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Dubuque County staff outline RCPP, IPC grants and debate Farmer‑to‑Farmer role in 2080 funding
Summary
Watershed staff told supervisors the county’s 2080 agreement and two federal grants (RCPP and IPC) fund conservation projects; Eric urged an extension and described a draft agreement to keep the county’s $270,000 match in Dubuque, while supervisors asked that transfers to a newly formed Farmer‑to‑Farmer 501(c)(3) receive elected oversight.
Eric, presenting the watershed budget, told the Board of Supervisors the county’s 2080 agreement is entering its final year and staff aim to return an extension request for board review in late February or early March.
The presentation outlined two major federal funding streams: an RCPP implementation grant that currently requires a $270,000 annual county match and an Iowa Partners for Conservation (IPC) planning grant that would contribute roughly $20,625 a year toward planning and cover‑crop work. "By the end of RCPP, we're looking at $5,600,000 spent in Dubuque County," Eric said, and he described the 2080 agreement as documenting $855,000 that helps bring the annual program total to about $1,100,000.
Eric summarized staffing changes and administrative costs, saying the county’s administrative portion (after projected health‑care adjustments) is roughly $140,668 for four full‑time employees; he also noted USDA NRCS grants supplement conservation planner and agronomist positions. He described county pilot programs — including a drone cover‑crop effort entering its second year, plans to open signups for 2026, and a proposed conservation dashboard (in partnership with Sand County) to map projects and estimate pollutant‑load reductions. Eric said roughly 2,500 landowners received letters about a buffer initiative and a lunch‑and‑learn is scheduled next week.
On program choices, Eric said stream bank stabilization remains technically feasible but expensive and complicated by NRCS rules that would require use of private engineering for survey and design; by contrast, a proposed strip‑till/no‑till program could cost in the "tune of 4 to $500,000" and likely would require three‑year contracts with landowners.
Eric also outlined work to adapt the county’s relationship with Sand County Foundation and Farmer‑to‑Farmer, which recently became a 501(c)(3). He said the draft approach would keep the $270,000 match flowing through Sand County Foundation for large contracts while giving Farmer‑to‑Farmer more administrative input to help ensure match dollars are spent in Dubuque County. "When we look at the $2.70 and the $8.55, that's where I'm working on this agreement between Sand County and Farmer to Farmer to ensure that these dollars are staying in Dubuque," Eric said.
Board members pressed for clarity on oversight. A supervisor (speaker 2) said she was "not interested in turning over funding to the farmer to farmer group" and insisted that any transfer of county funds to the 501(c)(3) be approved by elected officials rather than decided administratively. Eric said the county would bring details back to supervisors and commissioners for further discussion.
Next steps identified in the presentation included returning the 2080 extension request for Board review (late Feb/early Mar), finishing grant agreements to keep match dollars in Dubuque County, and launching pilot programs (cover crops, strip/ no‑till, nutrient‑management incentives) by late February.
