The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture is launching a $320-million, four-year program to address excess nutrients in the Mississippi River Basin that contribute to the large “dead zone” that is void of oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Mississippi River Basin Health Watersheds Initiative, announced on Sept. 24, will leverage funding in the 2008 farm bill for voluntary conservation programs administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) with state, local and private resources. It will help farmers in 12 states initiate conservation efforts to reduce nutrient runoff from farms. The states are Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin.