“Given the pivotal role of tile drainage in transporting fertilizer nitrogen from agricultural fields to streams and rivers, we need to consider some form of regulation if we expect to reverse hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Laurie Drinkwater, associate professor, Dept. of Horticulture, in a November 23 Cornell Chronicle article, Study: Midwest farm drainage systems partly to blame for Gulf of Mexico dead zones
Drinkwater goes on to say that policymakers need to increase incentives that reward environmentally beneficial farming practices. Currently, direct payments to farmers focus on production outcomes and do not sufficiently emphasize environmental stewardship, she added.