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Land

Do you know why land plays a crucial role in our ecosystem and way of life?

It preserves our natural resources, supports communities, and so much more. With that, we’re proud to provide you with the knowledge needed to support our local land and offer a wide range of services and products to encourage healthy and sustainable practices.

Soil Survey

If interested in some information on your soil, such as Crop Productivity Index (CPI), which gives you land value, soil properties (drainage, class, map, units, texture, etc.) Click here to start your journey with Web Soil Survey!. 

No-Till Drill Rental

Designed to minimize soil erosion, promote water retention, and safeguard the integrity of your soil, our No-Till Drill Rental service provides you with the opportunity to enhance the quality of your land. Book your rental today to see all the benefits this No-Till Drill has to offer!

Douglas SWCD now has 2 drills to rent! 

Trees

We provide affordable tree options for enhanced conservation practices, offering a variety of trees and shrubs available for purchase. Trees supply many benefits for conservation, including reduced soil erosion, wildlife habitat improvement, promotes high-quality water, and increased aesthetics.

Tree sales open in November with a scheduled pick-up day in April.

Seed Mixes/Food Plots

Native Grass | Forb Seed Mixes

Known to provide optimum habitat for wildlife and their deep root systems, native grass and forb plantings are a great way to enhance the natural state of your land.

  • 327: Minimum of 5 species mix, at least 3 grasses/1 forb – minimum of 8lbs grass/4oz per acre
  • 393: 4 or more species mix – lbs. per acre is based on full rates
  • 643: minimum of 15 species mix, at least 5 native grasses / 5 native forbs – minimum of 7lbs grass/16oz of forbs per acre
  • Pollinator: Minimum of 9 forbs, 3 from each bloom period – minimum of 3lbs grass/2lbs of forbs per acre

Food Plot Mixes

We also formulate blends of food and seeds created to attract and nourish wildlife. If you’re looking to enhance biodiversity, promote natural conservation efforts, or just support sustainable ecosystems, we can help!

  • Pheasant/Turkey: Consists of wildlife sunflower, wildlife grain sorghum, FSG pearl millet, and sugar graze II sorghum sudangrass
  • Deer Mix #1: Consists of forage peas, radish, turnips, and haybet barlet
  • Deer Mix #2: Consists of alsike clover, ladino clover, medium red clover, white dutch clover, and chicory

Programs

Walk-In Access

Walk-In Access

Do you enjoy public hunting on private lands? This program opens up private land, that is already a part of conservation programs or has high-quality natural cover, for public hunting.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

If you’re an agricultural producer, you can earn payments for your conservation efforts—the better your performance, the higher the reward! Learn how you can grow and maintain conservation practices to tackle priority resource concerns.
Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP)

Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP)

Our program offers our local farmers and landowners to protect our state's beautiful waters with the opportunity to become MAWQ certified. You just have to implement and maintain our management practices!
Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM)

Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM)

You have the opportunity to receive payment through enrolling in land conservation easement! Once you’re enrolled, the land becomes managed under an official plan of conservation, and includes practices to better support your land.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

We’re proud to offer a program that allows agricultural producers to receive financial and technical assistance! We just ask that you implement conservation practices that optimize the benefits of our local environment.
Conservation Reserve Program

Conservation Reserve Program

The Conservation Reserve Program pays a yearly rental payment in exchange for farmers removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and planting species that will improve environmental quality. Learn More

Grants

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2018 Watershed Conservation Initative

Minnesota Board of Soil Water Resources (MN BSWR) eLINK Reports:   2018

Minnesota Legacy Projects Reports: 2018

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Buffer Law

Minnesota Board of Soil Water Resources (MN BSWR) eLINK Reports:  2023 | 2022 | 2021 2020 | 2019 |

Minnesota Legacy Projects Reports: 2018 | 2019 | 2022

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Clean Water Fund (CWF) Grants

Minnesota Board of Soil Water Resources (MN BSWR) eLINK Reports:  2020 Lake Ida HUC 12 AIG Projects Phase I | 2019 Upper Chippewa River Watershed Groundwater Protection | Lake Ida HUC 12 AIG Projects Phase II

 

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Conservation Delivery

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Lake Ida Subwatershed / Ditch 23

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State Cost-Share

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SWCD Local Capacity/Aid Funding

Minnesota Board of Soil Water Resources (MN BSWR) eLINK Reports:  2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018

Minnesota Legacy Projects Reports: 2019 | 2022

SWCD Aid Guidelines: 2025 

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Surface Water Assessment Grant (SWAG)

Minnesota Board of Soil Water Resources (MN BSWR) eLINK Reports:  Long Prairie SWAG |

Minnesota Legacy Projects Reports: 2019-2020 Chippewa River SWAG | 2022 Long Prairie River SWAG

Swag Reporting: 2022 SWAG Interim

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Other

Minnesota Legacy Projects Reports: Soil Investigation for liquid manure storage

Cost Sharing

Curious about Cost-Share?
A cost-share is a financial assistance program that strives to mitigate the effects of erosion and water quality issues across the county. Every year we apply for grants to provide our local land-owners struggling with erosion and water issues with the necessary resources and practices to enhance the quality of their land.

Does your Project Qualify?
Our funding covers critical areas like active erosion sites, stormwater management, and more to help property owners increase the quality of their land. Here are some of our key qualifications:

  • Active erosion sites
  • Storm water impacting surface waters
  • Must be a property owner *no renting or leasing
  • Your property is indicated within the priority are on the map. (No actual photos posted, because each watershed has their own priority area)

Apply Today!
Get in touch with our office—our staff will assess your property to determine your eligibility for cost-share funding. If you qualify, we’ll work with you to create a project that cleans up and corrects any active and future erosion issues! *Even if you don’t qualify, our team members can still provide recommendations to better support your land.

Seasonal Service

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Enhance your land’s vitality this season with our specialized seed mixing service. By combining a variety of seeds tailored to your soil’s unique needs, we ensure robust growth and sustainable conservation. Contact us today to nurture a healthier, more resilient ecosystem.