Secretary Naig Announces Another Record Year for Conservation in Iowa

Record broken for the 3rd year in a row, demonstrates continued acceleration

AMES, Iowa (August 19, 2024) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, working with Iowa’s 100 Soil and Water Conservation Districts and farmers and landowners, again shattered a record for conservation and water quality practice adoption within Iowa during the last fiscal year. Secretary Naig made the announcement today during remarks at the annual Conservation Districts of Iowa conference in Ames.

“For the third year in a row, we have set a record for conservation adoption in Iowa. I want to thank everyone who has said ‘yes’ to adding proven water quality practices on their land during the past year. Because public and private partners are joining together with farmers and landowners to add these practices, the pace of implementation continues to accelerate,” said Secretary Naig. “We have come a long way, and still have far to go, but Iowans continue to demonstrate that they are committed to conservation and water quality. Whether you live on a farm or in the city, we can all play a role in protecting our natural resources and I encourage all Iowans to add even more practices in the year ahead.”

During the last fiscal year, which ended on June 30, state cost-share leveraged $56.42 million in practice implementation, an increase of nearly $3.8 million over the previous record year. For every dollar the state contributed, farmers and landowners matched that with $1.15 in investment. A decade ago, state cost-share leveraged $34.12 million in conservation practice adoption, proving that the pace of implementation continues to accelerate. 

Notably, these record totals do not consider all other conservation and water quality funding paid by farmers and landowners, other government entities, and other private partners. They also do not factor in other programs at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, including our wetlands program, batch and build projects that install saturated buffers and bioreactors, Abandoned Mine Land reclamation projects, among many others.

Highlights for Fiscal Year 2024

• Department-wide Summary: 
  
  • $26.26 million in total cost-share was paid, which leveraged a total spending of $56.42 million in practice implementation. 
    
    • In the previous fiscal year, which was also a record, $21.86 million and $52.67 million were the respective totals. This is an increase of nearly $3.8 million leveraged over the previous record year.
    • Ten years ago, in FY14, the totals were $14.91 million and $34.12 million, respectively. 
  • In addition to the record number of cost share dollars spent, we are also processing more than 6,700 cost-share claims per year in each of the past two years. 
    
    • This is nearly 900 more than was paid in 2022, and nearly 2,000 more per year than we were paying ten years ago.
• Water Quality Initiative (WQI): 
  
  • Of the department-wide investment total, more than $16.38 million was paid through the Water Quality Initiative.
    
    • This is up from $12.59 million last year, an increase of approximately $3.8 million.
  • 4,855 practices were funded this past year through WQI, a number that has grown significantly from approximately 1,000 practices a decade ago.
• The Iowa Financial Incentives Program (IFIP):
  
  • Iowa was the first state to appropriate state cost-share funds for conservation practices back in 1973 through the Iowa Financial Incentive Program commonly known as “cost share.” Still going strong after 50 years, the IFIP program continues to see strong demand across all 100 Soil and Water Conservation Districts in the state. 
  • More than 90 percent of the IFIP funding is used for permanent structural practices, such as terraces and basins, grassed waterways, grade stabilization structures and more.
  • IFIP provided financial assistance for 865 practices with cost share of $6.58 million. 
• Additional Cost-Share Programs: 
  
  • Approximately $3 million of the department-wide funding total was provided by programs including the Resource Enhance and Protection Program (REAP), Watershed Protection Fund, District Buffer Initiative and others.

To keep the momentum building, Secretary Naig is encouraging farmers and landowners to utilize department cost-share funds to add even more proven practices this year.

Through WQI, farmers who are planting cover crops for the first time are eligible to receive $30 per acre. Those who are continuing the practice can receive $20 per acre. Farmers transitioning acres to no-till or strip-till for the first time are eligible for $10 per acre. A payment of $3 per acre is available to first-time users of a nitrogen inhibitor when applying fall anhydrous ammonia fertilizer. WQI cost-share funding is available for up to 160 acres per farmer or landowner for each practice. 

IFIP program funding is available as a continuous year-round signup and offers cost-share opportunities for a wide variety of conservation offerings. These include management practices such as cover crops as well as permanent structural practices such as terraces and grade stabilization structures. 

Farmers and landowners should visit their local Soil and Water Conservation District office located in the USDA Service Center in their county to learn more about program eligibility and to sign-up to participate.