Biking Iowa’s great trails and participating in RAGBRAI, I’ve seen first-hand that Iowa farmers are taking on the challenge of improving water quality and reducing soil loss.

But I know the conservation progress isn't always easy for non-farmers huffing and puffing along the trails to see and appreciate. Conservation advances, such as terraces, buffer strips, no-till and contour farming, are usually pretty low-key and not always apparent to those not actively involved in farming.

That’s...