| |
|
|
| |
 Agriculture is a big part of our lives in Scott County. Whether you are a farmer who raises livestock or whether grow cash crops, our staff can assist with programs that incorporate a strong conservation emphasis into your farming practices.
Click on the links below for more information and photos of some of the most common conservation practices in Scott County, along with possible funding opportunities.
|
|
| |
|
| |
Funding conservation |
|
| |
| Diversions |
Up to 50% |
| Feedlot Runoff Control |
Up to 90% |
| Filter Strips |
$200/acre/year (harvestable) |
| Filter Strips |
$250/acre/year (non-harvestable) |
| Grassed Waterway |
Up to 75% |
| Gully Stabilization |
Up to 90% |
| Manure Testing |
Up to 100% |
| Native Buffers |
Terms established by BWSR |
| Native Grass Planting |
Up to 50% |
| Riparian Stream Buffers |
Technical assistance (1 to 5 acres) |
| |
Up to 75% AND TA (>5 acres) |
| |
Up to 75% AND TA AND possible tax credit (<20 acres) |
| Rock Tile Inlets |
Up to 75% |
| Sensitive Field Borders |
$200/acre/year |
| Streambank Stabilization |
Up to 75% |
| Terraces |
Up to 75% |
| Water and Sediment Basins |
Up to 90% |
| Well Sealing/Decommissioning |
Up to 75% |
| Wetland Restoration |
One-time payment of $2,000/acre |
Find out more about our Cost-Share and Erosion Control Program.
|
|
| |
Improving livestock-holding facilities and septic systems  |
|
| |
Low-interest loans are available to farmers and landowners in Scott County to bring their livestock-holding facilities and septic systems into conformance with water quality standards. |
|
| |
Managing your land for water quality and wildlife benefits |
|
| |
A state/federal/local partnership, landowners who enroll land in this program will need to develop a conservation plan to manage the land for maximum water quality and wildlife benefits. |
|
| |
Making choices for your cropland |
|
| |
This program offers annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish approved cover on eligible cropland. To be eligible for CRP, land must have been planted to an agricultural commodity four of the last six crop years. |
|
| |
Focusing on stewardship opporunities |
|
| |
This federal program through the USDA encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional ones on their land. |
|
| |
Adding filter strips |
|
| |
This common-sense conservation practice provides many benefits to our surface waters and surrounding wildlife. Filter strips will “filter” up to 86 percent of sediments flowing into open surface water. |
|
| |
Establishing wildlife food plots and nesting areas |
|
| |
In cooperation with the Scott County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, Scott SWCD provides free corn and sorghum see to Scott County landowners who wish to provide food and cover plots for wildlife. |
|
| |
Installing a living snow fence |
|
| |
A living snow fence is a designed planting of trees and/or shrubs and native grasses along roads and around communities and farmsteads. Properly designed and placed, these living barriers trap snow as it blows across fields, piling it up before it reaches roads, railroads, farmsteads or communities. |
|
| |
Planting native grasses and forbs |
|
| |
Scott SWCD can provide up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to landowners for native prairie establishment. Seedlings must be planted and installed in accordance with the Natural Resources Conservation Service's technical standards and specifications, and the landowner must maintain the native prairie cover for a minimum of 15 years. |
|
| |
Renting no-till equipment |
|
| |
Landowners and residents of Scott County may rent no-fill and grass seeding equipment for use on lands in Scott County. Benefits include less need for cultivation, fewer passes through the field improved soil quality and higher yields. |
|
| |
Considering nutrient management options |
|
| |
The Scott SWCD nutrient management program offers incentives to producers to take a new, careful look at their nutrient-management practices. A nutrient management plan (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) is prepared based on individual producer needs, combined with University of Minnesota guidelines. |
|
| |
Restoring wetland areas |
|
| |
Wetlands that have been artificially drained are eligible for this program. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service restores the wetland at no cost to the landowner who then agrees to maintain the restoration for a period of 10 years. |
|
| |
Improving water quality |
|
| |
The Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve Program strives to protect and improve water quality by encouraging landowners to retire environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production. The program reimburses landowners for enrolling their land in a permanent conservation easement and then provides assistance to restore the area to grass, trees or wetlands. |
|
| |
Enhancing wildlife habitat |
|
| |
The State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative is designed to address state and regional high-priority wildlife objectives under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). |
|
| |
Planting trees and shrubs |
|
| |
Scott SWCD annually offers thousands of transplant and seedling trees for purchase by county landowners. These trees are inexpensive and are of the finest stock from wholesale nurseries. |
|
| |
Protecting our natural resources |
|
| |
Individuals and business who are developing land must follow laws and regulations that govern development in the County. They must strive to protect and/or preserve the natural resources to the fullest extent when land-use changes are proposed. |
|
| |
Creating a windbreak or shelterbelt |
|
| |
Windbreak/shelterbelt plantings establish and maintain tree and shrub cover to protect soil and water resources on land retired from agricultural production. They provide for wildlife benefits, protect from wind and manage snow deposition. |
|
