Bioreactors and Saturated Buffers for Improved Water Quality.

Adding a saturated buffer or woodchip bioreactor to your land are two of the best— and most  economical — ways to manage nitrates and  drastically improve water quality.

The cover crop seeding partnership has been formed to encourage and facilitate the use of cover crops in farm fields across Central Iowa. 

Heartland Co-op, with the partnership, is committed to seed up to 10,000 acres in the Central Iowa watershed areas this year.

Practical Farmers offers cost-share and technical assistance for those who are seeding fall cover crops.

Participants must farm in eligible counties in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska or South Dakota.

Heartland Co-op has partnered with the City of Cedar Rapids to improve water quality in public and private water supplies. 

Heartland Co-op has a special relationship with farmers and landowners and is positioned to help implement practices such as cover crops, wetlands, saturated buffers, and bioreactors.

Heartland Co-op is serving as the watershed coordinator for the Lower Cedar Watershed Management Authority. Over the course of the next 3 years we will be holding field days, promoting cover crops, and implementing saturated buffers and bioreactors through our Conservation Drainage Program.

A partnering with local agencies and landowners to improve water quality and reduce flooding.  The WWP is a powerful contributor to the water quality solution in Iowa and the future of Iowa’s conservation movement.

The WWP covers 100% of costs for designing and installing wetlands are covered! Included is site planning, engineering and design, excavation and construction, tile redirection, and planting.