AMES — 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 fund to support this pilot project.

Naig announced the pilot project during the Conservation Districts of Iowa Annual Meeting in Ames.

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 at: www.cleanwateriowa.org/streamside-buffer-pilot-project) 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 the local USDA Service Center to enroll.