On May 28, 2025, the Lambda Alpha International (LAI) Global Water-Land Series Group (Group) hosted the Agriculture, Water, Land Nexus: Unlocking the Intricacy global webinar. Earth Impact (Ei) Advisor, Durga Poudel, Ph.D., then Professor and Coordinator of the Environmental Science Program and Director of Ag. Auxiliary Units, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, was the lead speaker in the prominent webinar.
In layman's terms, the webinar explains how chemical-based agricultural practices in the Midwest are responsible for the hypoxia scenario in the Gulf of Mexico, commonly known as the Dead Zone.
Global Water-Land Series Group
Co-chaired by Jim Musbach and Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore, the Group meets alternating months and hosts global webinars within the following categories:
- Quality/Quantity - May 28, Agriculture, Water, Land Nexus: Unlocking the Intricacy
- Control/Ownership/Accessibility - Fall, The Colorado River Water Challenges and/or Status of Great Lakes Water Agreement/Compact between the United States and Canada
- Global Flooding & Sea Level Rise - September 4, Resiliency around the Globe: Local Responses to Hurricanes, Sea Rise, and Sudden Flooding.
At Holly's invitation, Ei Advisors Brad Bass, Ph.D., Michael Barbour, Ph.D., Tim Rumage, Marina Olmos, and Durga Poudel, Ph.D. joined the Group to share their expertise.
About LAI
LAI is the honorary global network for thought leaders
in all fields related to the preservation and sustainable development of land.
LAI is a growing network of chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. Each chapter offers a wide variety of programs with industry leaders, discussion forums, community service projects and networking events.
Membership is highly selective through a nomination process initiated by a LAI member. Nominees for LAI membership must demonstrate ten or more years of experience in their fields, professional distinction, and outstanding contributions to the community in their field of endeavor.
LAI is committed to excellence and high professional standards to make a difference. A value to members is knowing you are someone who helped make that difference.
Over the past decade, sustainability moved from a buzz word to a movement to a culture within leading communities, universities, and businesses. Significant strides were made in zero waste practices, renewable energy technology, and reduced carbon / water footprints. Yet the glaciers continue to melt, global temperatures are rising, the ocean acidification levels are increasing, and desertification is escalating.
... Is sustainability enough to stave off the building crisis of the diminishing food and oxygen supply?
Ei embraced regenerative agriculture before understanding the full implications of chemical-based agriculture's replacement of biology-based farming. It was important to first determine that regenerative or biology-based farming made good solid business sense for the farmer. Once determined, Ei delved into the far-reaching impacts of using GMO (genetically modified organism) seeds, petroleum-based fertilizers, and the "cides"*
The 2021 RiA article, From Organic Certification to Regenerative Agriculture to Rewilding Landscapes: an evolution towards soil integrity, educates on the daunting health implications to humans, wildlife, and water/soil ecosystems from the use of glyphosate and GMO seeds. The article explains how organic-certified farming eliminates, or at least drastically reduces, the use of toxic chemicals within food production. Regenerative agriculture goes beyond organic farming to embracing soil stewardship.
A subsequent 2024 article, What We Eat Matters, emphasizes how the food that we choose to eat drives markets and farming decisions on toxic chemical use; the article explains how the farming practices in the Midwest cause hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the "Dead Zone."
* "cides" are defined as herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides.
Agriculture, Water, Land Nexus: Unlocking the Intricacy
Pursuant to Durga's webinar document:
Description:
This webinar aims to explore the intricate relationships between agriculture, water quality, and land economics, with a focus on the Mississippi River Basin of the United States of America. It will provide a comprehensive overview of how agriculture contributes to non-point source (NPS) pollution and the Gulf of Mexico’s hypoxia problem. Furthermore, it will examine the economic implications of water pollution on land values, especially in regions like Louisiana, where agriculture and waterways are vital to the economy and ecosystem.
Purpose:
- Provide insights into the land economics as influenced by agriculture, water quality, and environmental degradation.
- Educate stakeholders on implementing agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) and enhancing environmental quality and land values.
- Foster discussions among policymakers, academics, industry professionals, and farmers to develop holistic solutions to pressing challenges of agricultural production, surface-water quality, and land values.
Key Topics to Be Covered:
- Impact of Agriculture on Water Quality and Land Value
- Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia and Land Economics
- Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs), Runoff and Land Value
Target Audience:
This webinar is ideal for policymakers, environmental professionals, economists, academics, farmers, and anyone interested in the intersections of agriculture, water quality, and land economics.
