Change on a working farm rarely happens overnight, but the numbers coming out of the Hoosier State prove that when Indiana producers commit to the land, the results are monumental.
The Indiana Conservation Partnership (ICP) released its highly anticipated 2025 annual report this week, detailing a massive wave of voluntary soil and water stewardship. Backed by more than $110 million in total public conservation funding, Hoosier landowners installed over 44,800 new conservation practices last year—proving that agricultural productivity and environmental stewardship go hand-in-hand.
For Don Lamb, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and farmer based in Boone County, the report highlights the grit and determination of Indiana agriculture.
“Change on the farm doesn’t host an overnight success story, and I know firsthand the challenges landowners face when adopting new conservation practices,” said Director Lamb. “But the numbers in this report tell a clear story — Hoosier farmers are putting in the work, and it’s paying off for their land, their bottom line and the water we all depend on. I’m proud of what our ICP partners and our producers accomplished in 2025, and I’m confident that momentum will only grow.”
Keeping Soil Where It Belongs: Millions of Tons Saved
The impact of the 2025 initiatives extends far beyond individual fence rows, registering massive gains in water quality and erosion control across Indiana’s major watersheds. According to modeled data from the report, ICP-supported efforts successfully prevented:
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2,112,551 tons of sediment from entering waterways. To put that in perspective, it is enough soil to fill about 21,000 train cars—a train stretching longer than the entire width of Indiana—or fill over half of the Great Pyramid of Giza. According to USDA soil productivity estimates, this erosion prevention alone preserved over $2 million in long-term soil productivity.
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4,585,326 pounds of nitrogen, equal to the nitrogen content in roughly 4,900 tons of urea fertilizer (valued at about $3 million).
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2,255,895 pounds of phosphorus, equivalent to the phosphorus found in over 12,915 tons of 10-20-10 fertilizer (valued at over $8 million).
Cover Crops and Tillage: Leading the Charge
At the heart of these reductions are core agronomic practices designed to protect fields between growing seasons. In 2025, the ICP helped implement:
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Cover Crops: More than 8.4 thousand cover crop practices spanning 242,000 acres—an area covering roughly 90% of Marion County.
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Conservation Tillage: Over 3 thousand no-till practices covering more than 113,000 acres, alongside 2.7 thousand reduced-till practices covering over 104,000 acres, bringing total conservation tillage assistance to more than 217,000 acres.
Ecosystem and wildlife management also saw major milestones, including the creation, enhancement, or restoration of 603 acres of wetlands, 5,156 acres of grass, pollinator, and wildlife habitat plantings, and 1,055 acres of tree or shrub plantings.
National Recognition and Program Highlights
Indiana’s collaborative conservation framework continues to set a high bar nationally. In 2025, Indiana ranked number one nationally for the number of published EPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Success Stories (with 13 stories) and ranks fourth nationally for the number of documented improved waterbodies (60 waterbodies showing measurable improvements).
Key specialized programs fueling this success include:
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Clean Water Indiana (CWI): Delivered 362 best management practices using competitive grants, cutting nearly 49,000 tons of sediment.
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Indiana Small Farms Conservation: Reached 23,500 people through workshops and 1,150 technical assistance visits, bridging the gap between small-scale growers and USDA Farm Bill programs.
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Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP): Enrolled 956 environmentally sensitive acres into long-term protection, including planting over 40,362 trees in floodplains.
As Indiana continues updating its comprehensive Nutrient Reduction Strategy to protect critical drinking water sources—from Eagle Creek and Geist reservoirs to the Western Lake Erie and Wabash River basins—the message from the ICP is clear: voluntary, locally led conservation is working.
CLICK HERE to view the full 2025 annual report.
