Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
In 1972, the Clean Water Act became law. Its goal: to make all U.S. waterways fishable and swimmable within a decade. Yet a report by the Environmental Integrity Project early this year found Indiana, 50 years later, remains far from fulfilling that objective.
The Hoosier State has 25,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams, the most of any state, the project said in March.
Cover crops and small grains such as wheat, when planted after fall harvest, can help reduce soil loss and improve soil health. Indiana farmers planted a record amount of cover crops on 1.5 million acres of farmland last fall, the Indiana Department of Agriculture reported in March, but environmentalists say more should be done to improve water quality.
“Cover crops intersect with my work because they reduce the amount of sediment that runs off into our waterways,” Dr. Indra Frank, environmental health director at the Hoosier Environmental Council, told The Journal Gazette. “Sediment is harmful in a waterway. It interferes with aquatic life. And, of course, it’s also the loss of topsoil.”
State agriculture officials said the use of cover crops last year prevented about 2.1 million tons of sediment – which would fill more than 597 Olympic-size swimming pools – 5.1 million pounds of nitrogen and more than 2.5 million pounds of phosphorus from entering Indiana waterways. The survey also found about 70% of Indiana’s farmed acres were not tilled, and 18% of farmers used “reduced tillage” techniques after the 2021 harvest.
“Indiana farmers continue to help lead the way through their dedication to conservation farming,” Jerry Raynor, Indiana conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said in a statement. “The work being done by farmers throughout the state to promote soil health through no-till farming and the planting of cover crops will have positive impacts for generations to come.”
State data doesn’t reveal cover crop percentages for 2022. But Andy Tauer, executive director of public policy for the Indiana Farm Bureau, told the Indiana Capital Chronicle more farmers could adopt cover crops this year because of the rising cost of fertilizer. Still, fewer than 10% of Hoosier farmers plant cover crops.
Dean Hille, a farmer whose family has worked the land in Allen County since 1875, told The Journal Gazette he won’t be planting cover crops this fall.
“It’s tough in this area because, by the time you get the crops off, it’s so late in the fall,” he said. “And sometimes, it’s muddy and wet and cold.”
Livestock waste and excessive fertilizer applications are the main sources of water pollution in Indiana, the Hoosier Environmental Council says. 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 strains the already dirty water quality in Indiana. Leading the nation in the most miles of polluted rivers and streams should require state lawmakers to explore ways to incentivize more participation in cover crop plantings and other remedies.
Hoosier waterways cannot be allowed to remain polluted for another 50 years.
