The North Raccoon River watershed will be part of a new partnership between the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), the Iowa Soybean Association, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service focused on water quality. According to Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, the partnership will coordinate efforts to work with farmers and landowners in the targeted areas to implement at least 30 multi-purpose oxbows, 21 saturated buffers, and 900+ acres of perennial cover in its initial phase. Alongside the North Racoon River Watershed, which encompasses the eastern half of Sac County, nearly all of Calhoun County, a portion of northeast Carroll County, and most of Greene County, the Boone, Skunk, Middle Cedar, and Turkey River watersheds are part of phase one. Naig says, “Our more than 350 public and private partners are key to getting more water quality practices implemented across all of Iowa’s landscapes, and I am grateful to the Iowa Soybean Association and U.S. Fish and Wildlife for working with us on this project to keep the momentum building. This project, and others like it, prove collaborating is key to making meaningful progress.” IDALS will contribute $1.4 million for outreach and design costs, with ISA and USFWS providing $933,682 in matching funds. The agreement runs through June 2027.
