Helping You Care for the Land The Natural Resources Conservation Service—

An Iowa Farm

Traditional products

Conservation farm “products” Water Soil Animals Plants

Benefits for everyone Quality food Recreation Clean water Healthy Plants

Benefits for everyone Wildlife Clean air

For the future Conservation efforts now can ensure benefits for tomorrow.

Private Lands Conservation More than 95 percent of Iowa’s land is privately owned.

Conservation affects us all More than 90 percent of Iowa’s drinking water passes over private lands.

Working together NRCS works with landusers to protect and improve natural resources on private lands.

NRCS Mission To provide leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.

Our employees Skilled technical specialists

Our employees Committed to conservation and customers

Our customers Farmers, ranchers, and many other landusers

Our customers Rural and urban communities Federal, state, and local agencies Policymakers Special-use districts American Indian tribes

Our Partners Soil & Water Conservation Districts

Our Partners Iowa Conservation Partnership Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) State Conservation Committee Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, Division of Soil Conservation (DSC)

Our partners A large and diverse group Universities Commodity groups Professional societies Environmental groups Agricultural organizations Local, state and federal agencies

Our partners Earth Team Volunteers Work in office, on the land, schools Help with conservation work

Our partners Earth Team Volunteers Get involved! Call LANDCARE Learn new skills

Legacy of conservation Soil Conservation Service, now the NRCS, was established in 1935.

Legacy of Conservation

Programs and Services Conservation Operations Resources Conservation and Development Soil Surveys National Resources Inventory Emergency Watershed Protection Small Watershed Programs

Conservation operations Technical assistance

Technical assistance Conservation planningInventory/ assessment

RC&D Resource Conservation & Development Work locally to improve economic, social, and natural resources 15 multi-county RC&D areas in Iowa

Soil Surveys Published scientific inventories provide limitations and uses of soils Assist landusers make resource management decisions

NRI National Resources Inventory Evaluates resource conditions and trends Helps Americans make wise land use and management decisions

EWP Emergency Watershed Protection Helps protect lives and property following natural disasters Converts floodprone land to other uses

Small Watershed Programs Helps improve natural resources in small watersheds

1996 Farm Bill Programs Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program Environmental Quality Incentives Program Conservation Reserve Program Wetlands Reserve Program

WHIP Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program Improve habitat for fish and wildlife

EQIP Environmental Quality Incentives Program Address serious threats to natural resources

CRP Conservation Reserve Program Establish permanent vegetation on environmentally sensitive cropland

WRP Wetlands Reserve Program Restore and protect wetlands

Iowans Meet Challenges

Conservation Achievements

The Future

For more information Contact your local NRCS office Contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District office Visit the NRCS homepage at

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