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Corn Belt Cultivation

The rental car drove over the rolling hills of the two lane Iowa highway. Rural Iowa

rushed past the window in a monotonous sea of farmland. Field after field alternated between the

same two crops. Corn and soybeans grew on an immense scale, so much greater than could ever

be sold in grocery stores.

In contrast, driving through the Central Valley in California, the fields are full of trees

and bushes growing a wide variety of crops. Fields of almonds, strawberries, broccoli, tomatoes,

and grapes extend endlessly along the interstate.

Compared to the diversity of produce in California the focus of agriculture in Iowa was

striking. The rich soil and warm temperatures of the Central Valley make it the optimal

environment for fruits and vegetables. These ideal characteristics make California a leading

agricultural producer nationally. So, why is Iowa, with its limited crop varieties, also an

agricultural leader?

In elementary school, many school assemblies were devoted to sorting lunch waste into

colorful bins. Each day, at the end of lunch, kids would go up to the garbage cans in the middle

of the room and separate trash, recycling, and compost under watchful eyes. The teachers

explained that separating the trash from the recycling kept trash out of the landfill. They

emphasized the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle. Unlike landfill, compost and recycling are

renewed into soil and new material respectively.

These early memories integrated with the recent rise in focus on sustainability to grab my

attention. I watched intently as Greta Thunberg gave speeches to world leaders about climate

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change. At stores, I noticed product packaging turning green to highlight their eco friendliness.

My school promoted “Walk to School Week” to reduce emissions from cars.

Visiting Iowa introduced the relative sustainability of different ways of farming. Rotating

between corn and soybeans boosts both crops and promotes the future growing capabilities of the

field. Connecting sustainably to Iowa farming drove my research question: How sustainable is

the current system of farming in Iowa and how can it become more sustainable?

In recent generations, with the mechanization of farming, the conventional corn soybean

crop rotation system has become synonymous with farming in Iowa. In conventional Iowa

farming, corn is planted in a field one year and then planted in the same field with soybeans the

next year. Corn, generally the more profitable crop, is a grass based crop and takes in nitrogen

from the soil as it grows. In contrast, soybeans, a legume, restores nitrogen to the soil. By

rotating between corn and soybeans, farmers in Iowa have better corn harvests. This also breaks

up the disease cycle and prevents certain pests from attacking the valuable corn crop.

Occasionally, farmers will plant corn on the same field multiple years in a row since corn is the

more profitable crop, but this degrades soil quality and can lead to less successful corn harvests

over time.

In recent years, some Iowa farmers have experimented with adopting soil health

management systems, including reduced tillage and cover cropping, which provides many

benefits over conventional farming. Reduced or no tillage means not turning over or agitating

soil before planting. Cover cropping involves planting crops not for soil but to enrich and protect

the soil. In conventional Iowa farming, fields are intensively tilled and no cover crops are

planted. The Soil Health Institute is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to improving soil productivity in

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farming. Its webinar "Economics of Soil Health- Iowa" informs Iowa farmers that “soil health

practices can also provide benefits to farmers including reduced erosion, building some drought

resilience into their farming operation, increasing nutrient availability, and suppressing diseases.”

These benefits improve farming by increasing yields, decreasing total input costs, and increasing

soil quality. In addition to the previous advantages to farmers “soil health practices… can

provide significant environmental benefits including: storing soil carbon, reducing greenhouse

gas emissions, and improving water quality” “Economics of Soil Health”. All of these are

important to combating climate change. Storing soil carbon traps carbon in the soil and keeps

carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, out of the atmosphere where carbon dioxide contributes to the

greenhouse effect. Both keeping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and reducing greenhouse

gas emissions limits the heat trapping consequences of the greenhouse effect. Improved water

quality has a positive effect on surrounding ecosystems which promotes biodiversity. In Iowa the

current adoption rates of no tillage and cover cropping are 35% and 4% respectively “Economics

of Soil Health”. This leaves room for more Iowa farmers to adopt soil health management

systems and realize these benefits.

