Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced the next phase of the Greater Des Moines Watershed Program — a targeted initiative to scale up the use of conservation practices upstream to improve water quality downstream.
Secretary Naig joined Bryan Whaley, CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and cattle producers from Calhoun, Pocahontas and Webster counties at the Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters at the Iowa State Fair to announce the expansion of the popular Cattle and Conservation Working Lands program into the 22 counties located within the Greater Des Moines watershed. In addition to increasing the program area, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) will add two more project coordinators to be stationed in Calhoun and Greene Counties to lead outreach and engagement with local cattle producers.
The cost-share program supports cattle and other livestock producers in converting under-performing or highly erodible acres of row crops into pasture and hay ground. This provides land and forage to support the growth of the U.S. beef herd, while reducing soil erosion and improving water quality.
“The Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program is truly a win-win, balancing productivity while improving Iowa’s water quality and soil health,” said Secretary Naig. “By converting underperforming cropland into grazing land for cattle and other livestock, we can put every acre to its best use and keep working lands working. It's the right thing to do from an environmental perspective and it creates opportunities for young and beginning farmers, generates new revenue for landowners, and makes more land available to grow the cattle herd. Based on the program’s success in Iowa, I would like to see it become a model for reforming the federal CRP program.”
Source : iowaagriculture.gov