Boost Wildlife Habitat with Iowa Support

By Andi Anderson

Farmers and landowners in Iowa and Minnesota can now enhance their conservation efforts with support from Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI). The organization’s habitat incentives program provides both financial and technical assistance to promote wildlife habitat creation, water quality improvement, and soil health.

“Many farmers I talk to are eager to add conservation practices to their farms,” said Grace Yi, PFI’s habitat viability manager. “The habitat incentives program makes this easier because it helps lower costs and gives farmers expert guidance to help them throughout the process.”

The program offers support for several conservation practices:

• Prairie Strips (Buffer Strips): These strips significantly reduce sediment loss by 95% and cut down nitrogen and phosphorus runoff. Iowa farmers can receive technical assistance and a one-time incentive payment to establish prairie strips, which can be combined with the Conservation Reserve Program.
• Precision Conservation Analysis: This data-driven approach identifies underperforming acres, increasing both farm profitability and conservation value. Farmers get a free consultation, a profitability assessment, and customized maps to help them decide on the best management scenarios. A one-time incentive payment is available for acres with perennial cover.

PFI’s program can be combined with incentives from other organizations to further reduce costs for farmers and landowners, making conservation more accessible.

The funding for the program comes from Clean Water Iowa, the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant, and Pheasants Forever.

For more information, farmers and landowners can visit Practical Farmers of Iowa's website or contact Grace Yi at (515) 232-5661 or grace.yi@practicalfarmers.org.

Photo Credit: istock-dusanpetkovic