1) The Middle Cedar Partnership Project (MCPP) is a collaboration between 16 partners seeking to implement best management practices (BMPs) on agricultural lands in the Cedar River basin to improve water quality and reduce flooding downstream in Cedar Rapids. 2) Through cost-share funding and technical assistance, the MCPP aims to establish over 16,000 acres of cover crops, 9,000 acres of no-till practices, and various nutrient management plans by 2020. 3) Early results of the project show increases in cover crops and other practices, and the partners hope future success will include improved soil health, water quality, and economic benefits for both upstream agricultural producers and downstream entities in Cedar

1. Funded in part by the soybean checkoff
Urban-Ag Partnerships: Middle Cedar
Partnership Project (MCPP)
Todd Sutphin
Iowa Soybean Association
2017 SWCS Conference Symposium
Leadership for Midwestern Watersheds
August 2, 2017

2. I S A R E S E A R C H
Advancing Agricultural Performance® and Environmental Stewardship
Funded in part by the soybean checkoff
Challenges – Upstream
• Increased erosion
• Flooding
• Crop damage
• Productivity
• Nutrient loss

3. I S A R E S E A R C H
Advancing Agricultural Performance® and Environmental Stewardship
Funded in part by the soybean checkoff
Cedar Rapids June 13, 2008
Challenges – Downstream

4. MCPP WHY COLLABORATE?
Historical Flood Crest in 2008
Over 1,000 blocks flooded. More than 7,000 homes,
300 public buildings and 900 businesses damaged.
18,700K citizens impacted
More than $5.4 billion in damages

5. MIDDLE CEDAR
PARTNERSHIP PROJECT
Project Area
Cedar River Basin
Cedar Rapids

6. WHY AGRICULTURE IS
IMPORTANT TO CEDAR RAPIDS

7. WHY AGRICULTURE IS
IMPORTANT TO CEDAR RAPIDS
Heart of America’s
Agricultural
Landscape
The majority of the
country’s soybean, corn
and livestock are raised
within a 300 mile
radius of Cedar Rapids
World’s Grain
Capital
• #1 in corn
processing, using
roughly 3% of all the
corn produced in the
country
• Industries use 20%
of the world’s oat
crop
• Approximately 1.3
million bushels of
corn are hauled to
CR daily.
Economic Growth
in Food and Bio-
Processing
• 3 of the largest
corn processors are
already located in
Cedar Rapids –
ADM, Ingredion,
and Cargill
• More than 10% of
all corn processing
plants are in Cedar
Rapids.

8. 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
year
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Daysavedailynitrateconcentration
was10mg/lorgreater
Cedar River at Cedar Rapids, IA
(April through October)
MCPP WHY COLLABORATE?
(SOURCE WATER - PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY)
Nitrate concentrations in the Cedar River 2009-2015

9. NRCS through
Regional
Conservation
Partnership
Program (RCPP)
contributing $2.0M
Primarily financial,
some technical
assistance
16 MCPP
partners
contributing
$2.3M
Primarily
technical, some
financial
assistance
$4.3M available
over the next
five years
Clock started
June 5, 2015
MCPP PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS
MIDDLE CEDAR PARTNERSHIP PROJECT

10. MCPP PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS
MIDDLE CEDAR PARTNERSHIP PROJECT

11. 11
Objective 1
Implement BMPs
through financial and
technical assistance to
reduce nutrient loads
and peak flow runoff
to the Cedar River
Objective 2
Develop watershed
plans to include
monitoring and
evaluation that will
optimize placement
of Best Management
Practices (BMP)
Objective 3
Conduct outreach
activities with
landowners and
producers in the five
subwatersheds
MCPP KEY OBJECTIVES
FOR PROJECT

12. MCPP
PUBLIC HEALTH &
WELFARE/FLOODING
SOURCE
WATER/PUBLIC
WATER SUPPLY
WHY PARTNER WITH
UPSTREAM FARMERS &
LANDOWNERS?
INDUSTRY
& ECONOMY
RCPP Benefits
Leverage existing County
Soil & Water Conservation
District Network resources
RCPP Benefits
Leverage Natural Resources
Conservation Service, U.S.
Dept. of Agriculture
program and technical
support
RCPP Benefits
Meeting critical needs of
our community (water
quality & flooding relief)
MCPP = Middle Cedar Partnership Project

13. Expanding Partnership Opportunities
• Iowa Water Quality Initiative (Miller Creek) ~$1+M
• Iowa Nutrient Reduction Demonstration Project
(Benton & Tama Counties) ~$1+M
• Iowa Flood Center – HUD Disaster Resilience Grant
($96.9M)
• Midwest Agriculture Water Quality Partnership (RCPP
2nd Round - $9.5M, project leverages total of $47M
MCPP LEVERAGING RESOURCES

