A plan to provide state incentives to farmers for planting grass along the state’s waterways is likely to become law, at least in part. Republicans and democrats in the legislature are praising the proposal advanced by the director of the Department of Natural Resources. House Speaker Brent Siegrist is a republican from Council Bluffs.Senate Democrat Leader Mike Gronstal, also of Council Bluffs, supports D-N-R Director Paul Johnson’s approach.Buffer strips are usually grassy areas on the banks of rivers and streams which help reduce soil erosion and farm chemical run-off.
