Michigan State University says meeting the targets for reducing phosphorus in Lake Erie will be a challenge, but adds the targets are achievable. Last month, the U.S. and Canadian governments called for a 40 percent reduction, from 2008 levels, in phosphorus runoff from farms and other sources into Lake Erie. The University says large-scale changes to agricultural practices will be required to meet the goal. The nutrient feeds an oxygen-depleted “dead zone” in the lake and has also contaminated drinking water in the past. A new study by the University says that meeting the 40 percent reduction target will require widespread use of strong fertilizer management practices, significant conversion of cropland to grassland and more targeted conservation efforts.