Need to find a conservation expert? This new map can help

October 1, 2026 | Rebekah Jones

Farmers in Iowa have a new way to find help for conservation practices. Whether it’s goal setting for cover crops or mapping out an unwanted wet spot in a field, the Iowa Conservation Professionals Map connects farmers with conservation professionals statewide.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach launched the new tool this fall. It’s unique because it doesn’t just connect you with any conservation professional; it connects you with the person nearest to your land.

“Farmers are going to get much more detailed and personalized help when they work with someone in their community or watershed,” says Rebekah Jones with the Iowa Soybean Association, who helped sponsor the interactive map.

Catherine DeLong, water quality program manager at ISU Extension and Outreach, led the development of the map. She says conservation professionals can help farmers be more successful with conservation by walking them through goals, options and resources. These hands-on relationships matter.

“Research from Iowa State University shows regular contact with a conservation professional is the single strongest factor in whether a farmer adopts new conservation practices,” DeLong says.

The map includes professionals from several public and nonprofit sources. It includes Iowa Soybean Association team members who can help with cover crops, oxbows, edge-of-field practices, and more.

While USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service staff and other forestry, wildlife and drinking water contacts are not included, they are still searchable through ISU Extension and Outreach’s existing natural resources contacts directory.

Iowans can find their conservation professional by entering an address or selecting a parcel of land on the map. Professionals are listed from the smallest service area to the largest. Every acre in Iowa is covered by at least one professional, and some areas have up to ten.

The project was developed by ISU Extension and Outreach, with technical support from Iowa State’s Geographic Information Systems Support and Research Facility unit. Ongoing funding comes from ISU Extension and Outreach, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Soybean Association, The Nature Conservancy and the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance.

Farmers and landowners can search for a conservation professional near them at go.iastate.edu/FindMyCP.

Find Conservation Professionals Near Me

Written by Rebekah Jones.

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