Come join the Douglas SWCD staff as they celebrate their 67th year in conservation on a guided bus tour around Douglas County. This tour is open to anyone and will include many stops highlighting a variety of successful conservation practices along the way!
This year’s tour will be held on Sept. 8, 2021 and will be leaving from the SWCD office at 9 AM returning around 3 PM. Some of the locally implemented conservation practices highlighted on this tour will include: Ag Waste, Conservation Tree Planting, Grazing, Lake Shore Restoration, No Till/Strip Till Practices, Pollinator Plantings, Streambank Erosion, Terraces, Water and sediment Control Basins and Wetland Restorations.
Tour is completely free, and lunch will be provided. Please call ahead to reserve your spot on the bus, as space is limited!
Please call the office if you have any questions or want to apply!
Applications are being accepted through June 30th for the new Soil Health and Habitat Program created by Pheasants Forever in partnership with Purina. If accepted, the program offers farmers an opportunity to establish perennial wildlife habitat cover or a cover crop with a one-time payment of $250/acre plus assistance with seed and establishment costs as part of a 5-year contract. If you or a farmer you know have at least one year of precision yield data, you may be eligible to apply. Data will be analyzed for profitability and offers farmers a new way to view where grassland or a cover crop would be beneficial.
The following is information
from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture…
This is a reminder that the
fall nitrogen fertilizer restrictions begin September 1, 2020 as part of the Groundwater
Protection Rule. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has included
resources to help explain where the restrictions apply and the exceptions to
the rule.
Where does the restriction
apply? The application of nitrogen
fertilizer in the fall and on frozen soil will be restricted in areas
vulnerable to groundwater contamination. This will also apply to Drinking Water
Supply Management Areas (DWSMAs) with elevated nitrate levels. Vulnerable
groundwater areas include coarse textured soils, karst geology, and shallow
bedrock. Approximately 12 to 13 percent of Minnesota’s cropland is vulnerable
to groundwater contamination.
Prerecorded Presentation
or Live Webinar
MDA has prepared a presentation to explain
the purpose of the Groundwater
Protection Rule, where the
nitrogen fertilizer restrictions apply, and the exceptions to the rule.
View
the prerecorded presentation or join us for a live webinar through
WebEx on August 12, 2020 from 10:00 to 11:00. The video and webinar details are available online.
Join more than 1,400 Minnesotans who track the health of their favorite lake or stream — become a citizen water monitor today! Citizens in every county can join the water quality movement by signing up to be a water monitor through the MPCA’s Citizen Monitoring Programs. With 69,000 miles of streams and over 14,000 lakes in Minnesota, more volunteer monitors are needed to help track the health of our waters. No prior experience or training is required – just a love of water. All equipment and training is provided by the MPCA free of charge.
Find out if your favorite lake or stream needs monitoring by using the MPCA’s interactive map. To become a volunteer or learn more about the program, visit the Citizen water monitoring enrollment webpage, or call 651-296-6300 (Twin Cities) or 800-657-3864 (Greater Minnesota).
