Through LICA, skilled contractors are helping farmers protect soil and improve water quality by installing practices such as terraces, wetlands, buffer strips and bioreactors.
Conservation has become part of everyday farming across Iowa.

From cover crops and wetlands to no-till and edge-of-field practices, Iowa’s farmers are investing more than ever in protecting soil, improving water quality and leaving their farms better than they found them.

Partnering with Iowa’s farmers to protect soil and water is the Land Improvement Contractors Association (LICA). While conservation begins with a farmer’s decision, those practices become reality through trained and experienced contractors who provide a wide range of services from 

grading and excavating to drainage, landscaping and site preparation. 

After all, conservation plans don’t make a difference sitting on a shelf in an office — they must be designed, built and maintained in the field.

“We take the conservation plans on paper and put them into the ground, into practice,” explained Kelby Kiefer, executive director of Iowa LICA. “Our mission is all about protecting Iowa’s soil and water for future generations.

“Farmers today are very interested in leaving the land better than they found it. They understand that healthy soil, clean water and effective water management aren’t just priorities — they’re essential to the future of their farms.”

Scott Bohle, Iowa LICA president, said education remains the foundation of making those practices successful. 

“This is an important time to focus on water quality,” Bohle said. “We all want what’s best for Iowa, and this is the opportunity to lead with good conservation practices. We’re out there to educate our members and farmers to help get those conservation practices put in place.”


Leading the Way

Iowa farmers are leading the way in conservation. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) reports that more than 8,000 farmers and landowners are participating in conservation programs. Iowa farmers have planted approximately 4 million acres of cover crops, installed 484 saturated buffers and bioreactors, and completed or begun developing another 200 wetlands.

The state also continues to increase investments in conservation cost-share and watershed projects. 

“We’re seeing farmers really adapt to no-till operations, cover crops … and still the traditional practices of terraces and waterways,” said Bohle.

LICA helps make conservation happen, constructing those terraces, waterways, ponds, dams, tile drainage, buffer strips and bioreactors, Kiefer explained. 

“Any project somebody sees happening in their community, there’s a good chance one of our LICA members is involved,” she said.

LICA partners with numerous agencies to implement projects, including IDALS, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), local businesses, farmers and policymakers. 

“Communication between us and those agencies is vital,” said Bohle. “We’re trying to do things right … We want to do what’s best for the environment and for the farmer.”


Education First

State and local leaders joined Iowa LICA members earlier this year to celebrate the opening of the organization’s new demonstration farm classroom near Melbourne. 

The classroom expands Iowa LICA’s long-term vision for the site, originally purchased in 2000 for field demonstrations and now developed into an education center focused on conservation, training and industry outreach. 

Bohle called the classroom “a celebration of a vision years in the planning” and said the facility creates “new opportunities to educate the next generation” while strengthening membership and promoting conservation. 

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the building represents an investment in the future and highlighted Iowa’s recent conservation progress. 

Naig said land improvement contractors are essential in helping bring conservation practices to the next level and delivering more work done across the state of Iowa.

State Sen. Kara Warme said the classroom offers “a chance to experiment with new practices and then to share what we’ve learned and teach that with others,” adding that Iowa’s future depends on continued investment in its farmland, people and conservation efforts.

Added Bohle, “We think education is the best way to get people on board with what conservation practices can do.”

The conservation and demonstration farm and education classroom allow for field days, safety training, equipment demonstrations, off-season conventions and networking opportunities.

“Our goal is for Iowa contractors to be among the best trained in the country,” said Kiefer. “We’ve created a place where people can gather to collaborate and learn.” 

The demonstration farm allows for hands-on education where “seeing is believing,” said Kiefer, while the new indoor space provides opportunities for professional development.

“The conservation and demonstration farm allows visitors to connect the science behind conservation with the practical application and see the final footprint those practices leave on the farm,” she said.

Regarding the education facility, Kiefer said, “Our focus was to build a room where people could come on-site, see those practices, talk about them and experience them firsthand.”


Demand and Opportunity

Looking ahead, LICA plans to continue expanding its role in conservation education and workforce development. With technology advances and conservation efforts expanding, Kiefer said the organization hopes to encourage more young people to consider careers in conservation contracting.

“Demand for conservation work is continuing to grow, but we need skilled contractors to meet that demand,” Kiefer said.

“Conservation doesn’t happen by accident. It takes planning, partnership and investment. Be­­yond that, it takes skilled contractors willing to do the work. They’re the ones who take conservation plans and put them into functioning practice to improve water quality, protect our soil and strengthen Iowa agriculture for future generations.”

Farmers are driving the de­mand, added Bohle.

“We have a lot of good farmers in this state who are very good advocates for their farms and want to preserve them,” he said. “We all want what’s best for the state of Iowa.”