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NRCS Obligates Record $85.8 Million in Conservation Funding to Iowa Farmers

Ag/Outdoor

December 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa; USDA News) — USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) obligated a record $85.8 million in conservation practice funding to Iowa farmers in fiscal year 2023, through 1,628 conservation program contracts that will help treat natural resource concerns such as soil erosion and water quality on 386,736 acres. Conservation program contracts typically run three to five years, depending on the program. The obligated funds are nearly $3 million more than the prior record of $83 million in fiscal year 2021, and $16 million more than the prior five-year average.

IRA Funding
NRCS State Conservationist Jon Hubbert says a major reason for the increase in conservation funding is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which helped NRCS provide $18.6 million to Iowa farmers in 2023. Hubbert says the IRA offers unprecedented funding for several existing programs. “We are using IRA funds to provide direct climate mitigation benefits to Iowa landowners and expanding access to NRCS assistance to increase conservation on Iowa’s private lands,” he said.

IRA funding is targeted to support climate-smart agriculture mitigation and help farmers build resilience in their operations. Examples of eligible practices include cover crops, no-till farming, nutrient management, prescribed grazing, and tree planting. “Many of the conservation efforts Iowa producers are adopting through IRA offer stacked benefits,” said Hubbert. “They are also benefitting soil health, water quality, wildlife habitat and protecting other resource concerns.”

Hubbert says IRA funding will increase over the next few years. “This is a great opportunity for Iowa landowners to address resource concerns on their farms,” he said. “The support for voluntary conservation at the local and national level has never been greater.”

WelchBakehouse – Iowa farmers like Jon Bakehouse (right) of Mills County are utilizing USDA-NRCS conservation programs to diversify their operations while simultaneously protecting and enhancing their natural resources, such as soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat.

Program Breakdown
NRCS provides conservation funding through four primary programs authorized through the Farm Bill: Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). 

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP): CSP helps farmers build a customized plan to meet their conservation goals and needs. Iowa NRCS obligated about $22.2 million through new and renewed CSP contracts during the past year to 557 Iowa landowners who signed five-year CSP contracts to treat natural resource concerns on their land. The CSP contracts will cover 267,103 acres.

Statewide leaders in CSP:

  • Jackson County led the state with 33 CSP contracts, totaling 13,443 acres, with an obligation of $961,870.
  • Winneshiek County was next with 28 contracts, covering 6,637 acres and an obligation of $612,449.
  • Clayton County had the third most contracts with 25, covering 4,323 acres, obligating $518,590.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): NRCS contracted about 45 percent of new federal conservation funding in Iowa through EQIP – a voluntary program that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality, where farmers can choose from a conservation practice list developed at the county level to treat local resource issues. Through EQIP, NRCS obligated $39.1 million covering 93,717 acres through 840 contracts. For the second consecutive year, cover crops, brush management, prescribed grazing, and no-till were the most adopted practices by Iowa farmers.

Statewide EQIP highlights:

  • Through the IRA Soil Health Initiative, Iowa NRCS obligated $3.86 million for cover crops on 16,658 acres through 59 contracts.
  • Through the Northern Bobwhite Quail Initiative, Iowa NRCS obligated $143,285 in 35 southern Iowa counties by implementing practices like conservation cover, brush management, and tree and shrub establishment to benefit the northern bobwhite quail and other wildlife.
  • Through Source Water Protection (SWP), Iowa NRCS staff obligated $2.5 million for select practices that address groundwater and surface water source protection. The 30 new contracts will help protect source water on nearly 9,000 acres.

 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP): Iowa NRCS provided more than $10.5 million to Iowa farmers in 2023 through RCPP projects that will help treat natural resource concerns on more than 24,000 acres. NRCS assisted producers through eight RCPP partnership agreements and 207 contracts. RCPP promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners through agreements and program contracts. The eight RCPP projects in Iowa focus primarily on improving water quality and soil health.

Easements: Through ACEP, NRCS helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities protect, restore, and enhance wetlands, grasslands, and working farms through conservation easements. Overall, there are 1,722 conservation easements in Iowa covering 198,407 acres. During fiscal year 2023, Iowa NRCS obligated $14 million by helping landowners to place agricultural land into 12 new conservation easements. They include:

  • IRA-Wetland Reserve Easements: Six landowners contracted with NRCS to place 892 acres into new wetland easements through IRA. NRCS paid $9.6 million for land acquisition and restoration on those six easements.
  • ACEP-Wetland Reserve Easements: Four landowners contracted with NRCS to place 339 acres into new wetland easements through ACEP. NRCS paid $4.1 million for land acquisition and restoration for the four easements.
  • ACEP-Agricultural Land Easements: Two Iowa producers enrolled their farms into easements to protect the agricultural use and conservation values of their working farms. The easement area for the two farms is 375 acres, totaling $243,000.

