STATE COST-SHARE PROGRAMS

The Iowa Financial Incentive Program (IFIP) is a state funded cost share program available through our SWCD/NRCS service center.  IFIP provides cost-share for applying conservation practices that have a positive impact on the environment.

IFIP provides statewide funding for these practices:

• Cover crops: Farmers who plant cover crops for the first time may be eligible for $30 per acre, and returning users may be eligible for $20 per acre 
• No-till or strip-till: Farmers who implement these practices may be eligible for $10 per acre 
• Terraces: Farmers may be eligible for cost-sharing for terraces at up to 50% of total costs 
• Grassed waterways: Farmers may be eligible for cost-sharing for grassed waterways at up to 50% total costs
• Grade stabilization structures: Farmers may be eligible for cost-sharing for grade stabilization structures at up to 50% total costs

Iowa’s Water Quality Initiative (WQI) was established during the 2013 legislative session to help implement the Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS). The NRS provides a road map to achieve a 45% reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus losses to our waters using an integrated approach that includes point and nonpoint sources working together. The WQI seeks to harness the collective ability of both private and public resources and organizations to rally around the NRS and to support Iowans as they implement practices to reduce nutrient loss and improve water quality.

Explore more about the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. 

WQI provides statewide funding for these practices on up to 160 acres:

• Cover Crops - Farmers who plant cover crops for the first time may be eligible for $30 per acre, and returning users may be eligible for $20 per acre 
• Nitrification Inhibitor - First-time users of a nitrogen inhibitor with fall fertilizer application may be eligible for $3 per acre 
• No-Till or Strip-Till - Farmers who implement these practices may be eligible for $10 per acre 

The South Skunk River Watershed Project facilitates adoption of nutrient management practices in a 12 county region of central and southeast Iowa. Partnering with local USDA service centers and Soil and Water Conservation Districts, we work with landowners to identify resource concerns and apply best practices to reduce nutrient runoff. With particular emphasis on edge-of-field practices such as saturated buffers and denitrifying bioreactors. 

The South Skunk River Watershed is heavily row cropped and tile-drained, which presents a significant opportunity to recruit new farmers and landowners to adopt these practices. We work with partner organizations to reach out to new practice adopters and provide technical assistance throughout planning and installation.

Farmers in the South Skunk River Watershed may be eligible for $25 per acre for implementing cover crops, with no acre limit. 

Iowa's Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) is a state cost share program administered through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) that provides cost share assistance for timber stand improvement, tree planting, and windbreak planting.

• Timber Stand Improvement - Up to $120/acre cost-share
• Tree Planting - Up to $600/acre cost-share
• Windbreak - up to $1600 cost-share per applicant