Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that a successful Water Quality Initiative (WQI) project in Southeast Iowa is progressing toward its next phase, with a specific focus on the seeding of more cover crop acres as well as implementing additional edge-of-field conservation practices. WQI efforts in the West Fork of Crooked Creek and Long Creek watersheds, which cover areas of Keokuk, Washington, and Louisa Counties, have been ongoing since 2014. In the last three years, over 54,600 cumulative acres of cover crops have been seeded in this project area, one of the highest totals in the state. Over the next three years, the goal is to seed more than 90,000 acres of cover crops. Among several other benchmarks, project goals also include a significant increase in grade stabilization structure development as well as the addition of more than 100,000 feet of newly constructed terraces. Through the WQI, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is investing $317,000 on this project.