As they work to persuade more farmers and landowners to scale up conservation and water quality practices in Iowa, public officials and private entities are using both economic and environmental appeals, according to Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig.

“There are just a lot of different ways that we can connect with folks, so we want to paint with a broad brush,” Naig said last week during a webinar on conservation progress sponsored by the Iowa Learning Farm. “We are using both the environmental aspect and the return on investment message so we can reach as many folks as possible.”

For farmers who are very concerned...