Conservation Districts of Iowa

03/13/2025

We finished up the last of our Spring Regionals this evening in Region 3, hosted by Hardin Soil & Water Conservation District. Thanks to all commissioners and partners who attended Spring Regionals this year, we had good discussions in all nine regions.

03/11/2025

Conservation districts and their state associations are funded by a variety of sources, and many have cooperative or contribution agreements with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to implement conservation programs.

The federal funding freeze is impacting conservation district positions, further exacerbating the customer service issues caused by recent federal employee terminations.

Read more in the updated report, Sustaining Our Locally Led Conservation Delivery System:https://www.nacdnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NACD-Executive-Action-Survey-Report-2025.03.07.pdf

03/11/2025

Conservation Partnership Day 2025. Thanks to everyone who came to the Iowa Capitol today!

03/11/2025

Members of the National Farmers Union and speakers at the group's national meeting questioned the legality of USDA canceling signed contracts and the ramifications for farmers from such actions. Meanwhile, DOGE is now moving to close an array of local and state USDA offices.

03/08/2025

The impacts of the funding freeze are rippling through communities, placing strain on state, tribal, and local governments, and creating uncertainty about the future administration of programs.

Read more in the report, Sustaining Our Locally Led Conservation Delivery System:https://www.nacdnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-02-28-Conservation-District-Survey-Report.pdf

03/08/2025

03/04/2025

Continued support for our voluntary, locally led, conservation delivery system is vital for sustaining the health and productivity of our lands and waters.

Federal agency terminations and staffing shortages will have long-term impacts on the quality and timeliness of technical assistance and overall services for producers, as this quote from a recent survey respondent captures.

Read more in the report, Sustaining Our Locally Led Conservation Delivery System:https://www.nacdnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-02-28-Conservation-District-Survey-Report.pdf

03/02/2025

We all want property tax relief, but giving up on conservation that Iowans demanded is the wrong way to do it, writes Pat Boddy.

03/02/2025

More than a dozen recently fired USDA employees told Investigate Midwest that mass terminations have stalled irrigation projects, rural housing aid and efforts to combat invasive crop diseases. Remaining staff are overwhelmed; farmers may not receive much needed timely help, former staff say.

03/01/2025

This month, NACD asked conservation districts about the impacts of recent Executive Orders on their operations. An overwhelming 350+ responses were received across 45 states and territories.

Three major themes emerge:
➡ The funding freeze has widespread impacts on producers, conservation, and local economies.
➡ NRCS terminations and staffing shortages will have long-term impacts on the quality and timeliness of technical assistance and overall service.
➡ We must act to protect partnerships and the future of the voluntary, locally led conservation delivery system.

Read quotes from respondents and the report, Sustaining Our Locally Led Conservation Delivery System: Urgent Action Needed to Address Funding Freezes, Bridge Staffing Gaps, and Preserve Partnerships here:https://www.nacdnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-02-28-Conservation-District-Survey-Report.pdf

02/26/2025

Great turnouts and lots of questions at CDI Spring Regionals this week. This morning we are at the Region 9 meeting in Chariton. The Pin Oak Lodge makes for a great venue for our meeting, many thanks to them for having us!

02/24/2025

Waterloo Courier Letter to Editor

Have you ever been working, doing a great job and hit with an unfair firing? Laid off out of the blue? Well then you now know what thousands of federal workers feel. They now have to scramble to feed their families, keep a roof over their heads and explain why a government you taught them to respect stuck it to you.
Listen folks, these employees make our country run smoothly, without apartheid, like South Africa where Elon Musk is from.
Somewhere in our Congress, there must be an elected official that has a backbone and will end this disaster and before pigs fly.

Bob Black, Waterloo

02/22/2025

The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon is an environmental and natural resource conservation problem-solving, team-building, and leadership experience and competition for 9th – 12th grade students across the U.S. Iowa…

02/22/2025

Many farmers made investments based on Agriculture Department funding that the Trump administration has put on hold. Some are in financial peril.

02/21/2025

Conservation Districts of Iowa has not received any of our reimbursements yet, nor have we received any official notice that our reimbursements have been released.

A sliver of the money the USDA owes farmers is released after a Trump administration freeze. But much more remains in limbo, despite court ruling.

02/21/2025

Pete Youngblut says conservation projects are very important to him and his family.