The Drinking Water Protection in SE MN Grant is a new grant focused on Drinking Water Supply Management Areas and townships with high well nitrates results based on the finalized reports from MN Department of Health 2018-19 study. To view the final reports you can log on to www.mda.state.mn.us/township-testing-program#Results. In Fillmore county, these townships are Arendahl, Norway, Preble, and Bloomfield. If you are in these townships you should have already received a letter about the cover crop program available through this grant.
Also available are incentive payments to help support the Nitrogen Trials that are used as a baseline for the University of Minnesota recommendations for nitrogen rates on corn following beans and corn following corn in southeast Minnesota. These two-year contracted trials offer $3.00/acre up to 50 acres a year. The trials compare what the farmer usually applies for rates to the U of MN rates. This is also available with a side-dress option which pays $10/acre up to 100 acres. We also have more intensive trials that involve in season sampling to access the nitrogen availability throughout the year. However, none of this sampling needs to be done by the producer. The incentive payment for this trial is $800 for the farmer (approx. $104.00/acre) and $400 for the agronomist’s company that the farmer chooses to work with. These trials require three replicated strips and a zero N check strip. If you live in one of the townships listed above and are interested in taking part in any of these trials, contact Sara West at (507) 765-3878, ext. 105.