This document discusses private sector engagement in Iowa watersheds to improve water quality. It describes the Agriculture's Clean Water Alliance (ACWA), a group of agribusiness retailers that works to reduce nutrient loss from agriculture. ACWA has various programs to monitor water quality, implement edge-of-field practices like bioreactors and cover crops, and engage retailers to encourage farmer participation. The Farm to River Partnership pays retailers an incentive for each conservation practice their clients adopt. Initial results include cover crops, bioreactors, and water monitoring sites. The document advocates training retailers to discuss opportunities and expanding the program.

1. Private Sector Engagement
In Iowa Watersheds
Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference, 2019
Roger Wolf – Executive Director, Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance
Jason Gomes – Owner, North Iowa Agronomy Partners
Heath Ellison – Operations Manager, Iowa Soybean Association

2. Agenda
Middle Cedar Partnership Project
• RCPP received by City of Cedar
Rapids
• North Iowa Agronomy Partners
• Progress to date
ACWA Farm to River partnership
• Who is ACWA / ACWA members
• Farm to River Partnership description
• Retailor engagement

3. Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance
Formed in 2000 in Raccoon River Watershed
Expanded in 2008 to include Des Moines River
Watershed
11 members and 5 associate members
Primarily ag retailers operating in the Des Moines
and Raccoon River basins
Mission: Helping agriculture identify and implement solutions that
reduce nutrient loss to Iowa’s water.

4. MEMBERSHIPMEMBERS
• AG PARTNERS, LLC
• NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS
• FIRST COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION
• GOLD-EAGLE COOPERATIVE
• HEARTLAND CO-OP
• HELENA CHEMICAL COMPANY-
MIDWEST DIVISION
• KEY COOPERATIVE
• LANDUS COOPERATIVE
• NEW COOPERATIVE
• PRO COOPERATIVE
• VAN DIEST SUPPLY
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
• CALCIUM PRODUCTS
• CORTEVA AGROSCIENCE
• IOWA AGRICULTURE WATER
ALLIANCE
• KOCH FERTILIZER, LLC
• VERDESIAN LIFE SCIENCES
• LAND O’LAKES SUSTAIN
CONTRIBUTORS
• IOWA SOYBEAN
ASSOCIATION
• THE NATURE
CONSERVANCY
• USDA NATURAL RESOURCES
CONSERVATION SERVICE
• IOWA DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE AND LAND
STEWARDSHIP
• OTHERS

5. ACWA water monitoring
• 19 years of stream and tile sampling and data collection
• Certified Sampling – Quality Assurance Quality Control
• Real-time Remote Monitoring
• Project Effectiveness Monitoring
• Bioreactors
• Saturated Buffers
• Cover Crops
• Event-triggered monitoring
• Water Quality Initiative Support

6. Elk Run Water Quality Initiative
Area targeted due to water monitoring results
3-year ACWA led project with 15 partners 2015-2017
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Water
Quality Initiative Program (IDALS WQI)
Encompasses parts of Sac, Calhoun and Carroll counties
Goal - Reduce nutrient losses by implementing edge-of-field,
conservation drainage and nutrient management practices
8 bioreactors
6 saturated buffers
2100 acres cover crops
4 replicated strip trials evaluating nutrients appl
24 tile monitoring sites

7. Expansion of Elk Run project
• Funded 2018-2021 = $1,626,847
• Many partners
• Expansion from 23,000 Elk Run Demo Project to 5 HUC 12’s
watersheds covering 115,000 ac
Cost Share
• 30 edge of field practices
• 11,500 acres of cover crops
• 2 wetlands
How do we reach and engage famers in a much larger
geography?
FARM TO RIVER PARTNERSHIP

8. Ag retail engagement
Why will this work?
• Studies show Ag Retail agronomists
are consistently a farmer’s top source
of information
• Three ACWA members service Farm
to River area providing a team of 20-
25 agronomists to work with
• Lots of attention to water quality in
this area recently; ACWA management
motivated to be seen as part of the
solution
Why won’t this work?
• Retail agronomists fully employed
• Lack of training & knowledge of EOF
practices
• Concern about jeopardizing client
relationships
How do we maximize the will and minimize
the won’t?

9. ACPF?
Agricultural
Conservation Planning
Framework
- Tool to assist Coordinators and
retailers understand conservation
opportunities
- GIS shape file and web tool
Tools

13. Incentives
Farm to River Partnership ag retailor incentive program
• Uses ACWA dues to establish a ‘finders fee’ for the retail agronomist
• Agronomist paid when practice is implemented
• Bioreactor or saturated buffer - $500
• Cover crops min. 80 acres - $500
• No till / strip till min. 80 acres - $500
• Nutrient Management min. 80 acres - $250
• Replicated strip trial - $250
• Tile water monitoring - $50
• Payments made when practice has been certified complete & site visit completed
• Rolled out program in late summer 2018
Progress
3 bioreactors
80 acres of cover crop
3 water monitoring sites

14. On site support
Conservation SpecialistWatershed
project
coordinator Direct point of
contact for
agronomists Co-located in
member
locations
Ag retail
background
Allow for
better
agronomist
engagement Improve
messaging to
farmers
More closely
associate ag
retail with
conservation
delivery If successful…

15. Other support / Future initiatives
Identifying support for additional conservation specialist positions, likely to be
employed by ACWA members
Drafting a plan between ACWA and Iowa NRCS for intentional engagement
Developing a program to build technical capacity of both the retail
agronomists and local NRCS staff

16. Middle Cedar Partnership Project
RCPP grant awarded to City of Cedar Rapids to address
water quality upstream
Example of positive ag/urban interaction
TSP contracted to deliver conservation assistance
• North Iowa Agronomy Partners (independent)
• 7400 acres cover crop 2018
• 5 bioreactors, 8 sat. buffers, 1 wetland installed or in
progress
• 791 acres enhanced nutrient management (EQIP)

17. Heath Ellison, CCA 4R NMS / SSP
Operations Manager Agriculture and Natural Resources
Iowa Soybean Association
hellison@iasoybeans.com
515.334.1045
Thank you!