Iowa cattle producers will have access to expanded cost-share assistance to convert marginal, erosion-prone cropland into pasture and hay ground following a $10 million federal conservation award announced last week in Cedar Rapids.

The five-year investment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will expand Iowa’s Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program (CCWLP). 

Awarded through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), the funding will support forage and cover crop planting across western and central Iowa to keep agricultural land in production while re­­ducing soil erosion and nutrient runoff.

The project is ex­­pected to establish more than 300,000 acres of cover crops and reduce nitrogen losses by roughly 3.3 million pounds, phosphorus losses by 336,000 pounds and soil loss by 1 million tons, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), which administers the new working lands program along with the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and Ducks Unlimited.

“Iowa’s popular Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program demonstrates that we can improve water quality, rebuild the U.S. cattle herd and make the most of every acre of our valuable farmland,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. 

“This RCPP gives us the flexibility to support infrastructure improvements and expand the program to serve livestock producers in more Iowa counties.”


Nationwide Grants

The Iowa award is part of a broader investment of more than $325 million in 42 RCPP projects nationwide announced by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins during a visit last week to the Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) plant in Cedar Rapids.

The national awards are supported through fiscal year 2031 under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. 

Rollins said 75% of this year’s funding will go directly to farmers or be used to cover the cost of implementing conservation practices.

“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program pairs private investment with federal funds to deliver better results,” Rollins said. “Recently, we’ve taken steps to improve RCPP to reduce red tape and increase flexibility to better empower local partners to conserve natural resources while helping American farmers prosper.”


Strong Demand

Demand for the working lands program in Iowa has exceeded available funding, Naig reported. 

Since launching as a pilot project in Taylor County in 2016, the Iowa program has enrolled more than 1,800 participants and converted 20,000 acres of marginal row-crop ground into pasture or hay ground in western Iowa.

A $500,000 state allocation through the Farm to Faucet water quality package to expand the program to 22 additional counties in the Greater Des Moines Watershed this year was fully obligated within 10 days, prompting Gov. Kim Reynolds to direct an additional $2.1 million in federal funding to help address waitlists. Naig said his ultimate goal is to make the program available statewide.

“USDA’s investment is a strong signal that the approach Iowa has developed has value beyond our state,” said Bryan Whaley, CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. “We’re proud to see Iowa leading the way with a program that brings livestock production and conservation together, and we hope it can help shape similar opportunities for producers across the country.”

Farmers interested in enrolling can visit CleanWaterIowa.org or contact their county USDA Service Center.