Greene County was well represented at the 2025 Iowa Watershed Awards, where several residents were recognized for their contributions to conservation and water quality.
Iowa Cover Crop, a farmer-owned specialty seed and application business based in Jefferson, received the Team Impact Award for its work helping farmers and landowners across the Midwest adopt cover crops and regenerative practices. Founded in 2014 by local farmers Bill Frederick and James Holz, the company has grown to include nearly 20 dealers statewide. Together, this dealer network delivers the cover crops, forages, and native seeds that keep soil and nutrients out of waterways. Last year alone, Iowa Cover Crop and its network collectively sold more than 16 million pounds of seed. It’s hard to perfectly equate that to acres, but it’s somewhere in the ballpark of over a quarter million acres.
“This recognition isn’t about us. It’s about our dealers, our employees, and the farmers we work alongside every day.” said Iowa Cover Crop co-owner James Holz. “Together we are proving that conservation can be practical, profitable, and achievable at scale.”
Also recognized was Harry Ahrenholtz, a Jefferson resident and Chairman of Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance (ACWA), a non-profit committed to improving Iowa’s water quality. Ahrenholtz received the Lifetime Achievement Award honoring his decades of leadership with ACWA, including advocating for nitrogen stabilizers, the addition of conservation agronomists, and the installation of the state’s first bioreactor. His long career has been dedicated to advancing conservation practices across Iowa, and this honor reflects a lifetime of service and stewardship. Together, these awards highlight the important role Greene County residents play in advancing conservation and water quality across Iowa.
