The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is a science and technology-based framework developed to assess and reduce nutrients loss to Iowa waters and the Gulf of Mexico. The strategy includes efforts to reduce the total loads of nitrogen and phosphorus from both point and nonpoint sources by a combined 45%. The practice-based approach was developed in response to the 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan that calls for Iowa and other states in the Mississippi River watershed to develop strategies to reduce nutrient loadings to the Gulf of Mexico and ultimately reduce the size of the gulf hypoxic zone.