Farmer Designed Pilot Project a Success

***For Immediate Release***

Farmer Designed Pilot Project a Success

This spring, farmers living in Grant Township in Dunn County, took matters into their own hands by using innovative approaches to decrease the amount of phosphorous and nitrogen entering our local streams, lakes, and groundwater resources. Xcel Energy and the Wisconsin DNR provided the financial resources to cover the costs of renting a no-till soybean drill, no-till corn planter, and analyzing soil samples, while Dunn County Land Conservation and River Country RC&D provided technical assistance.

This grass-roots pilot project, called the "Phosphorous Reduction Project", enabled local farmers, with the assistance of a steering committee, to design and implement a project that aims to improve water quality in the Red Cedar River Watershed. In 2007 and 2008, the steering committee conducted a series of surveys with active farmers within Grant Township to assess why existing conservation programs are not being utilized. The survey results and community meetings held at the Town Hall, indicated that the farmers were most interested in adopting practices associated with conservation tillage, no-till planting, and nutrient management. A recent study within the Red Cedar River Watershed confirmed the farmers’ ideas, and suggested that conservation tillage and nutrient management would bring the greatest reduction of nutrients and sediment entering local streams, lakes, and rivers within the Red Cedar River Watershed.

Twenty one landowners, representing 2,315 cropland acres, participated in the pilot project this spring. Eight producers planted no-till corn on 236 acres, four producers planted no-till soybeans on 400 acres, and fifteen landowners soil tested 1,680 acres. A field day held on June 30th ,2009 allowed farmers to evaluate several crops associated with different no-till planting scenarios. Two Township farmers with 30 years of combined no-till farming experience hosted 33 people on their farms for the day and shared their successes and challenges with using no-till farming practices.

Planning for the next phase of this project has already started, and future participation is expected to increase. The steering committee consists of representatives from Dunn County Land Conservation Division, Western Wisconsin Energy LLC, the Tainter Menomin Lake Improvement Association, UW-Extension, Wisconsin DNR, and River Country RC&D.

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For more information please contact:
Melanie Baumgart
River Country RC&D
715-834-9672
Melanie.Baumgart@rcdnet.net

Or

Lance Klessig
Dunn County Land Conservation Division
715-231-6540
Lance.Klessig@wi.nacdnet.net