Free environmental assessments offered by Iowa Farm Bureau

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) is offering free Iowa Farm*A*Syst environmental assessments to the first 50 Iowa Farm Bureau members who sign up for the program.

Iowa Farm*A*Syst is a farmstead assessment system developed to assist all Iowan rural residents in protecting their water resources, particularly their drinking water. The tool includes 12 aspects of farmstead management and encourages Iowans to take cost-effective voluntary actions to fix and prevent problems affecting drinking water, such as pesticide spills, leaking fuel storage tanks, poor well maintenance or inadequate septic systems.

The option for a confidential, trained third-party evaluator will come to the on-farm site to complete a farmstead assessment. This environment will improve the learning experience and better assist participants in developing effective plans to address identified concerns. It will also help farmers document the positive efforts taken to protect water quality.

"Nearly 80% of Iowans get their drinking water from groundwater," says Rick Robinson, IFBF environmental advisor. "Because of this, farmers take their commitment to maintaining and improving our safe and healthy water supply seriously."

Nearly 600 Iowans have been trained or have used the Farm*A*Syst materials.

Initial evaluations indicate that more than 90 percent of users were satisfied or very satisfied with the materials. And, 24 percent planned to make a change on their farm.

Farm Bureau members interested in the free, confidential assessments on their farm by a third party consultant can call 515-225-5490. An additional Farm*A*Syst self-assessment tool is also available online free of charge at www.iowafarmbureau.com.