Land shift expected to hinder conservation Posted By: Ben Butler July 8, 2009 @ 5:30 am Today's Local News Tweet Share Email A joint study by Iowa State and Drake Universities shows a majority of Iowa’s farmland is owned by people on the brink of retirement. Richard Simms with the Natural Resource Conservation Service says the potential for a land shift could mean a a smaller number of people managing more acres. He says it would be challenging for NRCS because fall and spring are the times whens such techniques need to be implemented.