DES MOINES –Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today (Tuesday), announced the extension of three water quality demonstration projects focused on innovative ways to encourage adoption of water quality-focused conservation practices. The projects were initially funded in 2015 and are being extended for three years to scale-up their efforts and accelerate practice implementation in support of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Naig says “By extending these projects, we can build on their strong foundations and early successes. These projects are great examples of innovative approaches to engage farmers and encourage the adoption of water quality-focused practices. We look forward to adding new partners to these projects and continuing to work with local farmers and agribusinesses to make measurable progress toward our water quality goals.”

Among the three projects receiving extensions, is the Taylor County Water Quality Initiative – The project works with farmers in Taylor County by promoting alternative land management practices on farmed areas identified to be marginal or potentially unprofitable. The project works with farmers to evaluate the specific production levels and goals within their farming operation. It utilizes several tools to evaluate current farm-scale profitability combined with conservation practice and land use alternatives. Rather than focus on the entire field, this project demonstrates which areas of a field should be considered for alternative forms of production, thus making them more profitable and more sustainable.

The project has already engaged 85 participants in the first two years, and 60 of those farmers have already implemented conservation management changes on their fields. More than 30 additional farmers are on a waiting list to participate in the project. The other projects are the Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crops Initiative, and the Central Iowa Watershed Management Authority WQI Project. The three projects will receive over $2 million in additional funding through the Iowa Water Quality Initiative over the next three years. In addition to the state funds, these projects will generate an estimated $5 million in matching funds and other in-kind contributions to support water quality improvement efforts.

Additional details about these and all other demonstration projects that are part of the Iowa Water Quality Initiative is available at https://www.cleanwateriowa.org/farm-1/.