AMES, Iowa — The Iowa Learning Farms webinar on Wednesday, January 27 at noon will feature preliminary results from a survey about rural Iowa’s drinking water quality.

Among the greatest challenges associated with annual row crop production in the region are its impacts on water quality.  Little is known about the degree to which rural residents are exposed to unsafe drinking water, what efforts rural residents take to avoid possible exposure, and how information provision might improve the welfare of rural residents.

Gabriel Lade, assistant professor of economics, Macalester College, will present preliminary results from a drinking water survey aiming to fill this knowledge gap and discuss future research directions.

“Residents across midwestern states have raised important questions related to the quality of their drinking water. Surveys like this represent one of the best tools we have to learn more about these concerns and the value of public policies that aim to improve rural residents’ lives,” said Lade. “The biggest preliminary takeaway from our findings is that we need to better inform residents about the importance of testing their water quality.”

Lade is an applied economist, studying environmental policies and pollution in the agricultural and energy sectors.

Webinar Access Instructions 

To participate in the live webinar, shortly before 12 pm CST on January 27:

Click this URL, or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/364284172

Or, go to https://iastate.zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID: 364 284 172

Or, join from a dial-in phone line:

Dial: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 876 9923

Meeting ID: 364 284 172