Conservation Compass

IAWA News

  • Three people standing with award

    IAWA’s Rebekah Jones wins Creative Conservationist Award

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (July 1, 2026) — The Great Outdoors Foundation honored IAWA’s own Rebekah Jones with one of two Creative Conservationist Awards at Athene Watershed26. The recognition is for individuals and organizations that are driving meaningful conservation outcomes through innovative thinking, strong partnerships, and dedicated stewardship. Rebekah is the Communications Director for the Iowa…

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  • data center building

    Data centers and water: economic growth or environmental threat?

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    Data centers aren’t new, but they’ve been getting an increasing amount of attention as tech companies work to meet the demands of an increasingly online society. In this article, IAWA breaks down the pros and cons of data center investments and corrects common misinformation. By Dan Looker Key Takeaways Water availability: Location matters. Some utilities…

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  • Great Outdoors Foundation drives change and momentum with inaugural conference

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    Athene Watershed26 focused on incubating innovative solutions, powerful funding mechanisms, and voices for change to improve Iowa’s water quality. By Dan Looker Des Moines, Iowa, and its suburbs sprawl outward from the confluence of two river systems, the Des Moines and Raccoon. In the week before the nation’s 250th Independence celebration and 183 years after…

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  • Nutrient Reduction Strategy Dashboards Receive New Updates, Show Positive Trends

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    Recently, the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy Interactive Dashboards received an update with 2024 data. With nearly every data set showing an improvement, here are some highlights from two of the updated dashboards, “Land Use and In-Field Practices” and “Edge-of-Field Practices and Structural Erosion Control.” If you’re interested in exploring the data for yourself, visit the…

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  • How Soil Testing Impacts Water Quality

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    Bridging the Gap: How Soil Testing Impacts Water Quality Water quality in Iowa is a pressing concern every spring, as heavy rains wash nutrients from fields into waterways. Using proactive strategies to reduce nitrate runoff and manage input costs is now essential, benefiting both water quality and farm finances. What do “proactive measures” truly mean?…

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  • IAWA Launches Conservation Compass

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    The Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance is proud to announce Conservation Compass – a suite of tools and education to help farmers find, compare, and get signed up for conservation cost share and other incentives.   News Release  CONTACT: Rebekah Jones, Cell: 515- 901-3147 | rjones@iaagwater.org  MEDIA KIT: Conservation Photos & Videos | Compass materials  Additional media tools can be found in our media kit.  IAWA Launches Conservation…

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  • New IAWA Resource Helps Farmers, Public Break Down Complex Cycle

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    Nitrogen makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere; it is an essential building block for life, and it is also a topic of many water quality discussions in Iowa. With Iowa’s water nitrate level a concern for many, it is understandable that people have questions like what it is, how it works, and why farmers are…

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  • two men in front of wetland

    Farmer Demand far exceeds NRCS funding in Iowa; Is new funding on the horizon?

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    By Rebekah Jones STATEWIDE, Iowa – March 28, 2026 – Only about one in five Iowa NRCS applications received conservation funding in 2025, according to NRCS data for three of the most popular farmer programs. Those programs pay for conservation practices like cover crops, prairie, and grazing infrastructure. Why it matters Demand grows, funding shrinks…

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  • Cover crop interest strong, despite tough farm economy

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    By Dan Looker, IAWA writer DES MOINES, Iowa – March 25, 2026 – In a struggling farm economy, will Iowa’s progress with cover crops be dragged down by burdensome operational costs and prices? It’s too early to tell, but our insights say, “no.” Multiple vendors of cover crop seed and cost share say demand continues…

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  • Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance Wins Marketing Award for Farmer-Focused Website

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    News Release  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan 19, 2026   CONTACT: Rebekah Jones, Cell: 515- 901-3147 | rjones@iaagwater.org  DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) has been recognized with first place in Region Three for “Website Directed at Farmers and Ranchers” in the Best of NAMA competition. The award honors IAWA’s website, iaagwater.org, which launched in fall 2025. “This…

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