Iowa lawmakers on Jan. 23 passed a bill increasing the amount of state dollars available for conservation cost sharing to improve Iowa’s water quality. The House bill mirrors legislation passed by the Iowa Senate during the 2017 legislative session. The bill, Senate File 512, was signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds Jan. 31.

The Iowa Corn Growers Association sees SF 512 as a key step in supporting the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. The strategy calls for nutrient reduction in Iowa’s waterways through a practical and technology-based approach involving farmers, as well as urban and rural communities. The legislation will make available $282 million for cost sharing and other conservation programs with farmers over the next 12 years.

State dollars matched by farmers, others
"Long-term, consistent water quality funding is a top policy priority for us," says ICGA President Mark Recker, an Arlington farmer. “This new funding source is encouraging news for farmers who continue to look for ways to step up conservation efforts to have better water quality for all Iowans. We commend the Iowa Legislature's action to appropriate funds for this important program."

This new legislation provides nearly $300 million for water quality efforts in Iowa over the next 12 years. These state dollars will be matched by federal, private, farmer and landowner investments made for conservation projects across the state.

Farmers step up to improve water quality
“Iowa farmers are taking on the challenge and making continuous improvements in preserving water, soil, air and habitat on farms. We are committed to making long-term, dedicated, significant investments to continuously improve water quality. This funding will be a catalyst for efforts already underway,” Recker says. “We are working with conservation experts, scientists and in collaborative public and private partnerships to adopt new practices and technologies to improve our water.”

The number of farmers who sign up for voluntary conservation cost-share programs often outstrips the amount of tax dollars available. A stable funding stream for water quality protection programs and cost sharing is critical as it encourages continued collaboration between urban and rural partners across the state, Recker says. For info on what Iowa Corn is doing to help protect water quality, visit iowacorn.org/water.

Passage proves need for watershed approach
The new funding is a step forward in advancing Iowa’s nutrient reduction goals. But SF 512 also represents a timid response to a vital need for establishing widespread, sustained and measurable progress on an issue important to farmers and all Iowans, says Kirk Leeds, CEO of the Iowa Soybean Association.

“It’s nibbling around the edges of what’s truly needed,” he says. “While some additional funding continues to point us in the right direction, it doesn’t get us too much farther down the road in achieving the kind of water quality improvement and protection results we all know are attainable and necessary.”

Leeds adds, “We’ll take the governor at her word. That is, the Legislature’s action in passing this bill ignites a much more constructive and reality-based conversation and approach for achieving goals established in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.”

Conversation more important than ever
Leeds’ reference was to comments delivered by Reynolds in her Condition of the State address in early January. She pledged that passage of any new funding would “ignite the conversation” about ways to scale up water quality practices in Iowa.

The bill’s passage makes that conversation more important than ever, Leeds says. The legislation will reallocate tax money currently going to Iowa's state budget, while dipping into the state’s existing infrastructure fund. Annual approval of more than $20 million in funding could be challenging during years when the state budget is pressured. And it only references the importance of planning and partnerships, rather than developing a blueprint for fully implementing the nutrient reduction strategy.

Legislation doesn’t ramp up pace enough
“We look forward to picking up where this legislation leaves off,” says Roger Wolf, director of ISA’s Environmental Programs and Services. “The legislation puts some fuel in the tank, but doesn’t provide the horsepower needed to ramp up the pace and scale of practices proven to have a positive and measurable impact on water quality.”

ISA, in partnership with other rural, urban, ag and environmental stakeholders, has been actively engaged in funding and conducting in-field research on thousands of acres involving hundreds of farmers. Knowledge gained from nearly two decades of work and investment underscores ISA’s continued call for a “watershed approach” to tackling the bipartisan goal of improving water and soil quality, Wolf says.

‘Plan the work, work the plan’
“Increased funding is just one piece of a much larger effort to improve and protect water quality,” Wolf adds. “Watershed planning and implementation follow a simple philosophy: Plan the work, work the plan. In addition to state funding, real and long-term improvements in water quality will require the shared involvement of rural and urban stakeholders. It will also demand identifying and unleashing new and impactful sources of financing above and beyond what the state can provide.”

ISA and soybean farmers will continue to press the merits of the watershed approach to the governor and lawmakers, Leeds says.

“There’s no shortcut to success on an issue this complex,” he adds. “And there’s no victory in trying to fund this work year over year from a declining general fund. For those who are truly serious about long-term and measurable improvement and accountability on water quality, the watershed approach must be part of the discussion and implementation. We welcome the challenge and opportunities it provides for farmers and all Iowans.”

Legislature's water quality effort falls short
Iowa Farmers Union President Aaron Lehman says: “Unfortunately, the new Iowa legislation falls short on its promises. It doesn’t create an adequate and sustainable funding stream for water quality programs. It fails to adopt a coordinated watershed approach to the program design, funding allocation, monitoring and evaluation. It doesn’t provide a quality monitoring program for rural water supplies.”

He adds, “Farmers are being asked to do more and more to contribute to clean water and a healthy landscape during very challenging economic times. This doesn’t insure their efforts and the investment from the state of Iowa will lead to real, positive change. This action means our work is just beginning. We will continue to work with Iowa lawmakers, administrators and all stakeholders to make the most effective water quality program possible.”

Farm Bureau lauds Iowa House of Reps
Iowa Farm Bureau members applauded passage of SF 512. Passage of this long-term water quality funding bill received bipartisan support in both chambers.

The bill was originally passed by the Iowa House in 2016; the bill was slightly modified and passed the Senate in 2017 before garnering bipartisan support and passage on the House floor. This marks the first piece of legislation sent to Reynolds’ desk during the 2018 session.

Water quality improvement a shared goal
“Iowans agree: Water quality improvement is a shared goal. This legislation is a historic milestone that will help enhance efforts and continue the positive momentum of water quality improvement and soil conservation,” says IFBF President Craig Hill. “The long-term dedicated funding from the bill over the next 12 years, coupled with significant farmer investments in conservation, will allow Iowa to continue making big strides toward advancing water quality and soil health.”

“Farmers have been clear: Long-term, dedicated funding for conservation and water quality improvement is a top legislative priority for our organization,” Hill says. “We thank the leadership in the House and the representatives for their strong support of this historic legislation. We also want to thank Gov. Reynolds for her strong desire to sign this legislation into law and for showing a strong commitment to advancing water quality as her first legislative achievement.”

The dedicated conservation funding will allow Iowa farmers and landowners to continue to grow statewide water quality efforts, provide opportunities for farmers to implement new conservation practices on their farms, and expand opportunities for communities to work together to develop and expand collaborative conservation projects. In addition to funding locally led water quality projects, the dedicated funds will allow farmers to scale up investments in edge-of-field and in-field conservation practices, such as wetlands, saturated buffers and bioreactors to improve water quality.

“Farmers are taking on the challenge of improving water quality. We are excited to have support of the governor and the Iowa Legislature as we continue this conversation and work with all Iowans to protect our water quality and soil health,” Hill says.