Big Ag's dirty secret isn't so secret anymore - the entire country knows about Iowa's water pollution problem

Bloomberg shines the light on Iowa's dirty water problem

Across the upper Midwest nitrate pollution from fertilizer and manure has become a pressing environmental and public health crisis, tainting waterways and even the water from kitchen taps. Unlike industries such as petroleum and plastics, Big Ag has managed to evade serious accountability for this pollution, leaving communities and ecosystems to deal with the consequences.

Nowhere is this problem more pronounced than in Iowa. The state stands as ground zero for the multibillion-dollar corn industry, where powerful coalitions of farmers, food processors, tractor manufacturers, chemical companies, ethanol producers, and their well-funded lobbyists dominate the political landscape. This industrial complex wields enormous influence, often prioritizing profit over environmental stewardship.

Meanwhile, Iowa’s rivers, lakes, and drinking water supplies suffer. Residents face the daily realities of contaminated water, while meaningful regulatory action remains elusive. With Big Ag entrenched in state politics, the responsibility for cleaning up nitrate pollution continues to fall on ordinary citizens and local governments, rather than those who profit from the system.

As nitrate pollution and its health risks grow harder to ignore, the need for accountability and reform in Iowa—and across the country—has never been more urgent.