Iowa NRCS staff also obligated $13.7 million to historically underserved producers through 278 contracts, covering 30,295 acres. Historically underserved producers include beginning farmers, military veterans, limited resource producers, and socially disadvantaged farmers. NRCS staff wrote 12,753 conservation plans during fiscal year 2023, which covers more than one million acres. Conservation plans help producers target and address natural resource concerns such as soil erosion, water quality, and wildlife habitat, in addition to addressing climate change and improving soil health.

For more detailed Iowa NRCS program results and information, go to https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/2023At-A-Glance.pdf.

SONYA CURLILE, 61, of Manning (Svcs. 12/16/23)

Obituaries

December 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

SONYA CURLILE, 61, of Manning, died Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, at Accura Healthcare of Carroll. Funeral services for SONYA CURLILE will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 16, 2023, at the First Presbyterian Church in Manning. Ohde Funeral Home in Manning has the arrangements.

Visitation at the funeral home will be on Friday, Dec. 15th, from 5-until 7-p.m.; Visitation will resume on Saturday, at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Manning, beginning at 9:30-a.m.

Burial is in the Manning Cemetery.

SONYA CURLILE is survived by:

Her parents – Wayne  and Velaine Curlile, of Manning.

Her sister – Cynthia (Jeff) Bauer, of Manning.

Elliott man arrested Tuesday evening

News

December 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Elliott, Iowa) – A traffic stop a little before 5-p.m. Tuesday, in Elliott, resulted in an arrest. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 39-year-old Cory R. Smith, of Elliott, was arrested for Driving while barred. Smith was transported to the Montgomery County Jail in Red Oak, and held on a $2,000 bond.

KENNETH “KENNY” PETER KAUFMANN, 80, of Woodbine (Mass of Christian Burial 12/16/23)

Obituaries

December 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

KENNETH “KENNY” PETER KAUFMANN, 80, of Woodbine, died Dec. 8, 2023, at the Rose Vista Nursing Home, in Woodbine. A Mass of Christian Burial for KENNY KAUFMANN will be held 10:30-a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at St. Boniface Catholic Church, in Westphalia. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.

Visitation at St. Boniface Catholic Church is on Friday, Dec. 15th, from 5:30-untiul 8-p.m., with a Wake service at 7-p.m.

Burial is in the St. Boniface Cemetery at Westphalia.

KENNETH “KENNY” KAUFMANN is survived by:

His son – Charles Kaufmann, of Sioux City.

His sisters – Cleo Greer of Council Bluffs, and Rose (Ken) Schwarte, of Branson West, MO.

His brother – Lee (Julie) Kaufmann, of Westphalia.

other family members and friends.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Wed., Dec. 13, 2023

Weather

December 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. S @ 5 mph this afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 25. South southeast wind around 5 mph.

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tom. Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy w/a 20% chance of rain. Low around 32.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 44.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 39. The Low was 16. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 45 and the Low was 28. The Record High on December 13th in Atlantic, was 65 in 1921. The Record Low was -20 in 1961. Sunrise is at 7:37. Sunset at 4:50.

SBA loans to Iowa businesses dropped during 2023

News

December 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Small Business Administration is wrapping up the year reporting a significant drop in both the number of loans made to Iowa businesses and the overall dollar amount approved. Jayne Armstrong, district director of the S-B-A in Iowa, attributes the fall to two key elements — bounding interest rates, and the fact so much money was put out during the pandemic years through grants and forgivable loans.

Armstrong says, “There’s just not as much demand in the small business community, but also there’s been a little bit of tightening, particularly in different industry sectors.” The number of S-B-A-guaranteed loan approvals made in Iowa during the past year reached 340, down from 466 loans last year, while the amount approved dropped from more than 242-million dollars last year to 139-million this year. Armstrong notes, that 139-million figure is still a very significant amount of money that was pumped into start-up and expanding Iowa businesses.

“We’re here, we’re advocates. You’re going to have ups and downs and different cycles through different economic periods. You’re not going to increase your dollar volume every single year,” Armstrong says. “Sometimes, a $10,000 loan to one business means as much to one business as a $5 million loan does to another business.” As a direct result of S-B-A loans, she says more than 16-hundred jobs were created in Iowa and nearly 19-hundred more were retained. Armstrong isn’t particularly worried about the year-end figures, as she says the S-B-A continues to play a critical role in helping Iowa small business owners access capital.

