Farmers and landowners need a trusted advisor to help them site, fund and implement practices that protect water, soil and habitat resources. Did you know that Iowa has a conservation workforce of 70+ professionals, covering each corner of the state, who are ready to fill this need and help farmers at no cost?
These advisors have titles like “Watershed Coordinator” or “Conservation Agronomist.” They work for cities, counties, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Iowa Department of Agriculture, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Soybean Association, agricultural cooperatives and other non-profits.
You might not have known that these professionals exist, because until last week there was no statewide resource to find them. On September 16, the Iowa Conservation Professionals Map launched.
Farmers, landowners, and any interested-Iowan, now has the option to explore the map and find your conservation professional. You can enter your address, or click on your parcel of land, to be shown the contact information for your most local advisor.
Here’s an example. If you click on Plymouth County in Northwest Iowa, five professionals will pop up who cover the area. The first is Brynn Jones, who works for Plymouth Soil and Water Conservation District, and runs a local watershed project with dedicated funding to help farmers adopt new practices like cover crops. Not interested in working with the district? No problem! You can work with the Iowa Department of Agriculture, a local agricultural cooperative, or the Iowa Soybean Association – all of whom have employees that cover the county.
The Iowa Conservation Professionals Map does not currently include all conservation professionals who work in Iowa. For example, it does not include USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach already maintains a contacts feature where local USDA service centers can be found, as well as other forestry, wildlife and drinking water professionals.
The Iowa Conservation Professionals Map is made possible by a unique collaboration between Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Iowa State University Geographic Information Systems, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Soybean Association, The Nature Conservancy, and Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance.
Conservation professionals help farmers and landowners protect and steward the soil, water, and habitat resources on their farm. Research from Iowa State University shows that the greatest indicator of farmer adoption of conservation practices is consistent interaction with a conservation professional (Morris and Arbuckle, 2021).
In short, we want farmers and landowners to easily connect with conservation professionals so they can take the next step in their conservation journey. And thanks to the Iowa Conservation Professionals Map, now they can!
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on October 1, 2026. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.