Enrollment in state cover crop cost-share programs is shattering records, exceeding 1 million acres statewide and topping 300,000 acres in the Greater Des Moines Watershed following recent funding increases, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said last week at the Farm Progress Show in Boone.

Enrolled acres nearly tripled in the 22-county Greater Des Moines Watershed, jumping from roughly 109,000 acres in 2025 to more than 300,000 acres this year. Sign-ups in the Des Moines Watershed accelerated following an enhanced cost-share rate of $25 per acre, which was enabled by funding in the Farm to Faucet bill passed this spring by the Iowa Legislature. 

State officials also expanded the individual enrollment cap from 160 acres to 500 acres.

“The Greater Des Moines Watershed Program shows what we can accomplish when we have dedicated resources and intentionally focus on fields in parts of the state that can have a significant impact on water quality,” Naig said. 

“It also reinforces that farmers are eager to embrace re­sponsible farming practices to protect their land for future generations, and they want to be part of the ongoing work to improve Iowa’s water quality.”

Statewide, cover crop acres enrolled in state programs climbed from 700,000 acres last year to more than 1 million acres this fall. 

Strong grower interest has pushed total cost-share funding requests to $28 million so far in 2026, up $10 million from the $18 million requested during the same period in 2025, Naig said. 

Overall, with support from state and federal cost share programs as well as their own investments, Iowa farmers plant nearly 3.9 million acres of cover crops annually, according to the latest data compiled by the Iowa Nutrient Research Education Council. 


Cattle Working Lands program expanded

Overwhelming interest from livestock farmers in the state’s new Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program triggered an immediate expansion of funding for the program, Naig announced. 

The initiative assists producers in converting low-yielding, flood-prone row-crop ground into permanent pasture and forage production.

Farmers in the 22 Des Moines Watershed counties exhausted the initial $500,000 allocated for the program within 10 days after the program was announced during the Iowa State Fair last month. 

In response, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship allocated an additional $2.1 million to meet demand through the end of the year. Naig said he will seek funding to expand the program statewide in the 2027 legislative session. 

The working lands effort began in 2016 as a pilot project in Page and Taylor counties. 

“This is an economic driver for our state livestock production, beef production in particular,” Naig said. 

“There is a need in this nation to grow the herd. We have the smallest herd since the 1950s, and Iowa can play a significant role in growing that beef herd by converting lower-performing row-crop acres into pasture ground, and keeping them working.”

PICTURED ABOVE: Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says enrollment in state cover crop cost share programs surged following a new round of funding. PHOTO / COREY MUNSON