Streamside Buffer Cost Share
Reduce erosion and runoff.
Keep your land in production.
Get up to $3,500 for Streamside Buffers
Plus water quality and habitat benefits
Streamside buffers are bands of vegetation planted along streams, creeks, and drainageways. They are usually perennial grasses, meaning you plant them once and they come back year after year. They’re a helpful barrier between fields and waterways. When rainwater runs off a field, the plants in the buffer zone slow it down. This has multiple benefits:
- Streamside buffers stop and trap sediment (eroded soil) before it leaves the field.
- Filter nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Reduce other farming inputs from reaching the stream.
- Plus, perennial grasses make great habitat for helpful Iowa critters!
Buffers do not have to be large, meaning you can keep valuable land in production!
Iowa Department of Ag’s Streamside Buffer Program
The new Streamside Buffer Initiative from the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship supports farmers and landowners who want to add these buffers in priority watersheds. Eligible areas include the following watersheds:
- North Raccoon
- Boone
- Middle Cedar
- Turkey
- Parts of Dubuque County
To get started, reach out to an IDALS employee. Find your local staff person by clicking the button below.
Rates by Type of Buffer Strip
These are The Current Payment Rates for harvested buffers
Establishment
250 dollars per acre one-time payment
Foregone income
1,500 dollars per acre one-time payment
These are the current payment rates for non-harvested buffers
Establishment
500 dollars per acre one-time payment
Foregone income
3,000 dollars per acre one-time payment
Reach out to IDALS by getting in contact with one of their staff members in your area. Staff can help confirm eligibility, guide the enrollment process, and answer questions about planning and implementation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any farmer or landowner in the North Raccoon, Boone, Middle Cedar, and Turkey Watersheds and Dubuque County is eligible.
The goal of this program is to improve water quality with minimal impact to your farm. Enrolled buffers must be at least 30 feet wide on average. They can be up to 100 feet wide.
We hope you consider leaving it in a buffer long term! But the minimum time it needs to be maintained is 10 years.
No, existiting streamside buffers and grassed waterways do not qualify. Payments can only be made for acres taken out of row crop production.
You cannot graze the buffer, but you can hay it. The rates of payment are just a little bit lower. See the rates above for harvested buffers.
Streamside buffers can be placed along creeks, drainage ditches, and streams. IDALS will evaluate and approve sites on a case-by-case basis, and may give preference to areas with greatest impact.
It’s up to you, but it may help to understand the purpose of this program. The Streamside Buffer Initiative is meant to be more flexible than CRP in terms of what qualifies as a stream. It’s also very easy to sign up for. Unlike CRP, you receive one payment instead of annual rental payments.
There are still programs out there for you, such as DNR’s REAP program, CRP, or EQIP. If that sounds like an acronym soup, head to a USDA service center for help. They’ll find the right program for your needs.
A match made in Heaven Iowa
Maximum benefit for minimum space
Streamside buffers are a perfect match for edge-of-field practices like a saturated buffer or bioreactor. You could add these when you install the buffer or consider them later.
A saturated buffer is a natural filter that cleans drainage water before it leaves your tile outlet. It slowly spreads water through soil and plants along the field’s edge. This removes excess nitrates. A bioreactor works similarly, but water flows through a trench of woodchips.
These additions are optional, but they can improve performance and create a more complete conservation system. Often, the best way to get them paid for is through batch and build programs.
Anyone interested in the Streamside Buffer Initiative should visit their local USDA Service Center. Staff can help confirm eligibility, guide the enrollment process, and answer questions about planning and implementation.
Cost Share Hub
Stack your buffer with other cost share programs
There are millions of dollars and dozens of programs available to pay farmers for cover crops, wetlands, prairie, and more. With our tool, it doesn’t have to be confusing or overwhelming! We created a hub to learn about cost sharing and a web tool at costsharecompare.com to filter and compare cover crop programs.