Conservation Cost-Share

Are you interested in conservation practices that improve water quality, build soil health, address climate change and provide critical native habitat for wildlife? Practical Farmers of Iowa is now offering a conservation cost-share!

Supported Practices

Farmers or landowners who enroll in the cost-share can get technical and financial support for the following practices.

Prairie Strips (Buffer Strips)

You can receive a one-time incentive payment to establish prairie strips on your farm through PFI’s cost-share program. This cost-share can be stacked with Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

Oxbow Wetlands

You can receive technical and financial assistance to cover the cost to design and construct oxbow wetlands. To maximize water quality benefits, tile-fed oxbow wetlands will be focus of this grant opportunity.

Pollinator Habitat

You can receive funding for creating or enhancement of pollinator habitat on your farm. This grant is directed at declining native pollinators in counties in the northeast quadrant of the state. This program can be implemented on farmland or remnant prairie habitat.

Precision Conservation

Do you have poorly producing areas on your farm? If so, you can receive a one-time incentive payment for removing those marginal acres from corn and soybean production.

Acres removed from production may be planted to perennial forage or pasture or enrolled in a separate program to support conversion to native perennial cover.

**To find out more about precision conservation cost-share, please contact our partners at Pheasants Forever.

Partnerships

Funding for this project is made possible by Clean Water Iowa, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant, Pheasants Forever, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Iowa Soybean Association, Apex Clean Energy Foundation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Partners for Fish and Wildlife.

Note: Participation in Practical Farmers’ conservation cost-share may also include signing a maintenance agreement or contract with a PFI partner, such as the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Inquire for more details.

Questions?

Contact Grace Yi, our senior habitat viability coordinator, by emailing grace.yi@practicalfarmers.org or by calling the office at (515) 232-5661.

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