Building trust while understanding complexity:
Process models for edge of field practices
Catherine DeLong ‖ Water Quality Program Manager ‖ Iowa State University Extension & Outreach
International Drainage Symposium ‖ September 1, 2022

WWW.SWCS.ORG
Imagine it’s your first day as a watershed coordinator…

WWW.SWCS.ORG
Yes!
Now
what?

WWW.SWCS.ORG
Process model: a visualization of time, labor
and other resources that go into a particular process
Goal: To identify and eliminate redundancies, bottlenecks

WWW.SWCS.ORG
Who needs process models?
Conservation Professionals: Varying levels of experience,
multiple projects, EoF practices are complicated, + turnover
Landowner/Farmer: Still new to EoF practices, helps to build
trust and set expectations
Cities/utilities: Help them engage in conservation
Contractors/Engineers: Understand process models but need
help engaging in conservation, help them initiate projects

WWW.SWCS.ORG
3 process models created
• Funding source: NRCS EQIP (+ Iowa Dept. of Ag for wetland)
• Versions made for:
(1) Farmer/ Landowner & (2) Implementation Team
Constructed Wetland Saturated Buffer Bioreactor
*Want to learn more about EoF practices? Google “Edge of Field Roadmap”

WWW.SWCS.ORG
How do you make a process model?
How it started: How it’s going:

WWW.SWCS.ORG
What’s the long-
term plan?
• Help conservation professionals
• Help landowners and farmer
• Help contractors/ cities/
engineers/ utilities
• Expand to Iowa's "Batch & Build"
model
• Get the process down so we can
take a step back and say, are we
happy with this?

WWW.SWCS.ORG
0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
7,000,000
8,000,000
9,000,000
Acres Treated by Wetlands in Iowa

WWW.SWCS.ORG
Thank you!
• Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (Shane
Wulf, Matt Lechtenberg, Clark Porter) ‖ Agriculture Drainage
Management Coalition (Keegan Kult) ‖ The Nature
Conservancy (Krista Kirkham, Adrienne Marino) ‖ The Wetlands
Initiative (Jill Kostel) ‖ NRCS (Sarah Anderson, Scott Wagner)
‖ Indiana Department of Agriculture (Julie Harrold) ‖ University
of Illinois (Laura Christianson) ‖ Pheasants Forever (Ryan
Heiniger, Allie Rath and Jamie Cook) ‖ John Swanson ‖
Minnesota Department of Agriculture (Rita Weaver, Mark Dittrich)
• And more!
Future contact: crdelong@iastate.edu