Results from the annual Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council crop survey show Iowa farmers planted more than 3.8 million acres of cover crops in the 2023 crop year.

A hotter atmosphere is causing rain to fall in harder bursts, pushing back planting seasons and drowning crops. At the same time as human-driven climate change is juicing precipitation, Corn Belt farming practices such as installing underground drainage tiles and leaving fields bare after harvest are changing how water moves across the landscape and into waterways.