Funds are available to help farmers take advantage of nutrient reduction practices. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has received $4.4 million for the Iowa Water Quality Initiative to offer cost sharing to farmers. Eligible practices include cover crops, no till or strip till, or using a nitrification inhibitor when applying fertilizer. Interested landowners should call the Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District.

The district is in year two of a three year project aimed at improving water quality and reducing erosion by promoting those same practices. The district’s West Fork Crooked Creek Watershed project is one of eight demonstration projects given funding in Iowa.

District Conservationist Tony Maxwell told KCII News last fall that landowners in the watershed agreed to plant 2,600 acres of cover crops after harvest. By the end of the three years, they hope to increase that to 16,000 acres.

For more information, call the district office at 319-653-6654.