animal Ag and Environment Committee because he believes the topics discussed there are critical for farmers and he enjoys promoting the great work the agricultural community does and helping allocate resources that advocate for agriculture and sustainability.

Upcoming Events:

January 7 at 9:00 am: Webinar on INREC survey results; register at https://iowanrec.org/stewardship-meets-strategy-nutrient-reduction-a-virtual-discussion/

Throughout January: Iowa Learning Farms webinars and virtual field days; Events - Iowa Learning Farms

Throughout January: Calendar | Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Home

Related Articles