–The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced the expansion of a pilot project this week that will now include 22 counties in the Greater Des Moines Watershed. The Streamside Buffer Pilot Project was launched in August of 2025 and initially focused on the North Raccoon, Boone, Middle Cedar, and Turkey River watersheds, along with all of Dubuque County. Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig tells KLGA News this is another initiative aimed at reducing nitrates in Iowa’s waterways.
Farmers and Landowners in the Greater Des Moines Watershed will now be eligible for a state-funded cost-share program that is intended to be more flexible than existing federal programs, with the idea that the increased incentives can help expand participation.
The program requires enrolled streamside buffers be at least 30 feet wide and can be up to 100 feet wide on either side of the stream. Strips of land running alongside creeks, drainage ditches, lakes, rivers, and streams are eligible for the cost-share program. Payments will only be made on new acres taken out of row crop production, and the buffers must be maintained for at least 10 years. Area farmers and landowners can apply online at the link below.
https://costshare.iowaagriculture.gov