Speakers:
- Durga D. Poudel, Ph.D., University of Louisiana - Impacts of Agriculture on Water Quality and Land Value
- Doug Daigle, Louisiana Hypoxia Working Group - Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia and Land Economics
- David Isermann, fifth-generation Illinois farmer - Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs), Runoff, and Land Value
Impacts of Agriculture on Water Quality and Land Value
In his presentation on the Impacts of Agriculture on Water Quality and Land Value, Durga used a Case From Southwestern Louisiana to substantiate his scientific findings and conclusions. Durga's presentation covered five topics:
- Surface-water pollution in Louisiana
- Water-quality monitoring at the field, microwatershed, watershed, and basin scales
- Biological integrity of surface-water bodies
- Invasive aquatic vegetation
- Conclusions
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Field Testing
Photo courtesy of University of Louisiana |
With different beginning and ending dates, surface-water quality sampling and field and laboratory determination of water quality at the field, microwatershed, watershed, and basin scale projects began in September 2000 and continued through March 2015.
Average concentrations for total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total solids (TS), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), five-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), nitrate/nitrite-nitrogen (NO3/NO2-N), and soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) for surface runoff from sugarcane fields, pasturelands, and residential areas, as well as from a microwatershed and three different watersheds, were determined via laboratory testing. The field measurement of surface-water quality included the determination of dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, conductivity, pH, and surface water temperature. One of the projects also conducted benthic invertebrate and fish sampling. *
Pollutant concentrations aligned with agriculture practices of phosphorus and other applications. Research showed that the three main pollutants included sediment, phosphorous, and nitrogen, in descending order of their importance.
“A centuries-old law gives Louisiana landowners “ultimate dominion” over the groundwater beneath their property. That means farmers, manufacturers and homeowners can take as much as they want, when they want it — no fees required.
But this hands-off approach to groundwater management is creating big problems in southwestern Louisiana, where the state’s largest and most important aquifer is losing water fast. More than 661 million gallons of water are being pumped every day from the Chicot Aquifer System, while only about 313 million gallons are being returned through rain or natural drainage.
The aquifer is being overdrawn by 348 million gallons each day — well beyond a sustainable measure.”
Through Durga's surface-water-quality monitoring and modeling effort, clear spatial patterns of the pollutant load of the surface-water bodies were observed, as more concentrated and higher pollutant loads in water bodies were associated with and were closer to the intensive agricultural lands.
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Pond covered with an invasive species
Photo courtesy of University of Louisiana
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A byproduct of the contaminated waters from agriculture is invasive aquatic vegetation in LA water bodies. Native to Brazil, Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) is a small free-floating aquatic plant and is found in LA waterways. Due to its nature, Giant salvinia can easily cover water and extend a couple of inches inside and outside the surface water. Once established, the invasive aquatic vegetation negatively impacts the local ecosystem and surrounding land value.
Conclusions:
- Agricultural systems have huge reservoirs of NPS pollutants, and these systems release NPS pollutants to surface-water bodies continuously during an extended rain event. Residential areas also contribute to NPS pollution.
- Surface-water pollution in an agricultural watershed directly relates to the agricultural activities in the watershed. Often, there are excessive concentrations of fecal coliforms in surface-water bodies in agricultural watersheds.
- Sediments and nutrients constitute the major NPS pollutants in agricultural watersheds. The Soil Water Assessment Tool model is useful in identifying critical areas for NPS pollution in an agricultural watershed.
- The implementation of the BMPs improves surface-water quality; surface-water quality is poor in areas where agricultural activities are intense. Benthic invertebrate diversity negatively relates to Total Suspended Solids and 5-Day Biological Oxygen Demand.
- Invasive aquatic vegetation degrades the biological integrity of a surface-water body, clogs navigation canals, destroys winter habitat for migratory birds, and lowers the land values.
- The impact of agriculture on water quality and quantity and land value occurs in many different ways, including surface-water pollution, erosion and sedimentation, ecological degradation, and land degradation.
- These complex processes require an in-depth understanding and careful planning and implementation of BMPs in agriculture for surface-water-quality improvement, soil and water conservation, and ecological preservation in the region. This will increase land productivity and land value.
Durga's PPT presentation is available for download at this
LINK.
* the scientific copy provided by Durga after reviewing the article.
Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia and Land Economics
In his opening remarks, Doug explained that he is the coordinator for the Louisiana Hypoxia Working Group (LHWG) that was formed in 2003 to support the Gulf Hypoxia Plan. The entire Mississippi River Basin, including the Ohio and Missouri River Basins along with other tributaries, is addressed; the Ohio River Basin contributes most of the water including nutrient loads while the Missouri River Basi contains most of the sediment.
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Mississippi River Basin
Image courtesy of the LA Hypoxia Working Group |
It is common knowledge that the main nutrients - nitrogen and phosphorous - in the Mississippi River come from row-crop agriculture in the Midwest. Corn and soybean crops account for 52% of the nitrogen load; for phosphorous, the sources are more evenly distributed between pasture and range (37%,) corn and soybean crops (25%,) and other crops (18%.) Per Doug, these exact percentages are outdated and my not be accurate. Yet, importantly, the proportions remain consistent.
Doug was clear that any increases or decreases in nutrient-load contributions have a direct impact on the flow into the Gulf.
Once deposited into the Gulf, the nutrients feed large algae blooms, the zooplankton feeds on the algae and release fecal pellets that float to the bottom, bacteria consumes the fecal pellets and dead algae, and the bacterial decomposition depletes the water-oxygen levels. The hypoxia scenario, or diminished oxygen, generally resides in the bottom shelf where the decomposition occurs. Yet, hypoxia can occur in other parts of the water column. Due to the lack of oxygen, marine life either flees or dies.
As benthic organisms, ocean-floor life, either die or move to a more oxygen-rich environment, the entire ocean ecosystem is out of balance and subject to collapse into a Dead Zone; the recreational and commercial fishing industry is severely impacted causing economic strife. According to Doug, the Gulf of Mexico fishery is the last productive wild fishery in the continental U.S. outside of Alaska.
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2024 Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
Image courtesy of LA State University |
As ocean currents flow in a westerly direction, the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone extends westward from the Mississippi River delta along the coast to Texas. Since 1985, a Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium mapping boat annually cruises the Dead Zone area for a week measuring the hypoxia levels; the mapping cruise measurements provide the key metric as well as trends for the Dead Zone. In general, fluctuations in the annual hypoxia metrics coincide with the river-flow variations.
In the past, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was the primary funder and will hopefully continue funding in the future.
The Gulf Hypoxia Plan 2008 for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin includes representatives from 12 states within the Mississippi River Basin, five federal agencies, and the National Tribal Water Council. Though not legally binding, the national policy vehicle is a voluntary cooperative of participants that provides recommended guidelines.
In 2015 the Gulf Hypoxia Plan updated their Action Plan Goals as follows:
- We strive to reduce the five-year running average areal extent of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone to less than 5,000-square kilometers/1950-square miles by the year 2035.
- An Interim Target of a 20% reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus loading [to the Gulf from the MARB] by 2025 is a milestone for immediate planning and implementation actions…
Progress is underway with reducing the nutrient loads yet funding deficiency prevents achievement of the goals. With the current political scenario, future funding sources remain uncertain.
Doug's PPT presentation is available for download at this
LINK.
Agricultural Best Management Practices, Runoff, and Land Value
Isermann Farms (IF), located about 90-miles southwest of Chicago in LaSalle County, is a fifth-generation, family-owned farm operated by David and his son Jim. At IF sustainable conservation practices are standard-operating practices, and IF is the recipient of numerous awards over the years.
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David & Jim Isermann
Photo courtesy of Isermann Farms |
David is active with the Illinois Farm Bureau and President of the LaSalle County Farm Bureau. Active in the local and state agricultural community, David shares his farming wisdom with innate generosity,
IF commits to building a more resilient farm that weathers climate events and increases their profitability by adoption of sustainable farming BMPs. The empowering added value is the current generation leaves a healthier world for future generations.
With an understanding that their farming practices directly impact the conditions of waterways and soils downstream, IF BMPs intend to:
- Stop Erosion
- Stop Nitrogen and Phosphorous loss
- Increase soil health
- Increase “sustainability”
- Financial stability
- Environmental footprint
- Climate resiliency
- Add livestock to the mix
Current crops include corn and soybeans augmented by a cow-calf herd.
High-tech equipment and participating in local and national government programs are integral to IF's success. Nitrogen and other nutrient applications are closely monitored via timing, quantity, and depth of application; the depth prevents the nutrient runoff that costs the farm dollars and harms ecosystems down river.
