Just The News By
By Zeta Cross
Eleven states have committed to reduce nutrient loads used in agriculture that are affecting the Mississippi River.
Excess nitrogen runoff from as far away as Illinois corn farms is killing fish in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists have been monitoring the effect of nitrogen on the Mississippi River and in the Gulf of Mexico since the 1990s. Algae blooms from nitrogen have created a dead zone the size of Rhode Island that is so oxygen-deprived that fish and aquatic life cannot survive.
Researchers say that 67% of corn growers use more nitrogen than they need on their crops.
Doctoral graduate German Mandrini, who studied remedies for nitrogen runoff from Illinois farms when he was at the University of Illinois, told The Center Square that Illinois is particularly important because “agriculture is one of the main sectors that provides nitrogen to the Mississippi.”
