The next time you spill a cup of coffee outside, pay attention to where it flows. If it runs in the direction of a body of water named Rock Creek, you’re in luck (except for needing a new cup of coffee). There are, in fact, two Rock Creeks located in the region of Black Hawk and Tama Counties. Both watersheds are part of state sponsored water quality projects, and unique, enhanced funding is available for cover crops or other conservation practices.
One Rock Creek starts above Griffith Rd. in Black Hawk County, and spills into Wolf Creek in Tama County (below Buckingham). Cost-share funds are available to pay for cover crops and no-till/strip till anywhere in the watershed. There’s no acreage limit or wait-time to apply. State and federal funds can also be combined to pay for 100% of the cost for edge-of-field projects like wetlands or saturated buffers. To find out more, call Clark Porter, IDALS Environmental Specialist, at (515) 318-9857, or Jenna Curran at (319) 296-3262 extension 3.
The other Rock Creek starts near Dysart and ends east of LaPorte City. For anyone in the Watershed, targeted funds are available to pay for cover crops, strip-till/no-till, prairie strips, and more. Likewise, state and federal funds can be combined to pay 100% of the costs for edge-of-field projects. To find out more, call Rose Danaher, Benton-Tama Nutrient Reduction Project Coordinator at (515) 776-2764.
If you plan on protecting your soil, and Rock Creek is where your spilled coffee flows, then we can help you with cash flow. Go with the flow and give us a call.
by
Clark Porter, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Rose Danaher, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.