14. 16,539 acres of cover crops
(additional 5,360 to be added in 2017)
• 134% increase in cover crops acres
from 2015 to 2016.
• Approximately 15% of total crop acres
in MCPP area are in cover crop
program
9,173 acres of no-till, strip-till
or reduced tillage practices
2 saturated buffers and
1 bioreactor
6,522 acres of nutrient
management plans or practices
MCPP PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS
EXECUTING THE PLAN

15. MILLER CREEK WQI PROJECT
• Led by Black Hawk SWCD
• 42,461 acre watershed in
Black Hawk and Tama
counties
• Demonstration (2014-2016)
• Implementation (2017-
2019)
• 135 producers
• 230 landowners
HessRd
Tama Rd
Eagle Rd
FoulkRd
AckerRd
DysartRd
Quarry Rd
KimballAve
Reinbeck Rd
HawkeyeRd
Washburn Rd
CotterRd
Schrock Rd
BeckRd
LaPorte
Rd
HammondAve
Orange Rd
AnsboroughAve
KlineRd
Griffith Rd
KoberRd
Petrie Rd
WeidenRd
GirschRd
CedarValleyNatureTrl
HoffRd
Ripple Rd
Miller Creek Rd
G
ilbertville
Rd
Payton Rd
3rd
St
Eastman Rd
5thSt
GolinvauxRd1stSt
McKevette Rd
Bienfang Dr
Aboretum Dr
Bristol Rd
Kennedy Ln
Lichty Blvd
Douglas Dr
PineSt
Rottinghaus Rd
Mc Kellar Rd
CommancheTrl
Vision St
McKellar Rd
North Ave
Millerdale Ct
Tama Rd
Miller Creek Rd
£¤218
rs21
Miller Creek
Wolf Creek
Miller Creek
Watershed
Headwaters Miller Creek
Watershed

16. TARGETED EFFORTS (2017-2019)
• Watershed
Management Plan
• Water Monitoring Data
• Haney Soil Health
Testing
• 360 SOILSCAN
• Agricultural
Conservation Planning
Framework (ACPF) Tool

17. 2017-2019 PRACTICE
IMPLEMENTATION GOALS
Practice Cost-Share Rate 2017 2018 2019 Total
Cover Crops
$20/acre winter
kill
$30/acre winter
hardy
1,500
acres
2,000
acres
2,500
acres
6,000 acres
Strip-
Till/No-Till
$10/acre
1,000
acres
1,000
acres
1,000
acres
3,000 acres
N Inhibitors
(Fall)
$6/acre
1,000
acres
1,500
acres
2,000
acres
4,500 acres
N
Application
Rate
Management
$10/acre
500
acres
750
acres
1,000
acres
2,250 acres
Saturated
Buffers
50% or up to
$3,000
2
systems
3
systems
4
systems
9 systems
Bioreactors
50% or up to
$5,000
1 system
2
systems
3
systems
6 systems

18. 2014-2016 PRACTICE IMPLEMENTATION
(WQI FUNDING)
Practice CY2014 CY2015 CY2016 Total
Cover Crops
1,057.00
Acres
2,703.07
Acres
3,196.52
Acres
6,956.59
Acres
Nitrification
Inhibitors
551.00 Acres
1,019.48
Acres
1,047.77
Acres
2,618.25
Acres
Strip-
Till/No-Till
None in
CY2014
1096.60
Acres
916.30 Acres
2,012.9
Acres
Bioreactors
1 System
Obligated
1 System
Installed and
1 Obligated
1 System
Installed and
1 Planned
2 Installed
and 1
Planned
Saturated
Buffer
None in
CY2014
1 System
Installed and
1 Obligated
1 System
Installed and
1 Planned
2 Installed
and 1
Planned

19. MCPP Role of Partnerships
• Integration of Science & Technology, People, and Places
• One Water management approach
Collective decisions and
integrated solutions
Integrated Water Resource
Planning:
The Watershed Approach
Researchers and
Scientists
On-Farm Network®
Iowa Flood Center
University Research
Local Watershed
Group
Technical Advisory Committee
Stakeholders
Technical Assistance
Providers
Iowa Soybean Association
NRCS

20. MCPP WHAT DOES FUTURE
SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
• Improved soil health, leading to increased productivity and a
better bottom-line for upstream producers
• Increased adoption of tested practices because it makes
financial sense and it’s the right thing to do
• Demonstrated water quality improvements that benefit all
downstream entities, including City of Cedar Rapids source
water for our alluvial well system
• Expansion of similar MCPP promoted activities within Cedar
River watershed and other watersheds across Iowa