“It will get back on track,” Armstrong says. “We went through some ups and downs with the last recession between 2009 and 2013, so it’s just a cycle that will happen.” Of the 340 loans approved in Iowa during the fiscal year, 208 of them went to new business start-ups or to finance changes in ownership, which are considered new businesses by the agency.

sba.gov

DeSantis accuses Trump of being flip-flopper on abortion issue

News

December 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis says former President Trump has an inconsistent record on abortion. During a C-N-N town hall in Des Moines last (Tuesday) night, DeSantis accused Trump of being a flip flopper. DeSantis pointed to Trump’s remarks at a pro-life rally in 2020, when he said all life is a gift from God, then DeSantis cited Trump saying this fall that a six-week abortion ban — like the one Governor DeSantis signed in Florida — was a terrible mistake.

DeSantis also commented on the Texas Supreme Court’s rejection of a woman’s request for an abortion under the medical exception clause to that state’s six-week abortion ban. DeSantis said the woman faced an incredibly difficult medical situation. DeSantis said policymakers have to “approach such issues with compassion.”

DeSantis listed Florida’s abortion ban exceptions if an abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother or in cases when there’s a fatal fetal abnormality.

CAM Cougars find rhythm in Boyer Valley

Sports

December 12th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

The CAM Cougars boys basketball team shot well in their win Tuesday night  72-59 at Boyer Valley. The Cougars and Bulldogs battled early in the game and exchanging leads 5 times in the first quarter. The Cougars led 19-16 at the end of the first quarter and the margin of points was also similar at halftime. CAM then pushed the lead to 10 by the end of the third and led by as many as 19 down the stretch.

Four Cougars finished in double figures on the night and Head Coach Ian Hunt thought the team moved the ball well on the offensive end.

Chase Jahde led all scorers in the game with 17 points, 14 of those coming in the first half. Coach Hunt thought Jahde had a great game slashing to open spots in the Bulldogs zone and wants to see the high scoring continue for Friday’s home game against Paton-Churdan.

Collin Bower finished with 15 points and Ryan Bower had 13 for the Cougars. CAM improves to 2-2 on the season overall.

The Bulldogs were led by 14 points from Ben Lantz. Boyer Valley slides to 1-4 on the year.

CAM Girls basketball controls Boyer Valley

Sports

December 12th, 2023 by Asa Lucas

The CAM Cougars girls basketball team looked strong with a road win over the Boyer Valley Bulldogs on Tuesday night 66-41. The Cougars used a 7-0 run to start the first quarter followed immediately by an 12-0 run early in the second quarter to blow the game open. CAM led 18-12 at the end of the first and grew the lead to 23 by half at 39-16. The Cougars led by as many as 28 down the stretch.

The Cougars were led by 29 points from Eva Steffensen. Two other players finished in double figures with Meredith Rich dropping down 14 and Kiera Nichols chipped in 10 points.

Boyer Valley got 15 points from Lauren Malone in the loss. CAM Head Coach Joe Wollum liked the effort and accuracy from Eva Steffensen on Tuesday night.

CAM improves to 5-1 on the early season and will host Paton-Churdan on Friday Night. With their return home, Coach Wollum noted that he would like to see the same offensive ability Friday.

Boyer Valley falls drops to 1-6 and will host Glidden-Ralston-Ralston on the 15th.

Tuesday’s Area High School Boy’s Basketball Scoreboard

Sports

December 12th, 2023 by admin

Hawkeye Ten Conference:
Glenwood 56, Harlan Community 46
Norwalk @ Lewis Central
East Mills @ Red Oak
Kuemper Catholic @ Atlantic

Western Iowa Conference:
Underwood 77, Logan-Magnolia 34
Treynor 75, Tri-Center 53
Audubon 64, Riverside 49
Missouri Valley @ AHSTW

Rolling Valley Conference:
West Harrison 75, Paton-Churdan 56
CAM 72, Boyer Valley 59
Woodbine 62, Glidden-Ralston 48
Coon Rapids-Bayard @ Exira-EHK

Corner Conference:
Griswold 45, Hamburg 39
Stanton 95, Essex 65
Sidney @ Fremont-Mills

Raccoon River Conference:
Ballard 50, Carlisle 40
Bondurant-Farrar 50, Boone 29
Carroll 50, Winterset 42
North Polk @ ADM

Pride of Iowa Conference:
Bedford 72, Southwest Valley 48
Central Decatur 56, Martensdale-St Marys 55
Lenox 65, Nodaway Valley 42
Southeast Warren 69, Wayne 67
Twin Cedars @ East Union

West Central Conference:
Van Meter 67, Madrid 66
Des Moines Christian 72, Woodward-Granger 29
Ogden 60, Pleasantville 49
Panorama 85, Interstate-35  48
Earlham 59, West Central Valley 54