In 1972, the Clean Water Act was passed with a goal of making all U.S. waterways fishable and swimmable within a decade. But a report by the Environmental Integrity Project in March 2022 found Indiana, 50 years later, was far from fulfilling that objective.
The Hoosier State has 25,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams, the most of any state, the project found.
Cover crops and small grains such as wheat, when planted after fall harvest, can help reduce soil loss, bolster soil health and improve water absorption. Indiana farmers planted a record amount of cover crops on 1.6 million acres of farmland last fall, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture reported Tuesday. But environmental advocates say still more should be done to improve water quality.
State agriculture officials said the use of cover crops last year prevented about 1.7 million tons of sediment, which would fill more than 480 Olympic-sized swimming pools, from winding up in creeks, rivers and streams. Cover crops also kept 4.3 million pounds of nitrogen and more than 2.2 million pounds of phosphorus from entering Indiana waterways. The survey found about 68% of Indiana’s farmed acres were not tilled, and 17% of farmers used “reduced tillage” techniques after the 2022 harvest.
“Hoosier farmers have held strong at 1.5 million acres of cover crops planted since 2021, so we are excited our farmers were once again able to move the needle forward,” said Don Lamb, director of the state agriculture department, in a statement. “Soil conservation successes would not be possible without the dedicated farmers and the Indiana Conservation Partnership to help them along the way.”
Conservation Partnership programs encourage farmers to adopt cover crops. The Cover Crop Premium Discount Program, for example, provides farmers a markdown on their crop insurance for planting cover crops. It assisted Hoosiers in planting about 30,000 acres of cover crops last year.
Livestock waste and excessive fertilizer applications are the main sources of water pollution in Indiana, according to the Hoosier Environmental Council. During periods of rain or melting snow, sediment and nutrients wash off crop fields and into waterways, leading to high concentrations of E. coli and the growth of harmful algae. Yet, most agricultural runoff goes unregulated by the federal and state governments.
Numerous incentives are in place to encourage Hoosier farmers to reduce field runoff, but low participation – estimated by the Indiana Farm Bureau to be about 10% in 2021 – strains state water quality.
Leading the nation in the most miles of polluted rivers and streams despite last year’s progress should motivate state lawmakers to explore additional ways to incentivize participation in cover-crop plantings. Hoosier waterways should not be allowed to remain polluted for even another 10 years.
