Iowa
Cost Share Opportunities and Options
Audubon
Audubon Conservation Ranching
Work alongside beef and bison grazers to develop habitat management plans that assist expansion of bird-friendly grassland management practices on private lands, enhancing and restoring habitat for declining grassland birds.
Payment Rate
Market-based incentives and targeted financial assistance. Funding varies by practice.
Contact Information
Annie Bahe
Email: Annie.Bahe@audubon.org
Website
https://www.audubon.org/umr/projects/conservation-ranching-upper-mississippi-river-region
Conservation Technology Information Center
Farmers for Soil Health
Farmers for Soil Health is a three-year incentive program designed to expand cover crop adoption on acres with corn and/or soybeans in rotation. Compliance with NRCS 340 cover crop standards is required, and technical assistance is provided for seeding rates, timing, and mixes. Outreach and support are available in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Participation cannot be stacked with other USDA programs for the same practice.
Payment Rates
Total payment of $50 per acre over three years.
Year 1: $25 per acre
Year 2: $15 per acre
Year 3: $10 per acre
Contact Information
Julia Gerlach, Soil Health Specialist
Phone: 414-394-9973
Email: gerlach@ctic.org
Ryan Heiniger, Executive Director
Phone: 319-768-8348
Email: heiniger@ctic.org
Website
Ducks Unlimited
Farm Service Agency
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
CRP is a voluntary USDA program that removes environmentally sensitive agricultural land from production and establishes long-term conservation cover. It improves soil erosion control, water quality, and wildlife habitat. Enrollment options include General CRP, Grassland CRP, Continuous CRP, SAFE, CLEAR30, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), and Farmable Wetlands. Contracts are administered by FSA, with technical support from NRCS, state agencies, conservation districts, and approved partners.
Payment Rates
Annual rental payments.
Cost share assistance for establishment.
Contract lengths are typically 10 to 15 years.
Contact Information
Contact your local Farm Service Agency office for more details.
https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices
Website
https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs?assistance_type%5B0%5D=12
Habitat One
Free Food Plot Seed
To help ensure wildlife have access to adequate nutrition during these challenging conditions, Habitat One has established a Free Food Plot See Program. This program is designed to assist landowners in providing reliable winter food and cover for wildlife through the establishment of dedicated food plots.
Contact Information
Brooke Fricke
Operations and Administration Manager
Phone: 308-362-7061
Email: brooke@habitat-one.org
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP)
DNR private lands wildlife biologists will work with you to create a wildlife plan providing technical assistance to improve the quality of wildlife habitat on your land.
The Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP) will provide financial incentive payments to you for the completion of those wildlife habitat improvements.
Landowners enter into a cooperative agreement with Iowa DNR to allow the posting of public access areas, hunters to hunt the land and Iowa conservation officers to patrol it. In return, a private lands biologist will walk the land to determine the quality of the landowner’s wildlife habitat and provide a plan to improve it for the species to be hunted.
Landowners have the choice to do the work themselves or select the contractor of their choice to complete the work described in the contract. A sample IHAP agreement is available or your local private lands biologist will share a copy with you.
Payment Rate
https://www.iowadnr.gov/media/6832/download?inline
Contact Information
https://www.iowadnr.gov/media/1589/download?inline
Website
https://www.iowadnr.gov/programs-services/wildlife-landowner-assistance/join-ihap
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)
- Protects agricultural viability and related conservation values
- Limits nonagricultural uses that negatively affect agricultural land
- Protects grazing uses by restoring or conserving eligible grazing land
- Protects, restores, and enhances wetlands on eligible land
- Includes Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) and Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE)
Payment Rates
- Dependent on the project
- Matching funds required to be funded.
Contact Information
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office for more details.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/state-offices/iowa
Website
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives
Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)
- Competitive program supporting development of new tools, approaches, practices, and technologies
- Advances natural resource conservation on private land
Payment Rates
- Dependent on the project
Contact Information
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office for more details.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/state-offices/iowa
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
The Conservation Stewardship Program rewards producers who maintain existing conservation practices and implement additional enhancements on working lands. The program encourages long-term stewardship and continual improvement.
Payment Rates
Annual stewardship payments are provided.
Contracts last five years with minimum annual payment thresholds.
Contact Information
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office for more details.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/state-offices/iowa
Website
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers for addressing natural resource concerns such as soil, water, air quality, and wildlife habitat. The program is designed to support a wide range of conservation practices.
Payment Rates
Typically, EQIP offers a 50 to 60 percent cost share.
Rates depend on the conservation practices implemented.
Contact Information
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office for more details.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/state-offices/iowa
Website
Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
- Promotes coordination of NRCS activities with partners
- Expands the ability to address on farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns
- Supports on the ground conservation activities implemented by farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners
Eligible Activities
- Land management and land improvement or restoration practices
- Land rentals
- Entity held easements
- United States held easements
- Public works and watershed projects
Payment Rates
- Typically 50 to 60 percent cost share
- Dependent on the practices utilized
Contact Information
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office for more details.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/state-offices/iowa
Website
Soil and Water Outcomes Fund
Soil and Water Outcomes Fund
The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund provide financial incentives based on environmental outcomes from conservation practices, such as reduced tillage, cover crops, and extended crop rotations. Since 2020, the fund has enrolled over 540,000 acres and paid more than $17.5 million. Average participant earnings were $33 per acre in 2023, and enrollment areas have expanded.
Payment Rates
Payment offers are provided prior to contract signing.
Payments are made in two installments: 50 percent prior to verification, 50 percent after verification.
Final payment is guaranteed if contract practices are implemented.
Some dual enrollments with other programs may be possible, determined at the field level.
Contact Information
Katie Nelson
Email: katie@agoutcomes.com
Connor Kriegshauser
Email: connor@agoutcomes.com
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
This program supports wetland restoration, grassland enhancement, and grassland restoration. Wetland restoration focuses on prairie pothole hydrology, while grassland enhancement uses managed grazing plans with added water and fencing. Restoration involves seeding cropland back to diverse native grass and forb mixes, benefiting pollinators, grassland birds, and livestock production.
Payment Rates
Funding is project-based.
Contact Information
Andrew DiAllesandro
Phone: 515-994-3400
Email: Andrew_Diallesandro@fws.gov