Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced a new state-funded conservation cost-share pilot project supporting farmers and landowners in the watersheds upstream from the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids metropolitan areas. The Streamside Buffer Initiative encourages farmers and landowners living in these priority watersheds to add perennial buffers to fields along streams to prevent nutrients from entering these important source water areas. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is initially allocating $3 million from the state’s Water Quality Initiative (WQI) fund to support this pilot project. 

“I am excited to introduce this new pilot project to accelerate the adoption of streamside buffers in fields and watersheds where they can support downstream water users,” said Secretary Naig. “The Department has invested more than $65.8 million in conservation practices and technical support in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids basins since 2003, and we’re proud of the work that’s been done and the progress that’s been made to implement the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. We recognize there’s still a tremendous amount of work to do, especially in these watersheds because they provide source water for the state’s largest metropolitan areas. The Streamside Buffer Initiative is yet another example of my commitment to empowering farmers and landowners to adopt the conservation practices that are right for their fields in a way that has meaningful impact on soil health and water quality.”

About the Streamside Buffer Initiative

This state-funded cost-share initiative is intended to be more flexible than existing federal cost-share programs to encourage even more farmers and landowners to participate.

  • Farmers and landowners living in the North Raccoon, Boone, Middle Cedar and Turkey watersheds and Dubuque County are eligible (watershed map) for the Streamside Buffer Initiative pilot project. 
  • Enrolled buffers must be between 30 to 100 feet wide (on average) on at least one side of the stream. 
  • Payments will only be made on new buffers established on land that is currently in row crop production. 
  • Streamside buffers must be maintained for at least 10 years.  
  • Harvested buffers will receive a one-time payment of $250 per acre for establishment costs and $1,500 per acre for foregone income (total $1,750 per acre). Non-harvested buffers will receive a one-time payment of $500 per acre for establishment costs and $3,000 per acre for foregone income (total $3,500 per acre).
  • Farmers and landowners are encouraged to incorporate complementary conservation practices, like saturated buffers and bioreactors, on streamside buffers, if feasible, for additional water quality benefits.

Farmers and landowners in the targeted watersheds who are interested in participating in the Streamside Buffer Initiative pilot project should visit their local USDA Service Center to enroll. 


There are other state and federal cost-share programs available to support farmers and landowners who are interested in adopting conservation practices but live outside of the Streamside Buffer Initiative pilot project area, including the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s WQI cover crop cost-share program. All farmers and landowners are encouraged to visit their local USDA Service Centers to discuss available cost-share programs and learn how they can be a part of the state’s conservation projects.