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Tama County Cost-share

Tama County has the potential for landowners/operators of agricultural land to receive cost-share for the installation of conservation practices. Conservation practices generally fall into two groups. One of these groups is structural practices such as ponds, terraces, grassed waterways, water and sediment control basins and wetlands. Some of these may include tile as a necessary component for the practice to function properly. The other group of conservation practices are management practices such as cover crops, no-till and strip till. There are many other practices that could be funded through cost-share. There are two funding sources in Tama County. State cost-share is funded through the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship (IDALS). State funds for project work would be approved at a Tama Soil & Water Conservation District commissioner meeting. Then the funds would be available for the project to be completed during the next available construction period. The cost-share rate for state funding is usually 50-75%, depending on the practice, location and other factors evaluated. The other funding source is federal cost-share, or Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). This funding source is based on a payment rate system. Practices have been evaluated on a regional basis to obtain the average cost per unit for installation of each unit of measure. This average cost is used to formulate the rate paid per unit. The federal funding is a contracting program, so eligible applicants will enter into a contract with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Practices can be scheduled to be installed over a series of years. As each practice is implemented, the contract item is paid. This is beneficial in some cases if several practices are needed. Additionally, there is a little-utilized cost-share program for expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land where the owner wishes to utilize this land for grazing livestock. Funding can be accessed to install infrastructures such as fences, water sources and interseeding and other practices, possibly prior to the CRP contract’s expiration. This allows landowners to support the transition of this type of land for grazing systems to support livestock operations. During the planning process someone on staff would work with the applicant of the farm one-on-one to recommend the best fit practices that would assist the landowners/operator to achieve improvements of existing resources. The resources benefitted may be soil, water, air, plants, animals and humans, depending on the practices selected. Multiple resource concerns could be addressed and improved. Cost-share rates vary depending on what funding source is selected. If an individual is interested in additional information based on specific needs, stop by the office at 102 Highway 30W, Toledo, Iowa 52342 or call the office at 641-484-2702, extension 3 and discuss with a staff person. Or you may schedule a time for a field visit. Applications for funding can be submitted anytime during the year for any funding source. These applications would then be evaluated and cost estimates created. The applications would then potentially be approved for funding when funds in the specific program become available.