Natural Resources Conservation Service District Conservationist Courtney Myers, left, discusses cover crop seeding with Jason Murphy of Reinbeck. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

GRUNDY COUNTY – April 27 through May 4, 2025, marks National Soil and Water Conservation Week. This annual celebration reminds us of Grundy County’s most valuable resource – our fertile topsoil.

The Grundy County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is actively promoting soil and water conservation on Iowa’s landscape that is typically dominated by row crop production. Since 2019, the SWCD has focused conservation efforts on the Black Hawk and Little Wolf Creek watersheds, employing a full-time employee to outreach and implementation efforts.

In mid-April, the first phase of the Middle Cedar Clean Water Partnership, funded by the City of Cedar Rapids, wrapped up. This phase included the installation of saturated buffers to help remove nitrates from fourteen tile outlets. There are now a total of six constructed wetlands in the watershed, also removing nitrates from groundwater and providing habitat for migrating birds.

Farmers and landowners in this watershed have special access to funding for cover crops, saturated buffers, woodchip bioreactors and constructed wetlands. For several years in a row, over 18,000 acres of cover crops have been seeded every year using cost-share from State and Federal programs. These opportunities are made possible by cooperation among the Iowa Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, City of Cedar Rapids, and many area supporting businesses.

Farmers’ and landowners’ interest in implementing conservation projects like cover crops, reduced tillage, prairie strips, grassed waterways, and wetlands on private farmland continues to increase. According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa is a national leader in the implementation of water quality and watershed projects, soil conservation and buffer programs. Iowa currently leads the nation in the continuous conservation reserve program buffer initiative with more than 600,000 acres. Iowa also has more than 60 active watershed and water quality projects across the state.

The Grundy SWCD is amazed at the willingness of landowners and producers to say, “yes,” when asked if they’d consider a project. The Iowa Environmental Farm Leader Award has been in existence for fourteen years, and Grundy County is proud to have thirteen award winners. These awards go to farmers who have implemented soil, water, and habitat conservation on row crop and livestock farms and are leaders in their communities. They are recognized at the State Fair by the Governor and Secretary of Agriculture, which is a great honor. For more information, please call 319-824-3634 option 3 to speak to a staff member about local conservation opportunities.