United States Department of Agriculture

In this issue: 2013 Accomplishments • State Conservationist’s Message • Agricultural Water Enhancement Report: Program • Conservation Security Program • Conservation Stewardship Program • Driftless Area Landscape Janurary 2013 Conservation Initiative • Environmental Quality Incentives Program • Forestry Initiative Pilot Project • Basin Initiative • National Water Quality Initiative • Emergency Watershed Program • Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program • Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative • Grassland Reserve Program • North Central Wetlands Conservation Initiative • Plant Materials Program • Red River Basin Initiative • Soil Sciences • Technical Assistance Helping People Help the Land • Wetlands Reserve Program • Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

www.mn.nrcs.usda.gov Minnesota NRCS

State Conservationist’s Message

Hello Conservationists and Friends, I am proud to present to you the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 2013 Accomplishments Report. I do so with the knowledge that so much of what we accomplished in 2013 was not just NRCS! We have so many great partnerships with a mutual interest in assisting the Minnesota private landowners with their conservation needs. I hesitate to mention any with the fear that I may miss one….so THANK YOU to all for being a great partner!

We continue to see a commitment to conservation from our Ag organizations……no better example than the recent roadside billboard campaign by the MN Corn Growers Association highlighting various conservation practices with a “Farmers Do That”….a great message to deliver!

2013 saw an extension of the 2008 Farm Bill with continued funding for the critical conservation programs and the promise of a new farm bill on the horizon. EQIP, CStP, and WRP continue to be key programs for MN….and we hope that continues in the new farm bill.

MN Depart. of Ag and NRCS in partnership, are forging ahead with the MN Ag Water Quality Certification Program…..a program that holds great promise for water quality certainty for our agriculture producers. This program could be a “game saver”…. showing that producers are willing to adopt the “best available science and practices” for a promise that they have certainty for 10 years! We should see the first producers certified in 2014 and accelerated use of the targeted dollars from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program within the MAWQCP Pilot watersheds….

I would be remiss to not mention Soil Health……this holds great promise to assist our MN producers with lowering their fertilizer input costs without sacrificing yields or farm profits. 2014 could be the start of a downward trend in commodity prices so we will continue to work with our Ag partners to spread the word and provide detailed training on what a healthy soil can deliver to every farm! Our ag producers need to pay attention to their neighbors….cover crops, reduced tillage or even better never-till practices can make the soil health response profitable much quicker than we thought several years ago…. One (1) percent increase in soil organic matter can hold 25-30,000 gallons of water per acre….something worth noting when mother nature turns off the valve in late May and refuses to turn it back on until early August or later……a trend much of MN has seen in the last few growing seasons….

So….2014 holds more promises and more opportunities….a new Farm Bill on the horizon, continued expansion of the Ag Wetland Banks to address our producers need to improve on farm drainage and maintain yield/profits….MAWQCP adoption within the pilots…..we have work to do and with the continued strong partners in MN….we will forge ahead to the benefit of our private landowners….

With Greatest Respect,

\\S\\ Don A. Baloun, Minnesota State Conservationist

2 Agricultural Water Enhancement Program

The Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) is a voluntary conservation initiative that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to implement agricultural water enhancement activities on agricultural land to conserve surface and ground water and improve water quality. As part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), AWEP operates through program contracts with producers to plan and implement conservation practices in project areas established through partnership agreements.

Each fiscal year, NRCS may make AWEP financial and technical assistance available to eligible owners and operators of agricultural lands who participate in approved AWEP project areas. After the Chief has announced approved AWEP project areas, eligible agricultural producers may submit a program application.

NRCS enters into partnership agreements with eligible entities and organizations that want to promote ground and surface water conservation or improve water quality on agricultural lands. AWEP is not a grant program. Eligible partners enter into multi-year agreements with NRCS to promote ground and surface water conservation, or improve water quality on eligible agricultural lands. AWEP is intended to leverage investment in natural resources conservation along with services and non-Federal resources of other eligible partners. Individual producers are not eligible to submit a partnership proposal.

2013 Accomplishments

Minnesota approved 107 contracts covering 33,831 acres for a total financial assistance of $3,291,859.

Practices included: • Livestock Pipeline 29,850 ft. • Fence - 70,832 ft. • Cover Crops - 17,314 acres. • Residue Management, no-till and Stripping - 19,549 acres. Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Boots on the Ground..... 3 Conservation Security Program

The Conservation Security Program is a voluntary conservation program that supports ongoing stewardship of private agricultural lands by providing payments for maintaining and enhancing natural resources. CSP identifies and rewards those producers who are meeting the highest standards of conservation and environmental management on their operations, and helps these producers maintain their conservation stewardship level and implement additional conservation practices that provide added environmental enhancement. The conservation benefits gained will help agricultural operations be more environmentally sustainable and will increase the natural resources benefits provided to all Americans.

The Conservation Security Program was authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill and yearly sign-ups were held in selected watersheds across the nation and structured on a three tier system. To be eligible, an agricultural operation was required to be located in one of the selected watersheds for the specific year’s sign-up. A producer’s operation also needed to meet the minimum tier eligibility and contract requirements; Tier 1 - required to meet soil and water quality resource concern thresholds on part of operation; Tier 2 - required to meet soil and water quality resource concern thresholds on entire operation; Tier 3 - required to meet all resource concerns on entire operation.

There are no longer sign-ups for the Conservation Security Program, as it was replaced by the Conservation Stewardship Program in the 2008 Farm Bill, but MN NRCS still has 294 active contracts that it is managing and providing technical and financial assistance to producers. In Fiscal year 2013, MN NRCS provided $4.1 million in financial assistance as well as immeasurable technical assistance to Conservation Security Program participants. NRCS financial and technical assistance through CSP promotes the conservation and improvements of soils, water, air, energy, plants, and animal life and other conservation purposes by environmental enhancement activities that include improving soil quality, water quality, wildlife habitat management, air quality management, and on- farm energy management.

Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program was authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill and replaced the Conservation Security program (2002 Farm Bill). It is a voluntary program that encourages agricultural and forestry producers to address resource concerns by undertaking additional conservation activities, and improving and maintaining existing conservation systems. By maintaining their current conservation systems and adopting additional conservation activities, producers are

Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping maintaining and enhancing the treatment of soil quality, soil erosion, water quality, water quantity, air quality, plants, animals, and energy natural resources. Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture land, rangeland, nonindustrial private forestland, and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe.

Boots on the Ground..... 4 Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program is available to all producers nationwide, regardless of operation size or crops produced. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis with announced ranking cut-off dates when the ranking and funding of applications on file will occur. Applications need to include the applicant’s entire operation and are evaluated and ranked relative to other applications that address similar resource concerns in Minnesota. In the ranking process, applicants receive credit for conservation measures they have already implemented and for new measures they agree to add. The applications addressing the most resource concerns to the highest degree will receive the highest rankings and will have an on-site field verification conducted prior to entering into a 5 year contract.

MN NRCS currently is providing technical and financial assistance through 3,735 active Conservation Stewardship Program contracts, with an estimated $65.6 million in financial assistance being provided annually. MN NRCS provided $55.5 million in financial assistance in Fiscal Year 2013 through 3,183 existing contracts and awarded an additional $10.0 million to 552 new contracts during the Fiscal Year 2013 sign-up. The technical and financial assistance being provided will help producers maintain their existing conservation system, and add new activities to enhance the treatment of soil, water, air, plants, animals, and energy resource concerns of their operation.

Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in the states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin propose a special initiative, the Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative (DALCI) in the Driftless Area of the four states. The primary purpose of the initiative is to restore, improve and protect fish and wildlife habitat for the unique and diverse species found in the region’s working lands, forests, streams and prairies. Four resource objectives will be adopted: A) manage working lands for increased perennial cover; B) manage woodlands for increased diversity; C) restore working lands to prairie and manage existing grasslands and oak savanna habitats for improved bird and pollinator habitat; D) restore cold water trout streams and adjacent riparian areas of the region.

2013 Accomplishments

Minnesota funded 82 contracts for $956,861 of financial assistance. Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Boots on the Ground..... 5 Environmental Quality Incentives Program

The The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers through contracts up to a maximum term of ten years in length. These contracts provide financial assistance to help plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns and for opportunities to improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. In addition, a purpose of EQIP is to help producers meet Federal, State, Tribal and local environmental regulations.

EQIP provides financial assistance payments to eligible producers based on a portion of the average cost associated with practice implementation. Additional payments may be available to help producers develop conservation plans which are required to obtain financial assistance. Historically underserved producers (limited resource farmers/ranchers, beginning farmers/ranchers, socially disadvantaged producers, Tribes) may be eligible for a higher practice payment rate for the implementation for conservation practices and conservation plans.

Producers may use a certified Technical Service Provider (TSP) for technical assistance needed for certain eligible activities, services and the development of conservation plans. Historically underserved producers may also be eligible for advance payments up to 30 percent of the cost needed to purchase materials or contracting services to begin installation of approved conservation practices.

