As part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, farmers in southeast Iowa will be shown the benefits of conservation practices, and given incentives to try them. The Soil and Water Conservation District’s in Washington and Keokuk counties have received nearly $500,000 in state funds for their West Fork Crooked Creek Water Quality and Soil Health Initiative. The total cost of the project is around $865,000.

Dustin Vande Hoef, with the Iowa Department of Agriculture, says showing farmers the benefits of things like buffer strips and no-till farming will be the focus of the three year effort. He adds there will also be cost sharing for those who then use the conservation practices on their farms.