Planting ground cover crops has a number of benefits to farmers in comparison to

conventional Iowa farming. According to a scholarly journal by Kimmelshue et al., “cover crops

are planted in the off-season to provide cover and reduce soil erosion in times when the cash crop

is not growing.” Cover crops are not harvested and sold for profit, but “can revert the negative

impact(s) of conventional cropping systems on soil erosion, increased nitrogen leaching into

groundwater, loss of soil structure, and development of herbicide resistant weeds” (Kimmelshue

et al.). Reversing these negative effects will improve Iowa farmers yields and reduce their

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bottom lines. For example, reduced soil erosion means that farmers can spend less on fertilizer to

restore the rich topsoil necessary for farming. Another benefit of cover cropping is that cover

cropping helps farmers “deal with these really wet spring conditions by absorbing some of the

water so that they could get to the field a little bit quicker,” “Economics of Soil Health”. In

addition, some farmers found that “in some of the dry years that there was some more resilience

to drought stress” “Economics of Soil Health” due to planting cover crops. By absorbing water

and improving drought resilience, cover crops help farmers deal with increased climate

variability due to climate change.

Farmers look for ways to enhance soil quality by increasing soil organic matter because it

improves crop yield. Healthy soil is packed with “beneficial insects, fungi, and microbes that

recycle leaves and other material into organic matter and nutrients for growing plants”

(Stillerman et al.). In a scholarly journal discussing perennial forage crops in Iowa, Olmstead and

Brummer find that “forage legumes and grasses improve soil quality as determined by multiple

indicators, including improved soil organic matter and physical properties.” A wider variety of

crops is beneficial to soil quality. Of the farmers who adopted soil health management systems,

“over half of them said on average… a 1.2 or 1.3 % increase in all organic matter” “Economics

of Soil Health”. Some benefits of healthy soil include that it “promotes healthy crops, needs

fewer chemical inputs, and acts as a sponge, protecting against floods and droughts and

preventing water pollution caused by fertilizer runoff.” Improved soil quality also aids farmers

by “reduc(ing) the risk of crop loss from extreme weather, lower(ing) farmers’ input costs, and

stor(ing) more carbon in the ground” compared to conventional farming (Stillerman et al.). These

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benefits improve farmers crop quality and yields, increasing farming profitability while reducing

risk associated with droughts and flooding.

By using smart soil health management systems farmers experience yield benefits. Even

in conventional farming, “a rotation of corn and soybeans yielded 10% more than continuous

corn and 8% more than continuous soybeans” (Olmstead and Brummer). Conventional farming

uses a corn soybean crop rotation to increase yields. Adding additional crops to the rotation has

an even greater corn yield increase. For instance, “a single year of alfalfa increased succeeding

corn yields by 19% to 84% compared to corn following corn”(Olmstead and Brummer). When

farmers in Iowa implemed soil health management systems by combining no or reduced tillage

and cover cropping, “they saw about an almost 11 bushel increase in corn yield associated with

adoption of those sole health practices” “Economics of Soil Health”. Increasing crop yield

without increasing the land farmed is beneficial economically for farmers. Farmers are

economically incentivized to adopt soil health management systems which improve the future

sustainability of farming.

Using soil health management systems can show long term economic benefits for Iowa

farmers in comparison to conventional farming practices. According to case study analyses by

Olmstead and Brummer, “alternative rotation schemes (that including forage crops such as

alfalfa are)... economically competitive with, or frequently advantageous over, rotations of only

corn and soybeans.” Because more diverse crop rotation patterns are economically competitive

with conventional corn soybean rotation, these alternative rotations schemes are viable to

farmers. In a study of ten large farms across Iowa, reduced tillage and cover cropping were

shown to “(reduce) average production costs by around $22 an acre for corn and just about $12

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an acre for soybean, even if farmers did not see any yield increases” “Economics of Soil Health”.

The cost decreases caused by these soil health practices make the large-scale adoption of reduced

tillage and cover cropping in Iowa economically viable. Using soil health management systems

over conventional farming will improve soil quality while avoiding negative effects of intensive

farming and allow farmers to improve their corn and soybean production.

