“In the midst of a challenging year, some things have had to go on,” says Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. One effort being foreign animal disease prevention, another being conservation.
“We won’t break a record this year, in terms of conservation work being done in the state, but we’re going to come in a very close second,” says Naig. “It’s a big year. We had a good construction year. A lot of folks made use of cost-share, at the state and federal level.”
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship “aims to raise awareness of conservation initiatives at work in Iowa and encourage all Iowans to get personally involved in water quality activities and outcomes” through its Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here campaign.
“We can show up and talk until we’re blue in the face. It takes somebody to say, ‘Yes, I’ll do this. We’re going to make this investment; we’re going to take the next step,'” Naig says. “You need that willing partner, landowner, and cities all over the state to say ‘yes.’ That’s what we’re trying to highlight with the Clean Water in Iowa Starts Here campaign. It’s all about getting out and introducing the public to those that are taking the steps and saying ‘yes.'”
Naig adds, “We’ve never had more being done. We’ve never had more partners, and more public and private work being done in the state than we do today.” Iowa looks forward to advancing its Nutrient Reduction Strategy with the help of Jon Hubbert, Iowa’s new State Conservationist.
