Fillmore and Root River SWCD Administer Over $7 Million to Local Producers Implementing Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices

Despite funding pauses and a government shutdown, Fillmore and Root River SWCDs Administer over $7 million to Local Producers Implementing Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices.

Fillmore and Root River SWCD have partnered to enroll in a pilot program aimed at increasing the adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices. The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture is a USDA program with a mission to enhance the adoption of agriculture practices that both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase soil health. 

Four states were selected to participate in the program – Minnesota, Virginia, Arkansas and North Dakota. In Minnesota, eight counties applied to participate in the program, and selected counties include the Fillmore and Houston County Partnership.

Local producers chose to enroll in a practice such as cover crops, no-till, nutrient management, and conservation crop rotation, to list a few. Producers are compensated ~$100 per acre to implement these practices into their production.

Fillmore and Root River SWCD has enrolled an estimated 67,236 acres into the program including:  

• 22,208 acres of cover crops;
• 25,251 acres of nutrient management plans;
• 10,137 acres of no-till/strip till;
• 8,160 acres of reduced till;
• 1,458 acres of conservation crop rotation;
• 10 acres of prescribed grazing;
• 10 acres of pasture and hay planting.

Although program contracts and acreage do have the ability to change, it is estimated that enrolled practice acres totaled $7,054,502.25 in cost share payments to local producers. Practices are estimated to reduce nitrogen by a total of 471,198 lbs of Nitrogen, 18,579 lbs of P, and 3,267 ton of TSS pounds annually into local waterways using MN Pollution Control Agency Nutrient Reduction Calculators*.

Fillmore and Root River SWCD’s thank local producers for applying to implement these voluntary practices. 

*Note, pollutant load estimates were created using the Root River MNPCA Pollutant Load Calculator for ease of assessment. Actual practice locations may reside in neighboring watersheds adjacent to the Root River.