Farming in Iowa and across the country have been greatly impacted by climate change

and its effects. In a paper on farming and climate change, McCormack maintains that, “Earth’s

average temperature has increased by 2° Fahrenheit during the twentieth century” which has had

far reaching effects. Climate change creates more uncertainty for farmers as extreme weather

events increase. Some of these effects that impact Iowa farmers include “swings in temperature,

increased frequency, duration,” and change in the timing and quantity of precipitation (Derner et

al.). Increased weather variability necessitates that Iowa farmers adapt to the changing climate to

protect their crops and way of life. These changes require experimentation and are an added

input cost in the slim margins of Iowa farming. Because “climate change-related weather

variability creates less predictable management contexts, which leads to increased risk and

uncertainty” (Derner et al.). Iowa farmers need to examine their farming practices in the face of

the increasingly severe weather events caused by climate change. Due to the devastating far

reaching effects of climate change and agriculture’s role in greenhouse gas emissions, Iowa

farming needs to adapt to modern climate conditions and reduce its role in climate change.

United States government policies mold the profitability of how Iowa farmers run their

farms. “Created and funded by Congress and implemented by the USDA”, federal government

farm policies “have played a major role in creating the dominant corn-and-soybean cropping

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system in the Midwest” (Union of Concerned Scientists). The government can choose which

crops to subsidize and use incentives to promote different ways of farming. Corey McIntosh, a

career Iowa farmer, cultivates land located near Council Bluffs, Iowa. Before becoming a farmer,

he majored in Classics and Grinnell College. His family has been farming in Iowa for

generations. When asked about government farm programs, McIntosh revealed, “crop insurance

is what has kept us in business the last 10 to 15 years because we've had all these natural

disasters.” In providing crop insurance, the federal government guarantees that it will pay

farmers a percentage of the value of their crops if the crops are not sold. In the face of increased

risk due to higher input costs and climate related weather variability, crop insurance protects

farmers from crop loss. Along with other government programs, federal crop insurance has

changed the way Iowa farmers operate.

One government policy, the Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers to take

farmland out of agricultural production. As part of the Conservation Reserve Program, “the

government essentially rents marginal land to establish grasses or wetlands”(Olmstead and

Brummer). As part of this program farmers “take ground that is not as productive or marginal

(out of production and) seed it down to some native grasses and forbes, to try to set that ground

aside for wildlife” (McIntosh). The government pays farmers rent on the land they take out of

production to improve surrounding habitat and water quality and help prevent soil erosion. By

incentivising taking land out of production, the federal government reshapes Iowa farming.

Using the Conservation Reserve Program and other farming programs, effective government

policy can minimize the risks to farmers of adopting better soil health practices on their farms.

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The United States can monetarily support farmers as they move away from conventional farming

practices and make better soil practices continually economically beneficial to farmers.

Farmers use chemicals like pesticides and insecticides to suppress pests and insects and

fertilizers to stimulate plant growth. Pesticide and herbicide use is widespread as “Iowa farmers

… spray more than 95% of corn and soybean fields annually with herbicides” (Olmstead and

Brummer). While these chemicals play an important role in farming, they have negative

environmental impacts and their effectiveness decreases over time. Widespread use of the

herbicide, Roundup Ready® on both corn and soybeans by Iowa farmers, has resulted in

“resistance develop(ing) in many weed species to herbicides like Roundup®, diminishing the

value of the technology” (Olmstead and Brummer). In addition, Roundup® “is now present in

many water samples in the Midwest”(Olmstead and Brummer) meaning it can get into drinking

water or harm Iowa’s wildlife. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, longer crop

rotation lowered “rates of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer application (from) 88 to 92 percent … and

combined synthetic and organic nitrogen fertilizer application rates were 43 to 57 percent lower.”

Longer crop rotation reduces necessary fertilizer use. Looking for ways to reduce pesticide and

fertilizer use can lower farmers input costs and have positive environmental impacts.