IF participated in a DIFM (Data-Intensive Farm Management) program, a collaborative agronomic research initiative that utilizes precision technology to design and execute randomized field trials on commercial farm fields. The DIFM report validated that IF's nitrogen-reduction plan was effective. From the DIFM report:
In short, the data and analysis provided strong evidence that the farmer's status quo management plant was quite efficient, and DIFM recommends no manor changes to the current N management strategy.
Cover crops are integral to farm operations and serve four main purposes: 1> covers the soil in between crops, 2> prevents soil erosion, 3> provides weed control, and 4>serves as a food source for the 60 head of cattle. Radish and cereal rye cover crops are aerial seeded into standing corn.
With cattle grazing in the field, manure and urine are stomped into the soil, providing additional nutrients. Manure is consistently tested to understand the nutrients distributed upon the field; manure is also an excellent indicator of the herd's health.
IF minimizes tilling via planting corn and other crops in thinner strips.
IF is an active participant in the following NRCS (National Resources Conservation Service) USDA programs:
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP)
- Prescribed Grazing Plan with Livestock Watering System
- Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan for Beef Operation
- USDA Conservation Program Participation
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Planting equipment with a GPS system
Photo courtesy of Isermann Farms |
Via an EQUIP Prescribed Grazing Plan with Livestock Watering plan, the IF cattle paddock and water systems were overhauled. The previous nine paddocks were increased to 20 paddocks with temporary fencing. By adding 6200 feet of underground waterline from the well, the solo watering station was replaced with seven automatic waterers. The new system reduces wasted water and eliminates the muddy area filled with manure and urine around the prior solo water station.
Due to renewed efficiencies via the EQUIP plan, IF may increase their 60-cattle herd to 120 cattle using the same resources and land footprint.
GPS monitoring systems installed in the planting equipment track the exact location and timing of seeding the fields; the information is used at harvest time to track field productivity and profitability.
David emphasizes that the sustainable conservation practices in place at IF increase the farm's profitability and improve the bottom line.
David's PPT presentation is available for download at this
LINK.
The recorded 90-minute
Agriculture, Water, Land Nexus: Unlocking the Intricacy webinar is available for viewing
HERE.
Agriculture, Water, and Land NexusDurga prepared the below graphic to illustrate how common agriculture practices' impact on surface water, soil, and groundwater result in decreased land value and economic strife.
The impressive webinar showcased the far-reaching detrimental impacts of toxic chemical-based agriculture practices. Farming practices nearly 1,000 miles north result in the collapse of coastal fishing industries and cause tremendous economic cost to downstream communities.
... a new study shows that one of the dead zone’s biggest causes—nitrogen that flows downriver from Midwest farms—has been responsible for up to $2.4 billion in damages to Gulf fish stocks and their habitat every year for more than 30 years. The amount of nitrogen coming off Midwest corn and soybean farms, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) study, equates to enough fertilizer to fill 3,000 standard size shipping containers every year since 1980 on average.
Yet, David illustrated how responsible farming practices designed to prevent nutrient and sediment release into waterways improves his farm's bottom line. Thus, the responsible-farming templates are crafted by innovative farmers who are willing to share their lessons learned and successes with fellow farmers.
The time is NOW for citizens to use their power of consumer demand to persuade farmers to implement sustainable farming BMPs. If they experience increased revenue from empowered consumers coupled with lower costs from reduced inputs and other savings, farmers are incentivized to use practices that improve their bottom line and lessen detrimental environmental conditions. Let's use our "business" vs "environmental" voice to convince farmers to reduce the toxins used in their food production.
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Tax-deductible donations in any amount are greatly appreciated to support Ei's important work.
About Earth Impact:
As Ei enters the Era of Impact (June 2024 – present,) gears shift to a new business model, Ei Educates. Though education was always integral to Ei’s important work, the primary focus was on projects, pilots, and initiatives supported by Ei Partners. The Regeneration Era focus areas carry over into the Era of Impact.
MISSION:
To work with industry leaders to create best regenerative operating practices where the entire value-chain benefits, including corporate bottom lines, communities, and the environment. Through education and collaboration, establish best practices as standard practices.
Ei’s tagline – Regeneration in ACTION – is the foundation for Ei endeavors.
The following mantra is at the core of Ei work:
Ei is a creator, an incubator.
Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.
Ei brings the possible out of impossible.
Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.
For additional information, contact Holly Elmore at 404-510-9336 | holly@earth-impact.org.
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