By Catherine DeLong
Farmers and landowners need a trusted advisor to help them site, fund and implement practices that protect water, soil and habitat resources. Did you know that Iowa has a conservation workforce of 70+ professionals, covering each corner of the state, who are ready to fill this need and help farmers at no cost?
These advisors have titles like “Watershed Coordinator” or “Conservation Agronomist.” They work for cities, counties, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Iowa Department of Agriculture, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Soybean Association, agricultural cooperatives and other non-profits.
You might not have known that these professionals exist, because until last week there was no statewide resource to find them. On September 16, the Iowa Conservation Professionals Map launched.
Farmers, landowners, and any interested-Iowan, now has the option to explore the map and find your conservation professional. You can enter your address, or click on your parcel of land, to be shown the contact information for your most local advisor.
Here’s an example. If you click on Plymouth County in Northwest Iowa, five professionals will pop up who cover the area. The first is Brynn Jones, who works for Plymouth Soil and Water Conservation District, and runs a local watershed project with dedicated funding to help farmers adopt new practices like cover crops. Not interested in working with the district? No problem! You can work with the Iowa Department of Agriculture, a local agricultural cooperative, or the Iowa Soybean Association – all of whom have employees that cover the county.
Source : iastate.edu