Wetlands on the Farm:Potent, Nutrient‐Capturing Tools in (Relatively) Small Packages

Abstract

Half a century ago, in response to burning rivers and other high‐profile environmental disasters, the U.S. Congress passed the Clean Water Act (CWA) as a means to protect waterways from sea to shining sea. Commemorating that landmark legislation, the Journal of Environmental Quality this year has published a collection of papers celebrating the CWA. Crops & Soils magazine will highlight some of that work this month with a look at how one on‐farm management practice—constructed wetlands—can significantly reduce water pollution from tile‐drained farms. In many states, particularly around the Great Lakes, tile drainage is a common and growing practice that increases yields but also funnels excess nitrogen and phosphorus into waterways, resulting in harmful downstream effects as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. A central Illinois study found that, by setting aside a very small portion of their fields for wetlands, farmers could cut nutrient losses in half. Earn 1 CEU in Soil & Water Management by reading the article and taking the quiz at https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Learning‐Center/Courses.