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Conservation Showcase

Profiling Iowa's Conservation Successes in 2006 & Before
Kevin Van Wyhe

Sioux County Feedlot Owner 'Pumping It Up'

Instead of tearing out pens and downsizing his 4,500-head cattle operation to make room for a new waste storage lagoon, Kevin Van Wyhe installed a pump system to move water from two sediment basins to a large lagoon at the top of the hill above the feedlot.

PDF, 190 KB | Web Version
Daryl DeGroot

DeGroot Adds Settling Area to Keep Sand Out of Lagoon

Sand mixing into his waste storage lagoon prompted Sioux County dairy farmer Daryl DeGroot to look for a way to settle out the sand, which comes from bedding he uses for his dairy cows.

PDF, 302 KB | Web Version
Rick Hansen

High Priority Letter Spurs Changes in Feedlot

After receiving a letter from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 2001 indicating his 4,500-head open cattle feedlot was a high environmental priority, Plymouth County farmer Rick Hansen knew he needed to make changes to his feedlot.

PDF, 390 KB | Web Version
Allen Binneboese

Hinton Hog Farmer Adds Circular Manure Storage

Manure spilling onto cropland, years of dealing with messy liquid manure and striving to be a good neighbor prompted Hinton, Iowa, farmer Allen Binneboese to find a better way to store manure for his 360-head hog finishing operation.

PDF, 229 KB | Web Version
Randy Fiddelke

Warm Water Stream Gets Cold Water Stream Treatment

Randy Fiddelke of Manchester, Iowa utilized the USDA's Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) to stop erosion and re-stabilize streambanks along Coffins Creek. He also got help from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The DNR placed fish hides along his warm water stream to attract smallmouth bass and other fish species.

PDF, 220 KB | Web Version
Brandt Ferry

Kirkman Farmer Relocates Feedlot to Prevent Runoff

Perpetual runoff problems from Brandt Ferry’s 150-head cattle feedlot left him with two choices: permanently fix runoff issues or move the feedlot to a different location. After careful consideration, he decided the best way to manage his operation was to move the feedlot from one section of his farm to another.

PDF, 163 KB | Web Version
Dr. Bill Moreau

Moreau, Beardsley Restore 112 Acres in Dickinson County

After a realtor’s tip, two outdoor-minded friends purchased Dickinson County farmland with the intent of bringing most of it back to wetlands.

PDF, 182 KB | Web Version
Michael Osterholm

Professor Preserves Trout Stream

In 2002 Michael Osterholm purchased 98 acres of cropland in scenic Allamakee County. Land that was once tall grass prairie and meandering coldwater trout streams was converted to cropland in the 1950s. But the Waukon native’s passion for coldwater trout streams and tall grass prairie coupled with assistance from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) led to Osterholm restoring the cropland to its pre-settlement condition.

PDF, 232 KB | Web Version
Jim Andrew

No-Till Helps Andrew Score Big in 2005 CSP

Jim Andrew began no-till farming 100 percent of his land in 1993. His decision to go complete no-till is paying off. Andrew’s 1,300-acre farm of corn and soybeans ranks as a Tier III Category A, the highest possible Tier and Category for the 2005 Conservation Security Program.

PDF, 132 KB | Web Version
Randy Caviness, no-till farmer

Caviness Succeeds with No-Till

Randy Caviness of Greenfield, Iowa tried no-till farming after the 1985 Farm Bill. Shortly after, he saw the benefits. Today, Caviness runs both an economically successful and environmentally friendly operation.

PDF, 244 KB | Web Version
Jan Berg Kruse with a Greenwood Elementary student planting native plants.

Des Moines' Greenwood Elementary Installs Rain Garden

For years, storm water runoff from Des Moines’ Greenwood Elementary parking lot washed away students’ playtime fun. Neighbor and avid gardener Jan Berg Kruse felt something finally must be done. 

PDF, 369 KB | Web Version
Illustration of a living snow fence and snow catch area along a rural highway.

Snow Catch Area to Help Iowa Farmers and Motorists

Iowa Motorists could see better winter driving conditions in the future thanks to a new conservation component of the continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

PDF, 226 KB | Web Version
Bill and Dirk Dunn

SW Iowa Farmer Turns Mud Hole Into Oasis

After years of frustration, Dirk Dunn and his father, Bill, install a wetland through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the first CP-23 Wetland Restoration project in Montgomery County.

PDF, 193 KB | Web Version
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