DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State agriculture officials say they are providing $1 million in funds to help farmers reduce runoff of fertilizer and manure from their fields and pastures.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says the department has received overwhelming
response to a program that shares the cost of installing systems designed to reduce erosion and runoff.
The $1 million announced Thursday brings the total funds for the program allocated to farmers this year to $2.8 million. The department received $3 million in one-time funding to support statewide water quality practices over the next five years.
Practices eligible for funding include cover crops that hold nitrogen in fields and no-till
or strip-till practices that reduce erosion.
So far more than 700 Iowa farmers have applied to participate in the program.
