Secretary Naig Announces Record Cover Crop Cost-Share Signup, Nearly Tripling Cover Crop Acres in the Greater Des Moines Watershed

Secretary Naig Announces Record Cover Crop Cost-Share Signup, Nearly Tripling Cover Crop Acres in the Greater Des Moines Watershed

Farmers in the Greater Des Moines Watershed enrolled over 300,000 acres of cover crops in state-cost share programs this fall

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 2, 2026) - Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced the initial results of the Greater Des Moines Watershed Program during the Farm Progress Show in Boone. The first phase was designed to encourage farmers and landowners in the Greater Des Moines Watershed to plant more cover crops to improve water quality in the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. The successful program enrolled more than 300,000 acres in the Greater Des Moines Watershed in state cover crop cost-share programs in 2026, up from 109,000 acres of cover crops enrolled in these 22 counties in 2025. For the first time, statewide cover crop cost-share enrollment exceeded 1 million acres, up from 700,000 acres of statewide cover crops enrolled in state cost-share programs in 2025.

Farmers and landowners can continue signing up for cover crop cost-share through their local USDA Service Center until 4:30 p.m./CT on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Secretary Naig also revealed funding for the expanded Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program was fully obligated to Iowa livestock producers within just 10 days of the program expansion being announced at the Iowa State Fair. Because of the overwhelming demand for the program, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is allocating an additional $2.1 million for the Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program through the end of the calendar year. The program, currently offered in 28 counties, is designed to improve water quality, keep working lands working, and grow Iowa's beef herd by helping farmers convert underperforming row crop acres into pasture and hay ground.

"The Greater Des Moines Watershed Program shows what we can accomplish when we have dedicated resources and intentionally focus on fields in parts of the state that can have a significant impact on water quality," said Secretary Naig. "It also reinforces that farmers are eager to embrace responsible farming practices to protect their land for future generations, and they want to be part of the ongoing work to improve Iowa's water quality.

Based on the success of the Greater Des Moines Watershed Program, I will ask the Iowa Legislature to provide additional funding to expand the Working Lands Program statewide during the 2027 Legislative session. There's no finish line when it comes to conservation, meaning there's always more work to do, and we've got to keep this momentum going."

Funding for the Greater Des Moines Watershed Program was provided by the Farm to Faucet package secured by Secretary Naig and Gov. Reynolds and passed by the Iowa Legislature during the 2026 session. Gov. Reynolds also allocated remaining State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to scale up water quality projects in the Greater Des Moines Watershed.

To learn more about the ongoing work to improve water quality in the Greater Des Moines watershed, or to enroll in one of the eligible cost-share programs, visit cleanwateriowa.org or costshare.iowaagriculture.gov.