A recent federal district court decision allows the federal Environmental Protection Ag­­ency (EPA) to continue backing state programs, such as the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, to improve water quality in the Mississippi River watershed and reduce the hypoxia zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

"The court ruling is very important because it clearly allows the EPA to work with state-based programs, and not a one-size-fits-all numeric standard, to continue to improve water quality in Iowa and other states in the Midwest," said Christina Gruenhagen, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) government...