The Indiana State Department of Agriculture has announced the launch of a new $500,000 cost-share program aimed at helping farmers in southwest Indiana adopt conservation practices that improve soil health and protect local water quality.
The initiative, named the Indiana Management of Agriculture Enhancements (IMAGE) Cost-Share Program, comes at a time when agricultural regions nationwide face increasing pressure to curb nutrient runoff while navigating high operational costs for farmers.
The program will offer financial assistance to producers across 23 counties in the southwest portion of the state, covering up to 75% of eligible project costs with a maximum reimbursement of $10,000 per producer.
Agricultural conservation efforts often face economic bottlenecks, as the upfront capital required to shift management practices or install new infrastructure can be prohibitive for independent operations. State officials emphasized that the new funding is specifically structured to bridge that financial gap.
“Conservation practices are often some of the best investments producers can make, but installation costs can often be a significant hurdle,” said Don Lamb, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. “With this new cost share program, ISDA will be able to financially assist more producers looking to improve their soil health.”
The initiative is funded through a $500,000 allocation from Clean Water Indiana, a state fund overseen by the State Soil Conservation Board. To implement the program, the ISDA is partnering with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and regional conservation specialists.
Eligible conservation practices targeted by the funding include pasture and hay planting, the installation of watering facilities and livestock pipelines, soil amendments backed by certified tests, and heavy use area protection. The program will also cover select Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) practices that have completed federal technical documentation.
Beyond localized farm management, state administrators are tying the program directly to broader environmental goals. The initiative is designed to bolster the Indiana State Nutrient Reduction Strategy, an ongoing effort to prevent sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen, and other agricultural pollutants from entering the state’s river systems and waterways—a critical concern for the broader Mississippi River basin.
The initial rollout will cover a wide geographic footprint in the southwestern quadrant of the state, including Brown, Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Greene, Johnson, Knox, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, and Warrick counties.
