Watershed26 Brings the Midwest’s Water Crisis into Focus

A landmark two-day summit in Des Moines drew leaders from agriculture, conservation, government, and the private sector to address pressing water quality concern.

The water flowing out of the Midwest’s fields and into the Mississippi River basin has been a problem for decades. Everyone in agriculture and conservation knows it. The harder question is what to do about it.

Athene Watershed26 was built around that question. On June 30 and July 1, 2026, more than hundreds of leaders gathered at the Iowa Events Center for a two-day summit that brought together farmers, scientists, financiers, nonprofit professionals, and government officials. They They all share a unifying belief: regional water quality problems demand faster action and greater collaboration.

Organized by the Great Outdoors Foundation (GOF), the summit was structured as a working conference: keynotes, conservation ag startup competition, breakout sessions, and panel conversations. The goal was to shrink the gap between the vision for healthy soil and water, and the strategies and tactics it will take to get there.

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