$470,000 to go to Central Iowa wetlands thanks to Prairie Meadows grant

DES MOINES, Iowa (IAWA) — Prairie Meadows Casino just announced that four Central Iowa wetlands projects will get a $470,000 Legacy Grant to support water quality, habitat, and conservation education. Ducks Unlimited is leading the grant, collaborating with Polk County Public Works, Polk County Conservation, the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.[…]

NE Iowa farmer leads the way in profitable conservation

By Dan Looker    The word, genius, brings to mind researchers in lab coats. Or Einstein’s shock of unruly white hair.     As Loran Steinlage’s pickup truck bounces past a cornfield, genius isn’t how he describes himself. Yet each field on his farm near West Union, Iowa, is an experiment with an operator that fits[…]

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IAWA launches guide to compare Iowa cover crop payment programs

News Release FOR RELEASE ON: June 25, 2024 CONTACT: Rebekah Jones, Cell: 515- 901-3147 | rjones@iaagwater.org IAWA launches guide to compare Iowa cover crop payment programs ANKENY, IA (IAWA) — By stacking incentives, some farmers could get paid $100 or more per acre for planting new cover crops, but it’s not always easy to keep[…]

IAWA names Jeff Lucas as new Executive Director

Iowa native to bring wide-ranging experience, passion for service to leadership role ANKENY, IA (IAWA) — The Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance is excited to welcome new Executive Director Jeff Lucas to the team this week. The Fort Madison, Iowa native and proud Iowa State University alum brings diverse career experiences from across the country, from the[…]

Wonder and water – reflections on my second Father’s Day

By Adam Sodders, Communications Specialist MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (IAWA) – Central Iowa has been the place my great grandpa, grandpa, dad, I have all called home over the last century or so, and in 2022 a fifth name was added tothe list: Milo. As a young father, it’s impossible not to think about my own childhood[…]

Water quality efforts blossom in the Cedar Valley 

Eastern Iowa farmers, landowners add more “Batch and Build” projects, cover crops  By Dan Looker  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (IAWA) – In 2008, the Cedar River – namesake of the city of Cedar Rapids – surged from its banks to leave more than a tenth of the city in muck and destruction. That disaster, among the[…]

Remembering Bill Northey, a great agricultural and conservation leader

By Dan Looker  Energetic. Empathetic. Eclectic.   These are a few words some would use to describe Bill Northey, one of Iowa’s most consequential and admired agricultural leaders. Many were shocked by his death last February. On Monday, May 27, 2024 he would have been 65.   Last winter, Northey was CEO of the Agribusiness Association of[…]

Kellie Blair: Keep your eye on the goal

By Kellie Blair On our farm, we do a lot of work advocating for conservation. When I say we advocate, I mean that we tell our story and how it works for us. What works on our farm doesn’t always work for others. Conservation on the farm doesn’t look the same everywhere, and includes cover crops, no-till/strip-till,[…]

Kerri Bell and her family - a husband and two daughters - smile for a family photo in the entrance of a farm storage shed.

Kerri Bell: Farming is Family

By Kerri Bell My name is Kerri Bell, and I am a fourth-generation farmer. My husband, Lance, and I have a diversified crop farm near Keota in southeast Iowa. We raise corn, soybeans, cover crops, and alfalfa, and have a crossbred cow calf operation with our twin daughters, Ellie and Sophie – both are 2023[…]