The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has announced a new partnership aimed at expanding the network of conservation agronomists working with Iowa farmers and landowners across the state. This partnership will deploy two additional conservation agronomist positions and extend the duration of three positions. Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance (ACWA), affiliated with the Iowa Soybean Association, launched the network of conservation agronomists in August 2020. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will use over $2 million in public funding received from the Environmental Protection Agency’s new Gulf Hypoxia Program to strengthen coordination and project development among conservation agronomists, ag retailers and other conservation professionals. This move will increase the adoption of practices to improve water quality and soil conservation in the state, and to supplement agronomic and production expertise. The partnership will also provide farmers and landowners with technical and financial assistance to install priority in-field and edge-of-field practices, and support the implementation of practices that will lead to a reduction of 2 million pounds of nitrogen and 57,000 pounds of phosphorus. The partnership’s funding is in place through September 2026.