Iowa: Building Resilience Through Conservation Partnerships
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Photos: Jack & Marion Boyer, Cedar Rapids Flood, IWA Wetland, NC Group
BY KATE M. GIANNINI
t is a sunny, breezy October day. The 2020 harvest is in full swing, with dust in the air and farm equipment slowing traffic on the country roads in east-central Iowa. It has been an unprece dented year for farmers in Iowa, after record setting droughts and an August derecho bringing hurricane speed winds dam aged 850,000 acres of crops – an area so large, it can be seen from space! On this day, a small group of people joined the Middle Cedar Watershed Management Authority (WMA) virtual board meeting. Among the 40 callers is board member Jack Boyer, a fourth-generation farmer from Reinbeck, Iowa.
Jack and his wife Marion live on a century farm (est. 1912), where they raise corn and soybeans, and use a variety of conservation practices in their operation, including no-till and cover crops.
Jack wears many hats, but today he is representing the Tama County Soil and Water Conservation District on the Middle Cedar WMA board. On the meeting agenda is not only funding sustainability for their watershed, but also stakeholder engagement. “As we experience a changing climate with more intense rainfalls and longer periods of drought, farmers are adapting and modifying their operations,” comments Jack.
North Carolina and Texas Delegation at Iowa farm Photo by: Iowa Flood Center
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