Minnesota’s EQIP program incorporates environmental priorities as identified at the state level (State Technical Committee) and local levels (Local Work Group) into the selection of what specific program options will be offered, and what factors, questions and screening tools will be used in the application ranking process. Ranking worksheets for each program option include evaluation questions that reflect national, state and local priorities.

2013 Accomplishments

Minnesota approved 1,493 contracts covering 199,280 acres for a total financial assistance of $23,395,995. Included in these numbers are 282 approved contracts covering 33,875 acres assisting Beginning Farmers, Socially Disadvantaged and Limited Resource producers with financial assistance totaling $4,709,187.

EQIP funding options: • Beginning Farmers • CCPI • Driftless Initiative • MRBI • Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative (DALCI) • Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) • Organic Initiative • Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative • Socially Disadvantaged • National Water Quality Initiative

Practices Included • 589 Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans • 62 Waste Storage Facilities

Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping • 72 Grade Stabilization Structures • 107 Grassed waterways

Rye cover crop planted into corn residue

Boots on the Ground..... 6 EQIP Forestry Initiative Pilot Project The second year of the EQIP Forestry Initiative Pilot Project was just as successful as the first. The challenge is to obligate up to $1,000,000 annually toward forestry practices that address resource concerns in forests or where trees can help ameliorate adverse resource conditions on cropland or pastureland. In the 2013 fiscal year total obligations were $993,791 for 259 contracts. This fiscal year 49 counties participated in the Forestry Initiative as compared to the 2012 fiscal year in which 38 counties participated.

Forestry practices providing the highest level of resource protection showed increasing participation. Tree/Shrub Establishment had a 35% increase in contracts, Site Preparation had a 30% increase while Forest Stand Improvement stayed the same. For cropland and pastureland protection against wind erosion Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment had a 52% increase in number of contracts. Managing invasive woody plants and establishing forest habitats for wildlife were in high demand showing a substantial increase of 213% (23 vs 72) for Brush Management. See the table below for summary dollars by practice.

The 2013 EQIP Forestry Initiative was a state-wide effort. Local initiatives such as the golden-winged warbler and GLRI helped St. Louis County obligate the highest level of funding at $106,955. Practices included 7 Forest Management Plans, 7 Site Preparation Practices, 14 Tree/Shrub Establishment Practices and 3 each for Early Successional Habitat Development and Management and Forest Stand Improvement Practices.

EQIP Forestry Initiative Summary Table

Practice Number of Practice Obligation $ Code Contracts 106 Forest Management Plan 63 $84,680 114 IPM CAP (for an orchard) 1 $1,810 314 Brush Management 72 $56,12 327 Conservation Cover 2 $1,074 338 Prescribed Burning 2 $1,322 380 Windbreak Establishment 1 $100,394 394 Firebreak 1 $603 484 Mulching 27 $70,800 490 Forest Site Preparation 103 $55,233 612 Tree/Shrub Establishment 130 $475,443 647 Early Succ Habitat Dev/Mgt. 13 $9,196 666 Forest Stand Improvement 53 $137,125

Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Boots on the Ground..... 7 Before: feedlot runoff was impacting an adjacent wetland. After: The new manure storage tank and stacking slabs will allow for more environmentally sound manure management. Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watershed Initiative Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) is a voluntary conservation program that works with agricultural producers to build on past efforts of addressing nutrient loading in the Mississippi River basin. Sediment and nutrient loading contribute to the water quality problems throughout the river basin. The conservation systems approach is used to manage and optimize nitrogen and phosphorus within fields and to minimize runoff and reduce downstream nutrient loading. Through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and the Wetlands Reserve Program, a variety of conservation practices promote water quality, wetland restoration and wildlife habitat while maintaining agricultural production.

2013 Accomplishments

Minnesota approved 68 contracts covering 18,305 acres for a total financial assistance of $1,593,626.

2013 MRBI Focus Areas and Projects: • Sauk Watershed o Accelerated Protection & Restoration of Targeted Watersheds in the Sauk River Watershed o Accelerated Protection & Restoration of Grand Pearl Minor in the Sauk River Watershed • Middle Minnesota o Little Cottonwood River o Redwood County – Middle • Upper Cedar Watershed o Green Valley/Austin Watershed Initiative • Root Watershed o Watson Creek Watershed Initiative o Upper South Fork Root River Watershed Initiative o Rush-Pine Creek Watershed Initiative

Practices included: • 3 Waste Storage Facilities • 4 Sediment basins • 1,110 Feet of Fence • 19,746 acres of Nutrient Management • 65 Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans • 3 Water & Sediment Control Basins Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping • 26,880 Feet of Pipeline

Waterfowl and wetland

Boots on the Ground..... 8 Narrowbase Terrace National Water Quality Initiative The National Water Quality Initiative will work in priority watersheds to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners improve water quality and aquatic habitats in impaired streams. NRCS will help producers implement conservation and management practices through a systems approach to control and trap nutrient and manure runoff. Qualified producers will receive assistance for installing conservation practices such as cover crops, filter strips and terraces.

NRCS identified priority watersheds through the help of local partnerships and state water quality agencies. Partners sometimes offer financial assistance in addition to NRCS programs. NRCS will continue to coordinate with local and state agencies, conservation districts, nongovernmental organizations and others to implement this initiative. This strategic approach will leverage funds and provide streamlined assistance to help individual agricultural producers take needed actions to reduce the flow of sediment, nutrients and other runoff into impaired aterways.w 2013 Accomplishments

Minnesota funded 5 NWQI applications in 2013 as contracts covering 1,637.37,575 acres for a total financial assistance of $257,609.

2013 NWQI Focus Watersheds: • Blue Earth Watershed o Elm Creek • Middle Minnesota o Sevenmile Creek • Chippewa o Chippewa River

Practices included: • 6,591 acres of Pest Management • 6,591 acres of Nutrient Management Shoreline Protection • 121 acres of Cover Crop

Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping • 4(no) Underground Outlet

Boots on the Ground..... 9 Emergency Watershed program The Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) is used to correct watershed impairments caused by a sudden natural event that threatens life or property. The Minnesota NRCS is part of the Minnesota Recovers Task Force which is made up of government agencies and other organizations who have a role in disaster recovery. Our EWP projects are coordinated through the Task Force.

In 2013 Minnesota entered into nine agreements including one exigency, meaning loss of life or property is imminent. One project is complete; work is currently underway on the remaining eight. The exigent project in Houston Co. protected from a landslide, the single family home of a young Duluth, Minnesota Kingsbury Creek, channel sediment couple and their two small children. One project removal. repairs the drawdown pipe of the principal spillway and sinkholes in the emergency spillway of a PL566 watershed dam in Goodhue Co.. Another project will address erosion control around a lake on the reservation of the Fond du Lac Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa. The remaining projects address debris removal and stream bank stabilization related to the Duluth floods of 2012.

In all cases the sponsors used the EWP program for 75% of the funding. All projects are contracted locally as opposed to Federally led contracting.

With the exception of the exigent project, these projects are all previously wait listed projects from past floods. There have been additional floods this year, damage survey reports have been completed Kingsbury Creek along the Duluth Zoo reach. and several projects have been wait listed. Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Spring Brook project consisted of approximately 6 miles of Spring Brook PL-566 project: Rock drop structure. set back dikes with other major items including; twenty nine (29) side water inlet structures, three rock drop structures and a thirty (30) inch diameter steel pipe. Boots on the Ground..... 10 Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

The Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP) is administered by the NRCS and partners with eligible entities to secure easements on eligible agricultural land to maintain production capability. NRCS provide up to 50% of the easement compensation and partner entities along the landowner donation provide the remaining amount.

$1.28 million of USDA-NRCS FRPP funding was received in 2013. A competitive Request for Proposal process was utilized nationwide. Dakota County was selected to receive funding since they were the only and highest ranked applicant in Minnesota. Dakota County, the Dakota County Soil and Waters Conservation District and NRCS continue to partner on this effort working with 9 private landowners to protect 990 acres of farmland.

The FRPP funds will continue to support Dakota County’s existing farmland protection efforts through the Dakota County Farmland and Natural Area Program (FNAP). Through this joint effort, FRPP funds will contribute up to one half of the cost of farmland protection easements and the county will pay for the other half as well as other associated costs to secure the easement and administer the program.

During Fiscal year 2013, Dakota County completed acquisition of 11 easements funded in 2011 and 2012 on over 1300 acres.

Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative The Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association (MGLCA) sponsored 23 workshops that involved 1630 participants during the 2013 fiscal year with a minimum expense and considerable volunteer time expended. Members of GLCA contributed over 1400 hours of volunteer time to determine subject matter, provide for locations to illustrate conservation grazing management, and to speak as advocates for conservation grazing. Some of the topics that were discussed during the workshops were, “Converting from Conventional to Organic Pasture Based Dairying”, “Small Flock Sheep Grazing Day”, and “Conservation Practice Tour.”

One of the highlights of the year was the annual “Milkapalooza” held at MGLCA board members Dave and Florence Minars’ farm near New Prague. The Minars’ Cedar Summit Farm www.cedarsummit.com/ hosted nearly 1000 visitors at the annual event which was held on June 22, 2013. (Follow video of the event www.cedarsummit.com/find-us/milkapalooza/ ) The Minars’ cows have a totally forage based diet (no grain) and the milk is processed right on the farm. Customers can purchase these and other farm raised products direct from the farm and through grocery outlets. Milk from animals on a forage based diet is rich in conjugated linoleic acid which is thought to have multiple health benefits. Grazing Specialist Tom Gervais hosted mini pasture Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Boots on the Ground..... 11 walks and answered questions from multiple groups of visitors who were brought out to the pasture in a specially constructed people hauler hitched to a farm tractor.

MGLCA in cooperation with the University of Minnesota Extension, the Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District, and a host of sponsors, distributes the “Minnesota Grazing Gazette” twice per year to an audience of nearly 1600 statewide. Readers may receive the Gazette as a digital file or as a newsletter. One of the articles in the most recent Gazette was, “Soil Health Provides Drought Insurance in Burleigh County”.

In 2013, MGLCA hired Wayne Monsen as Executive Director. Wayne brings a wealth of experience to his position and has been working to promote their 2013 Soil Health Videoconference, scheduled for December 5, 2013. Check out the new and still under construction MGLCA website at https:// sites.google.com/site/minnesotaglca/home for more details about GLCA and some back issues of the Minnesota Grazing Gazette. Grassland Reserve Program The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) provides technical and financial assistance to landowners to manage and protect their grasslands. USDA NRCS and FSA jointly manage this program. Rental contracts or easement are options that landowners may voluntarily apply for utilizing GRP funding.

In both rental contracts and easements landowners are assisted by NRCS and develop a grassland management plan. Following the plan to manage the grassland resource according to NRCS technical standards is a requirement of the GRP.

There are three easement focus areas in Minnesota, the Root River Watershed in SE MN, SW MN and the Prairie Chicken- Beach Ridges in WC/NW MN.

NRCS and FSA continue to work on the acquisition of another perpetual GRP easement located in Norman County.

North Central Wetlands Conservation Initiative The North Central Wetlands Conservation Initiative (NCWCI) is an initiative launched in 2012 in response to the burgeoning need for wetland determinations in a four state region of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa. This region has experienced an unprecedented number of requests for drainage evaluations and the related need for certified wetland determinations in the past two years.

In 2013 this region was expanded to include the entire state of Minnesota. This year Minnesota received over 10,000 determination requests and is the nation’s leader in wetland determination workload.

Objectives of the North Central Wetlands Conservation Initiative

Efficiencies and quality assurances gained through the NCWCI

Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping • Continued, quality training has been provided to involved staff to include the Phase II wetland course. • Lewis Brockette the State Wetland Specialist was hired to facilitate wetland policy and he also served as a NEDC wetland course instructor.

Boots on the Ground..... 12 • Dedicated staff has been added and is being used to make the certified determinations • Oversight is being provided by a Regional Conservationist with support of an Oversight and Evaluation Team. • Coordination is being provided by a Regional Conservationist with support from Paul Flynn the Prairie Pothole Wetlands Project Manager. • In FY2013 Minnesota completed a follow up Wetland O and E review and began to implement corrective actions. • A consistent tracking mechanism has been put in place to track statewide progress. • 5 term biologists were placed in Marshall, Morris, Fergus Falls, and Thief River Falls. • Additional contribution agreements were developed using FY2013 funds to help facilitate completion of wetland determinations.

Plant Materials Program Over the past 50 years, the Bismarck Plant Materials Center in Bismarck, North Dakota has provided plant solutions for the diverse landscapes in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. The Center offers technical assistance for native landscaping, windbreaks, re-vegetating saline- alkaline soils, improving productivity of range and pasture lands, enhancing wildlife habitat and wetlands, and enhancing native prairie ecosystems. The Center has released over 40 improved conservation plants.

Conservation Priorities Current work at the PMC focuses on ten major conservation priorities: Stream bank & Lakeshore Stabilization; Warm-Season Grass Promotion and Development; Alternative & Specialized Use of Conservation Plants; Tree & Shrub Related Technology; Native Prairie Ecosystem Restoration; Saline & Alkaline Tolerant Plant Materials; Wetland and Riparian Plant Materials; Filter Strips & Nutrient Management; Information, Education & Outreach; and Urban Conservation.

The plant materials program has provided many benefits to Minnesota residents through the years and continues to enjoy strong support from our field office employees, partners and cooperating landowners.

• Minnesota supports an Off Center Evaluation Planting (OCEP) site in Becker. Additional plantings were done in the spring of 2013 with assistance from NRCS state and field office staff. New and existing plantings were evaluated by field staff in August. Measurements and notes were taken on crown spread and plant height, disease and insect damage, drought and cold tolerance, fruit production, survival, vigor and animal damage. In the fall of 2013, 38 field plantings across the state were evaluated by field office staff.

• Tribal Outreach: Plants and seed were provided to the Fond du Lac Reservation (MN), the Upper and Lower Sioux Reservations (MN), the Mille Lacs Band (MN) of Ojibwe, and the Sisseton- Wahpeton Sioux Tribe.

• The following plant materials are available for field plantings in 2014: Mongolian Pine Lodgepole Pine Meyers Spruce Black Chokeberry

Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping Sweet Grass

Boots on the Ground..... 13 Plant Materials Program On-going Projects

Cover Crop The Bismarck PMC in conjunction with five other PMCs began a multi-year cover crop study. Effects of crop diversity and seeding rates on soil health will be measured. The study consists of 3 cover crop mixes, 3 seeding rates and a control, resulting in 40 plots. Data on soils, biomass production, canopy cover, and forage quality is being gathered to compare the different seeding rates and cover crop mixes. Soil health specialists are assisting in gathering data for various soil parameters.

Baseline soil data was collected prior to planting the cover crops in 2012. Cover crops were planted August 2, 2012, at the Bismarck PMC. Canopy cover, soil, and dry matter production data was gathered until frost. The tables below list 2012 averages for dry matter yield of the three cover crop mixes and the quality of separate species within the mixes.

Beginning in 2013, barley will be no-till planted each spring into each plot. The barley will be harvested and the cover crop will be planted into the stubble in late July/early August. Soils and forage data collection will be ongoing.

Pollinator Planting Demonstration Pollinators, such as honey bees, birds, and insects, play a crucial role in flowering plant reproduction and in the production of most fruits and vegetables. Without the assistance of pollinators, most plants cannot reproduce. In fact, over 90% of all flowering plants and over three-quarters of the staple crop plants that feed humankind rely on animal pollinators.

A pollinator planting demonstration is under way in cooperation with the West Central Extension and Outreach Center and Stevens SWCD. The demonstration planting will be located within the scenic overlook on the WCEROC adjacent to the Horticultural Garden and will be incorporated into the Center’s horticultural outreach program.

Weed control efforts are underway in 2013 in preparation of seeding in the spring of 2014. A diverse mixture of native grasses and forbs will be established and monitored for use by pollinators. Additional data on vegetation management and weed Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping control alternatives will be incorporated into the demonstration study.

Boots on the Ground..... 14 Red River Basin Initiative In 2013 NRCS continued its commitment to address Initiative area flooding and increase flood retention activities throughout the entire Red River of the North Basin. The Basin covers parts of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Some of the highlights of Red River Basin Initiative (RRBI) and MN NRCS activities in 2013 were:

1. The Red River Basin Initiative (RRBI) staff added a staff WRP Restoration Engineer and WRP restoration Biologist to address the large WRP restoration workload. These new positions are located in the Fergus Falls Area Office. This staff will enable better coordination of retention efforts and strengthens conservation and retention partnerships in the entire Basin. 2. On April 29th and 30th and May 1st, USDA Photographer Lance Cheung along with MN Public Affairs Specialist Julie MacSwain conducted short interviews with land owners and water resource managers in the Red River Basin during the 2013 spring flood event in the Red River Basin. They as took many aerial and ground photographs of NRCS and partners conservation practices including WRP and RIM easements, farmstead ring dikes, flood Small Watershed Program flood protection projects and Emergency Watershed Protection Floodplain Easements. 3. NRCS assisted the Middle-Snake-Tamarac River Watershed District with completing an Operation and Maintenance Agreement for the Brandt-Angus WRP Easement Area and Brandt-Angus Water Retention project. 4. MN NRCS conducted a Red River Basin Initiative WRP sign-up and funded 12 contracts in 6 counties on 1,883 acres. 5. NRCS engineering staff again is participating in the completion of a RRRA’s Basin Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee (BTSAC) study which is analyzing the impacts of surface drainage on flooding and its effects on peak flows on the Red River. 6. The Red River Basin Coordinator became a member of the Minnesota Flood Damage Reduction Work Group. 7. NRCS staff participated in an agricultural drainage water management workshop sponsored by the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resources Coalition.

Through an ongoing cooperative effort the NRCS and the Red River Retention Authority utilized Red River Basin Initiative assistance to utilize Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) easements to provide retention benefits as well as the restoration of wetlands and increase wildlife habitat production. The Chief of NRCS allocated WRP financial assistance funds to this effort in FY 2013.

NRCS in coordination with the RRRA Prioritization Committee screened all WRP applications in the Red River Basin covered by this initiative. Red River Retention Initiative map. (page 17)

FY 2013 applications were brought forward by partners as well as through the NRCS normal WRP Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Boots on the Ground..... 15 Red River Basin Initiative application process. The partner applications maximized flood mitigation benefits while providing wildlife benefits. Partners are currently working to review all of the funded applications to determine if design changes can be made to increase flood mitigation benefits. The following WRP obligations were made in the Basin in 2013.

The following WRP obligations were made in the Basin in 2013.

FY13 WRP Obligation Summary

# Funded Acres Dollars MN 11 1,883 $2,002,057 ND 7 1,074 $1,470,263 SD 4 281 $453,031 Total 23 3,238 $3,925,351

Red River Basin

A NRCS contribution agreement was completed with the International Water Institute to populate GIS data layers in the Bois De Sioux and Buffalo-Red Watersheds and for use in the Red River Basin Decision Information Network. This information has resulted in further development of GIS based tools that assist in identifying potential retention sites in the Basin. Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Boots on the Ground..... 16 Red River Basin Initiative Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Map demonstrates placing WRP in the landscape to hold water back out of the valley and provide wildlife benefits.

Boots on the Ground..... 17 Soil Sciences At the core of all successful conservation planning and practice application activities is an accurate and reliable soils database. Providing spatial and tabular soils data capable of withstanding a wide variety of user defined demands, is a top priority for soil scientists. This year, the private lands of Lake and Cook Counties in Minnesota have been added to the list of the soil inventory served-up on Web Soil Survey. In addition, the field work for Crow Wing County has also been completed. It is expected that the database from which the final tabular information will be generated is slated for completion this coming winter. And finally, much progress has been made on the National Park Service funded Soil Survey of Voyageurs National Park. These efforts have been partially funded through a grant from the MN Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENTRF).

Fiscal year 2013 saw a great rise in interest in soil health for the state of Minnesota. The new soil health state training plan included: awareness training in soil health for all Minnesota NRCS employees; and a three-phase course: Soil Health and Sustainability for Field Staff. Field office personnel completed this training by the end of June. This training effort involved our partners from the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources, local soil and water conservation districts, North Central SARE, the University of Minnesota Extension and the Agricultural Research Service.

To give field offices the tools in which to demonstrate the benefits of soil health management, soil health demonstration buckets were distributed to every field office in the state. The soil slake test and infiltration test are now becoming very familiar to most users of the soil resource. These simply demonstration tests instill a visual impression of how conventionally tilled soil disintegrate while a no-till sample remains stable and holds together in a water suspended wire basket. Twenty four soil health assessment buckets, with a battery of field tests were distributed to area offices. Field office personnel will be able to test and/or demonstrate soil properties such as: soil density; water infiltration rate; nitrate concentration; soil biological activity; soil temperature; and others, providing cooperators with assessment tools to determine the relative health of their soil.

Cooperative work with North Central SARE in Minnesota resulted in an August trip to Burleigh County, North Dakota for a soil health and cover crop tour. Approximately 50 individuals, including farmers, NRCS and SWCD field office personnel, Minnesota Extension specialists, an outdoor writer and area support specialists, toured three farms which incorporate the four soil health “cornerstones” into their respective farming operations. The tour was topped-off with a visit to the Burleigh Soil Conservation District, Menoken Demonstration Farm. Attendees returned home to their respective counties with a renewed sense of purpose. Participants are furthering their work helping cooperators to become managers of agro ecosystems (not just fields), full of beneficial life below the surface. As they say in Burleigh County, “You need to manage your herd underground”.

To efficiently accomplish the work in soil health and to capture the synergy from a diverse group of committed and capable partners, the Burleigh tour participants realize a soil health team approach is the way to move the message forward. And it will be teams working with committed cooperators that will restore health to our state’s soil resources – one field at a time. Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Boots on the Ground..... 18 NRCS providing assistance Secretary Vilsack reviews the 4 principles to improving soil health at the National Pheasants Forever Fest in Feb, 2013 with Don Baloun, State Conservationist and Doug Miller, Soil Scientist. Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA)

The Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) Program provides technical assistance supported by science-based technology and tools to help people conserve, maintain, and improve their natural resources. The CTA program provides the technical capability, including conservation planning, design, and implementation assistance, that helps people plan and apply conservation on the land. This assistance is provided to individuals, groups, and communities who make natural resource management decisions on private, tribal, and other non-federal lands.

NRCS, through the CTA Program, provides conservation technical assistance that addresses natural resource conservation issues at the local level that are of State and national concern.

The CTA Program is unique because it provides a substantive level of technical expertise, background and support for Federal, tribal, State and local conservation programs. The working relationships that landowners and communities have with their local NRCS staff are unique. One-on-one help through flexible, voluntary programs occurs every day in local NRCS offices. It is the way that NRCS does business, and it works.

The CTA Program provides the local delivery system and the foundation technical expertise for other NRCS programs. Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Boots on the Ground..... 19 Wetlands Reserve Program The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) has helped private landowners voluntarily restore, protect, and enhance wetlands and wildlife habitat on their lands since 1992. Through the WRP NRCS provides technical and financial support to landowners. Since 2008, NRCS through WRP has partnered with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) and Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve Program to acquire and restore RIM-WRP Partnership easements. 2013 was another positive and successful year for this partnership effort.

The wetlands and associated uplands on these easement lands provide a variety of environmental benefits, including: migratory and resident Wetland wildlife habitat, water quality improvements, flood mitigation benefits, added economic value and carbon sequestration benefits.

During fiscal year 2013, 46 prior year funded WRP easements were closed on a total of 4800 acres. Restoration was completed on previously closed WRP easements on 57 projects covering 7,750 acres.

In 2013, over $2 million was obligate in restoration funds.

In 2013, $3 million was obligated with 30 participants on over 3,000 acres. The majority of these obligations included RIM funding. RIM funding was supplied through both Capitol Investment (Bonding) appropriations and funding through the MN Sales Tax Amendment as Great Blue Lobelia recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. Wetlands Reserve Program -Special Efforts:

Wetland Restoration Conservation Initiative for the Red River Basin of MN, ND, and SD. This initiative utilizes WRP to provide wildlife habitat and flood mitigation benefits. In 2013, $2 million were obligated on over 1,883 acres.

WRP Acceleration

Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping WRP Partners accelerate all aspects of the program. Ducks Unlimited assist with both WRP application and implementation assistance. In addition, local SWCD’s and BWSR assist with monitoring efforts.

Boots on the Ground..... 20 Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program The The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat on private agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. WHIP provides technical assistance and financial assistance to establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat.

Minnesota Priorities • “Maintain a healthy, diverse ecosystem through the improvement, enhancement and restoration of fish and wildlife habitat, in cooperation with private agricultural landowners”. • Promote wildlife habitat restoration and management on private American Bittern lands through cooperative endeavors between landowners and Federal, state and local conservation partners. • Maximize habitat and species benefits, focus WHIP financial and technical resources towards projects statewide which are a component of a comprehensive plan with the greatest environmental benefits. • Utilize WHIP, to the extent practicable, to benefit State and Federal at risk species.

Minnesota approved 67 contracts establishing and enhancing 2,013 acres for a total financial assistance of $649,774.

Habitats include: Wetland • 9,344 acres of Pest Management • 648 acres of Prescribed Burning • 1,600 ft. Streambank and Shoreline Protection • 1,404 ft. Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment

Program benefits NRCS has worked closely with several tribal conservation departments to utilize WHIP in meeting comprehensive wildlife management plans. WHIP has provided NRCS the opportunity to reach non-traditional clients and introduce them to USDA programs and services. Helping People Help the Land Help People Helping

Boots on the Ground..... 21 Helping People Help the Land 720-6382 (TDD).USDAisanequalopportunity provider andemployer. pendence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) Director, Inde USDA, 1400 to Rights, write Civil discrimination To of of Office complaint a file and TDD). (voice 720-2600 (202) at TARGETCenter USDA's contact should etc.) audiotape, print, large (Braille, information program of communication for means alternative require who disabilities with Personsprograms.) all to apply bases prohibited all (Not program. assistance public any informa tion, political beliefs, reprisal, or because genetic all or a part of an individual's income is orientation, derived from sexual religion, status, parental status, familial status, marital and programs its all race,of basis the color,on activities in disability,age, origin, national sex, applicable, where and discrimination prohibits (USDA) Agriculture of Department U.S. The The NaturalResourcesConservationServiceisanagencyof USDA NaturalResourcesConservationService The UnitedStatesDepartmentof Agriculture. United States Department ofAgricultureUnited States Department Natural Resources Service Conservation For moreinformation,pleasecontact: www.mn.nrcs.usda.gov State Conservationist St. Paul,MN55101 375 JacksonStreet (651) 602-7900 Don Baloun - -