Protect Water, Strengthen Farms with the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Fund
The Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Fund enjoys wide support with Iowans, but it’s sat unfunded for 16 years. This trust can give farmers the financial support needed to make a meaningful difference in terms of water quality, public health and the quality of life for all Iowans.
New Cost-Share Pilot Improves Iowa’s Water with Riparian Buffers
A new pilot program pays Iowa farmers and landowners for turning row-crop acres alongside waterways into riparian buffer zones. Offering more flexibility to install buffers, including a harvestable option, the program can help keep nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus out of our water.
Farm Advisors Champion Cover Crop Adoption — And Farmers Are Listening
Farm advisors, especially those who farm themselves, hold a unique influence when it comes to broader cover crop adoption. Equipped with both personal and on-the-job experience and respect among farmers, their advocacy drives higher adoption rates.
Optimize Nitrogen Use Efficiency Using This New Tool
A new tool leveraging on-farm trial data helps Iowa farmers estimate optimal nitrogen application rates based on the unique needs of their fields. Using the web-based platform, farmers can explore trial results, understand how management and environment affect optimum nitrogen rates, and benchmark their own fields, improving their soil and their bottom line.
Warranty Pilot Program Limits Regenerative Agriculture Risks
Concerns about a potential economic hit have slowed adoption rates of regenerative ag practices like cover crops and rotational grazing among farmers and ranchers. But an innovative warranty pilot project in Iowa and the Chesapeake Bay area designed to limit risks could pave the way for a paradigm shift.
Oxbow Restoration: A Beautiful and Practical Conservation Solution
Interest in oxbow restoration is rising across Iowa. These small bodies of water provide a great habitat for fish and wildlife, plus they improve water management during both wet and dry years. Their status as a relatively low-cost and low-maintenance conservation project adds to their appeal.
Keep Fields Covered to Protect Yields from Erosion
Rick Cruse, Ph.D., director of the Iowa Water Center, encourages Iowa farmers to use 4R Plus practices to protect yields.
New Horizons for Conservation in Agriculture
Cows and cover crops are helping produce a renewable fuel source on Bryan Sievers’s Scott County, Iowa, farm. He’s using anaerobic digesters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon. And now, through a USDA-funded project, he’s demonstrating how other farms can do the same.