SWCD celebrates Conservation Week

   The Jones Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is excited to celebrate the 82^nd annual Soil and Water Conservation Week April 30 - May 7.

   The 2023 Soil and Water Conservation Week theme is “One Water,” to raise awareness of how important it is to protect our water resources in Iowa and nationwide.

   The week is an opportunity to recognize conservation and sustainability practices underway on Iowa’s landscape and bring attention to the ongoing work by farmers, landowners, and urban residents to protect the state’s soil and water resources.

   We join Iowa’s 100 Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and others who provide leadership in soil health, soil conservation, water quality and the protection and enhancement of Iowa’s natural resources.

   “Much has been accomplished in the last 82 years of conservation work in Iowa,” said Ramona Nitz, president of Conservation Districts of Iowa, the statewide organization that supports Iowa’s elected Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners who work within our local communities to provide resources that assist landowners in caring for the land.

   “We celebrate these accomplishments during this week and seek to communicate the opportunities all Iowans have to become involved in conservation through their local Soil and Water Conservation District.”

   The Jones SWCD partners with Jones County Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to assist landowners and producers who volunteer to put conservation on the ground.

   In addition to state programs through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Division of Soil & Water Conservation (IDALS-DSCWQ), there are a number of federal conservation programs offered to producers. Those include Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Wetland Reserve Program (WRP).  

   Jones County Commissioners and staff wish to share a summary of their activities in the past year.  They are proud to have had Dave Lubben recognized as Iowa’s Conservation Farmer of the Year for 2022. Jones SWCD commissioners awarded Lubben the Jones County Farmer of the Year Award; in addition, he was selected as Iowa’s top winner.

   Currently, there are 30 active EQIP contracts that offer a variety of different conservation practices ranging from tree plantings to cover crops. There is a large list of conservation activities eligible for EQIP. Jones County also has 30 active CSP contracts. CSP is a program that rewards farmers for being good conservationists.

   Through CSP, new conservation activities are implemented on each land use (crop, associated ag land, farmstead, and pasture). CRP is a program that farmers can take some land out of production and seed down to native grasses, introduced grasses, or trees. There is a large list of CRP practices offered. Jones County currently has over 1,300 CRP contracts covering approximately 14,400 acres.

   The WRP program is also available. This program restores, enhances, and protects wetlands through 30 year or perpetual easements or restoration cost-share agreements. Jones County has a number of different Wetland Easements.

   In 2022, IDALS provided cost share assistance to establish over 5,000 acres of cover crops in Jones County. Additional acres were established under federal cost share programs.

   In 2022, staff participated in several outreach activities with schools to broaden students’ conservation knowledge. Staff participated in two career days at Anamosa Elementary School and Midland Middle School. Students learned about conservation careers and participated in fun soil and water conservation activities.  Monticello High School reached out to staff to teach a soils module for a high school science class and staff eagerly accepted the invite. In September, staff partnered with Jones County Conservation to host a Wetland Field Day at Central Park.   Third graders from Caprenter Elementary School in Monticello learned the importance of wetlands and how they function.

   The district also had a couple new edge of field practices, bioreactors, and saturated buffers, they started implementing in Jones County. A saturated buffer is an area of perennial vegetation between fields where tiles connection the fields allow water to drain and deposit in the buffer area instead of running off into local waterways. The buffer area collects nutrient filled water, allowing cleaner water to sink further into the water table. A bioreactor is a buried trench on the edge of a field that is filled with woodchips. Drainage tiles direct water runoff from fields into the woodchips where bacteria convert the nitrates into nitrogen gas. Nitrogen gas is the most abundant and naturally occurring gas in our atmosphere. Jones SWCD assisted with one bioreactor and two saturated buffers in 2022.

   Women wanting to expand their conservation knowledge are encouraged to join the recently organized Jones/Delaware Chapter of Women Land and Legacy (WLL).   The chapter is planning a grazing field day with a pasture walk scheduled for June 27. Please contact the Anamosa field office for more information.

   To learn more about opportunities through your local Soil and Water Conservation District, contact the Jones SWCD at 319-462-3196 Ext. 3 or email sonya.ellison@ia.nacdnet.net or addie.manternach@usda.gov.