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CONTACT: Rebekah Jones, Cell: 515- 901-3147 | rjones@iaagwater.org
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IAWA Launches Conservation Compass
A suite of tools, info, and people to navigate conservation funding options
ANKENY, Iowa — April 6, 2026 – 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.
It can be found at www.TheCompass.ag.
Why it matters: Conservation incentives improve farm profitability in the near term by paying for new conservation practices or mitigating risk, and in the long term by improving a farm’s resiliency and soil potential.
“Conservation Compass is the only state-based tool that helps both farmers and professionals break through information overload on cost share,” said Rebekah Jones, Communications Director of IAWA.
“We chose the name ‘Compass’ because in the end, the farmer is choosing their destination. We’re just there to guide them to the right help along the way.”
What’s new
Conservation Compass builds on the award-winning success of costsharecompare.com. The comparison site was a pilot initiative to cut through the complexity of program information. The new platform takes everything that made the original site effective and expands it:
- A broader range of programs: Two dozen listed plus more on the way, with maintained accuracy
- Additional practices listed: cover crops, reduced tillage, nitrogen management, prairie establishment, extended crop rotations, and livestock practices
- A new streamlined experience that guides users from discovery to action
Zooming in
Through the Compass, farmers and conservation professionals alike can:
- Filter programs by practice and source of funding.
- Get connected with a Conservation Agronomist ASAP.
- Learn how to combine programs for maximum payment rates in order to incentivize change.
- Invest time in the learning hub to learn about carbon markets, funding sources, and what to expect when signing up for a program.
It all starts on this landing page.
The bigger picture
The Iowa State University Nutrient Reduction Dashboard shows that Iowa utilized close to $600 million in state and federal conservation funding in one year (2023, the most recent available data). That doesn’t even include private funding like carbon market programs.
However, programs are scattered across the internet; some don’t even have a website or informational landing page, making it hard for farmers to find or understand them. Even the professionals can get confused.
The Compass changes that and empowers farmers to make a positive impact on their farms and their communities.
The Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) is increasing the pace and scale of farmer-led efforts to improve water quality in Iowa. Founded in 2014 by Iowa Corn, the Iowa Soybean Association, and the Iowa Pork Producers Association, IAWA is building public-private partnerships focused on implementing water quality solutions. Learn more at www.iaagwater.org.
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