A record number of Iowa farmers have signed up to use nutrient reduction practices on their farms through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s statewide water quality cost-share program.

More than 2,600 farmers signed up to try cover crops, no-till, strip till or nitrification inhibitor on more than 270,000 acres in 98 counties. The state will provide nearly $4.8 million in cost-share funds to match the $8.7 million investment by Iowa farmers.

The Iowa Department of Ag announced this year’s state cost-share program on May 11 and encouraged farmers to visit their local Soil and Water Conservation District office to start the sign-up process. The SWCD offices got the money on July 1 and started distributing the funding. This year’s state cost-share funding was exhausted by early August. But farmers are still being encouraged to go to their SWCD office to see what other programs and sources of funding may be available.

More farmers are trying these practices
“I continue to be encouraged by the growing interest of Iowa farmers in trying practices focused on limiting nutrient loss and improving water quality,” says Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. “It’s great to see 1,000 farmers trying a brand-new practice on their farm and 1,600 farmers trying cover crops again at a reduced-rate of cost share. We are seeing farmers making a long-term commitment to learning about these new practices and seeing how they fit into their farming operation.”

Participants this year include 1,005 farmers using a practice for the first time and 1,600 past users who are trying cover crops again and are receiving a reduced-rate of cost share. The first-time users cover 96,000 acres; the past users will use cover crops on over 175,000 acres.

Farmers not already using the practice were eligible for cost-share for cover crops of $25 per acre, $10 per acre for trying no-till or strip till, and $3 per acre for using a nitrapyrin nitrification inhibitor when applying fall fertilizer. Farmers who had used cover crops in the past were eligible for $15 per acre in cost-share. Cost-share was only available on up to 160 acres, for both new and past participants in the program. 

Other programs still available in some counties
“Farmers are encouraged to still reach out to their local Soil and Water Conservation District office as there may be other programs available to help them implement water quality practices on their farm,” notes Northey.

In the four years this statewide cost-share program has been available, over 4,800 farmers, with participants in each of Iowa’s 99 counties, have put in nutrient reduction practices on more than 455,000 acres. The state provided about $9.3 million in cost-share funding to help farmers try a water quality practice, and Iowa farmers matched it with more than $9.3 million of their own resources to support these water quality practices.

Background on Iowa Water Quality Initiative
The Iowa Water Quality Initiative was established in 2013 to help implement the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy, a collaborative research-based approach to achieving a 45% reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus losses to Iowa waters. The strategy brings together both point sources, such as municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial facilities, and nonpoint sources, including farm fields and urban stormwater runoff, to address these issues.

The initiative seeks to harness the collective ability of both private and public resources and organizations to deliver a clear and consistent message to stakeholders to reduce nutrient loss and improve water quality.

In addition to the statewide cost-share, there are also 56 existing demonstration projects located across the state to help implement and demonstrate water quality practices through the initiative. This includes 15 targeted watershed projects, seven projects focused on expanding the use and innovative delivery of water quality practices, and 34 urban water quality demonstration projects. More than 220 organizations are participating in these projects. These partners will provide $32.3 million to go with over $21.7 million in state funding going to these projects.

More than $340 million in state and federal funds were directed to programs with water quality benefits in Iowa last year. This total does not include the cost-share amount that farmers pay to match state and federal programs and funds spent to build practices built without government assistance.

More information about the initiative can be found at CleanWaterIowa.org.

Source: Iowa Department of Agriculture