Miller Creek Water Quality Improvement Project
It’s always a good time to make conservation plans. If you farm in the Miller or Rock Creek Watersheds (map on the reverse side) we have lots of conservation projects for you to consider. Even if you don’t farm in these locations, you can qualify for most of the funded conservation choices below.
Conservation Practices
Cover Crops – We pay $30/acre for winter-hardy cover crops and $20/acre for winter kill cover crops. There is no acreage ceiling, we will pay for 1 acre of cover crops or 1,000.
No-Till/ Strip-Till – We offer $10/acre for first time acres. Even if you are outside of the watersheds, we can obtain $10/acre for first-time strip or no-tillers. Other programs can pay you for four years…talk to us.
N – Inhibitor – Anyone farming in the Miller Creek Watershed can be paid $6/acre for implementing N-inhibitor. This is a one-time payment for acres on which it has never been applied. Nitrapyrin products only (e.g. N-Serve).
100% Funded Conservation Projects (Middle Cedar Watershed)
Constructed Wetlands – You may have a less productive low spot, a soggy end of a waterway, or other suitable locations. We will combine state and federal funds to pay 100% for all costs, including the land it occupies. This is a great opportunity to improve water quality and create excellent habitat for wildlife.
Saturated Buffers – Under your control, tile drainage is diverted to a “distribution line” of perforated tile near a creek, where it drains through nonproducing land to the water. These work very well for removing nitrates and are easy to install. We pay 100%.
Oxbow Wetlands – An old bend of a stream can often be restored with tile water, making an excellent wetland assisting water quality and providing abundant habitat. We combine state and federal funds to pay 100% of the costs, and for the land on which it sits.
Woodchip Bioreactors – These sound technical, but they are simply an engineered storage pit filled with woodchips. Under your control, tile water enters and exits the pit where nitrates are removed by soil bacteria living on the chips. Once again, we pay for everything.
Miscellaneous
Talk to us! – We can connect you to NRCS resources and other funding opportunities to help you with your conservation goals.
Contact:
Clark Porter, Environmental Specialist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. 515-318-9857. E-mail: [email protected]
