Farm to Trouble: Curbing The Runoff Fueling The Gulf’s ‘Dead Zone’

"Our latest collaborative project, free to republish, looks at the farming practices -- and overlooked solutions -- that pump fertilizer runoff into the Gulf of Mexico, causing a persistent "dead zone" and more impacts upstream."

"Flowing down the Mississippi River, the excess fertilizer that washes off vast swaths of farmland fuels a persistent “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico and threatens drinking water supplies upstream. Yet despite more than a quarter-century of federal effort and billions spent on potential solutions, experts say the watershed is “not even close” to its targets for fixing the problem.

From the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent journalism collaborative based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, Farm to Trouble examines what can be done to stem the flow of the farm runoff choking the Gulf.

The series was released June 18, 2024 and, like all of the Ag & Water Desk’s work, is free for news outlets to publish, adapt and localize. Editors can sign up here for access and future story alerts."

The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk had the story June 18, 2024.

SEE ALSO:

Part 1: "Farm to Trouble: As Conservation Lags, So Does Progress In Slashing Gulf’s ‘Dead Zone’" (The Lens)

Part 2:"At The Mouth Of The Mississippi, Louisiana Bears The Burden Of Upstream Runoff. Why Doesn’t It Push For Solutions?" (The Lens)

"Part 3: Not Just A Gulf Problem: Mississippi River Farm Runoff Pollutes Upstream Waters" (The Lens)

"Part 4: Could The Mississippi River Benefit From Chesapeake Bay’s Strategy To Improve Water Quality?" (The Lens)

Source: Mississippi R. Ag & Water Desk, 07/03/2024