Agricultural & Soil Health

 Cover Crops, Filter Strips, Grassed Waterways

Agricultural & Soil Health

Cover crops, filter strips, grassed waterways, conservation tillage (no till, strip till, etc), conservation crop rotation

There are two main sources of grants and technical assistance locally for agricultural practices: The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Anoka Conservation District.  NRCS programs include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and others.  ACD programs offer funds that originated from the State, to be implemented locally, as grants to landowners or operators for specific practices including those that prevent runoff, improve soil health, or improve habitat.  The availability and requirements for each program can vary over time.

For federal programs Contact the local USDA Office for Anoka, Hennepin, and Sherburne counties at 148 Highway 10  Elk River, MN 55330  763241-1170.

For ACD programs contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

General guidelines for ACD programs:

• For row crop fields.  3 year commitment.  Offered practices commonly include:
  • Cover crops
  • Residue and tillage management. No till. Strip till. Conservation tillage.
  • Conservation crop rotation.
  • Filter strip
• For other areas.  10 year commitment.  Offered practices commonly include:
  • Conservation cover.  This is planting long-term native plant cover – think prairie restoration.
  • Pollinator planting.  Essentially the same as conservation cover, but with pollinator-oriented native plant mix.
  • Critical area planting.  This is planting shorelines or erodible areas leading to waterbodies in order to reduce erosion.
  • Prescribed grazing.
  • Forage and biomass planting.
• Funding is to incentivize trying new practices.  Will not pay for past projects or continuing current practices.
• Most financial assistance is flat rates ($___/acre).  See the ACD Handbook for current rates.
• Our current funding sources generally require native plant species.  This can put some limits on certain practices, like forage planting that commonly utilizes non-native species.