Conventional Iowa farming heavily uses genetically modified corn and soybean seeds to

resist insects and pests. McIntosh claims, “everything in Iowa that is planted now is gonna be

genetically modified”. Seeds are genetically modified to withstand the heavy herbicide used by

conventional farming to suppress weeds. The genetic corn modification known as BT “reduce(s)

use of harmful insecticides and regional suppress(es) of some key agricultural pests”(Gassmann

et al.). McIntosh agrees that “genetic modifications allow us to kill more weeds but not hurt the

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crop with more mild chemicals” by building tolerance to more mild chemicals into genetically

modified seeds. Using more mild chemicals will help reduce effects of these chemicals on

humans and surrounding ecosystems. The use of “cover crops broke up some weed cycles and

helped with the weed competition” “Economics of Soil Health” allowing some farmers to switch

to non-GMO seeds because of decreased herbicide use. By implementing soil health

management systems, farmers can reduce pesticide use and stop using genetically modified

crops. Both of these will reduce farmers input costs. The harmful chemicals used in pesticides,

insecticides, and fertilizers are unsustainable due to their negative environmental impacts, but

can be used less frequently due to genetically modified seed and better soil health practices.

Conventional Iowa farming is unsustainable as it leads to soil degradation over time. To

compensate for nutrient loss, farmers rely on heavy fertilizer use. Herbicides and pesticides are

widely used to protect the crops, but widespread use can lead to insect and pest species evolving

resistance to commonly used products. Toxic chemicals are also released into the environment

without having their long term environmental effects fully understood. By transitioning to soil

health management systems, including cover cropping, no or reduced tillage, and longer crop

rotations, Iowa farmers improve soil quality, reduce soil erosion, increase corn and soybean

yields, and save money due to lower input costs. This will make farming in Iowa more

sustainable in the long run. The federal government can encourage the adoption of smarter

farming practices by monetarily incentivizing and supporting Iowa farmers to switch their

farming practices. Adapting to the increasingly erratic weather variability of climate change

farmers need resilient crops. Through a combination of genetically modified seeds and soil

health management systems Iowa farmers can continue harvesting crops in the competitive

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farming industry. The United States economy relies on cheap Midwestern crops for things

ranging from biofuels to high fructose corn syrup. The ongoing sustainability of Iowa farming is

vital to the nation’s economy.

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Works Cited

Derner, Justin D., et al. "Practical Considerations for Adaptive Strategies by US Grazing Land

Managers with a Changing Climate." Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment, vol. 6,

no. 1, 2023. ProQuest Central Student; Publicly Available Content Database,

https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.20356.

"Economics of Soil Health Systems - Iowa." YouTube, uploaded by Soil Health Institute, 18 Mar.

2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpN3sCXumw. Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.

Gassmann, Aaron J., et al. "Field-Evolved Resistance to Bt Maize by Western Corn Rootworm."

PLoS One, vol. 6, no. 7, 2011. ProQuest Central Student; Publicly Available Content

Database, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0022629.

Kimmelshue, Chad L., et al. "Seed Size, Planting Depth, and a Perennial Groundcover System

Effect on Corn Emergence and Grain Yield." Agronomy, vol. 12, no. 2, 2022, p. 437.

ProQuest Central Student; Publicly Available Content Database,

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020437.

McIntosh, Corey. Personal interview with the author. 03 March 2024.

McCormack, Shanna. "Climate Change and Animal Agriculture." Environmental Law, vol. 51,

no. 3, 2021, pp. 745-69. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/48628532. Accessed 14 Feb. 2024.

Olmstead, Julia, and E. Charles Brummer. "Benefits and Barriers to Perennial Forage Crops in

Iowa Corn and Soybean Rotations." Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 23,

no. 2, 2008, pp. 97-107. ProQuest Central Student,

https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170507001937.

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Stillerman, Karen Perry, and Marcia DeLonge. Safeguarding Soil: A Smart Way to Protect

Farmers, Taxpayers, and the Future of Our Food. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2019.

JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/resrep24079. Accessed 6 Mar. 2024.

Union of Concerned Scientists. Rotating Crops, Turning Profits: How Diversified Farming

Systems Can Help Farmers While Protecting Soil and Preventing Pollution. Union of

Concerned Scientists, 2017. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/resrep17250. Accessed 20 Jan.

2024.

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