Bill would aid clean water [Video]

Access to clean drinking water is a problem in Nebraska. Many of our small and rural communities have drinking water contaminated with nitrates. Nebraska ranks eighth in the nation for pediatric cancer. Researchers have linked nitrates in drinking water as a possible cause of cancer.

I support LB1368, the Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act — introduced by District 44 Sen. Teresa Ibach — because too much fertilizer is applied and not used by the intended crop or golf green. Any fertilizer not used by the crop will leach through the soil profile and enter the groundwater.

As a conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service for 34 years, I worked with farmers to create nutrient management plans. Through the Farm Bill, NRCS was able to offer incentives for farmers to monitor and ultimately reduce their nitrogen inputs. The farmer spent less on nitrogen fertilizer over a five-year period and maintained production …