The following statement may be attributed to Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Hill:

"Iowa Farm Bureau members are pleased that the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling will result in the dismissal of the lawsuit and ruled that Iowa’s water quality regulations should be left to the state’s elected legislative and executive branches of government.

Iowa farmers are taking on the challenge of improving water quality, and we know that work will and must continue. The best solution moving forward is to embrace collaborative efforts and practices designed and measured by ISU researchers which will sustain the land and water for all Iowans.

Iowa’s water quality progress is measurable; from 2012-2017, no state saw a higher percentage increase in cover crop acres than Iowa. During that five-year period, Iowa farmers increased cover crop acres by 153 percent. We can take pride in the collaboration and long-term conservation efforts underway, including the fact Iowa farmers have restored more than 400,000 acres (that’s 300,000 football fields) of wetlands, which on average, prevent 52 percent of nitrates from reaching our water.

Iowa farmers will continue to embrace technology and collaborative efforts to continue on-farm conservation efforts while working with other key stakeholders to improve water quality and support the funding of successful conservation practices outlined in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy."