Soil & Water Conservation District Guidebook 2008 - Minnesota ...

The Todd SWCD 2007 Grazing Tour
was attended by 51 participants, and consisted of a
bus tour of three farms in various stages of developing
rotational grazing plans & feedlot pollution control
practices for livestock production. The 1st site had a
nearly complete grazing plan in place, the 2nd site was
just starting to convert cropland to rotational grazing
paddocks, and the 3rd site had installed a feedlot fi lter
strip along with his grazing plan, to bring his livestock
operation into compliance with the feedlot regulations.
As part of the TMDL implementation plan
for the Long Prairie Rive Watershed, the Todd and
Douglas SWCDs are working in close partnership to
install rain gardens and shoreland restorations in high
priority shore land sites, in addition to regular BMPs.
A complete survey of culvert elevations
for all Todd County ditches was completed through a
joint effort of the Todd SWCD, the Todd County GIS
Department, and the Todd Public Works Department,
and partially funded with a Challenge Grant from
BWSR.
Todd Soil & Water Conservation District
A three-year LCCMR project for
nitrogen reduction to improve water quality on
central Minnesota sands was initiated in July
2005, and has both research and demonstration
components. The major focus of the project is to
determine the potential for a polymer coasted urea
to reduce nitrate leaching in potato and edible bean
production, and whether deep tillage is needed for
edible bean production. A new cover crop (Caliente
Mustard) is also being evaluated for nitrogen
recovery following short season crops as well as
for disease suppression in subsequent crops. The
research phase is being conducted at two sites; the
Central Lakes College Agricultural Center in Staples
and the Sand Plain Research Farm in Becker. Onfarm
demonstrations are being conducted in Long
Prairie, Verndale and Perham.
Top 5 Natural Resource Concerns
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
TMDL implementation and clean water
legacy in the Long Prairie River Watershed
Initiate and complete TMDL studies for
impaired waters in the Sauk and Swan River
watersheds
Bring livestock operations into compliance
through feedlot systems and grazing plans
The development and installations of ag and
shoreland BMPs throughout Todd County
Orderly growth and development in rural,
urban and shoreland areas
Future Projects
The Todd SWCD received a combination of
grants from Clean Water Legacy to fund the
development and installation of BMP’s, for
erosion and pollution control, for forestry
stewardship plans, and for low-interest loans for
conservation tillage and to update failing septic
systems.
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