Heavy Use Area Protection - Stabilizing a damaged area used frequently and intensively by animals. Improvements to water quality include reduced soil erosion, sedimentation and pollution from particulates.

Erosion and Nutrient Management

Cover Crop - Grow a crop or mixture of crops primarily for seasonal soil protection, erosion control and soil health improvement. Cover crops help cycle plant nutrients, add organic matter to the soil, improve infiltration, aeration and tilth, improve soil quality, reduce crusting and sequester carbon/nutrients.

Cropland Conversion - Establish and maintain a conservation cover of grass, trees, or wildlife plantings on fields previously used for crop production. Benefits include reduced soil erosion, sedimentation and pollution from particulates.

Crop Residue Management - Maintain cover on 60% of the soil surface at planting to protect water quality and provide seasonal soil protection from wind and rain erosion, adds organic matter to the soil, conserves soil moisture and improves infiltration, aeration and tilth.

Grassed Waterway - Construct a channel and establish vegetation for the stable conveyance of runoff. Benefits may include reduced soil erosion, sedimentation and pollution from particulates. 

Long Term No-Till - Plant crops using a no-till system for five consecutive years, maintaining at least 80% residue on the soil surface at planting. Benefits include reduced soil erosion, sedimentation, and pollution from particulates.

Prescribed Grazing - Managing the intensity, frequency, duration, timing, and number of grazing animals on pastureland in accordance with site production limitations, rate of forage growth and nutritional needs of the grazing animals. Benefits include reduced soil erosion and compaction, improved nutrient availability, improved forage and livestock health and improved water quality.

Nutrient Management - Plan the amount, form, placement and timing of nutrient application to minimize loss of nutrients to surface and groundwater. Benefits include improved water quality.  

Cover Crop	Grassed Waterway

Waste Management

Dry Stack - Fabricate a structure for temporary storage of livestock waste. This allows for improved management of waste application. Benefits include reduced nutrient pollution into surface and groundwater.

Mortality Management Systems - Install a facility for managing livestock mortalities to minimize water quality impacts or to produce a material that can be recycled as a soil amendment and fertilizer substitute. This can include a composter, freezer to store until offsite disposal, or incinerator to cremate carcasses.

Waste Application Systems - Convey and distribute livestock waste, in an environmentally safe manner, from waste treatment and storage structures to agricultural fields as part of an irrigation and waste utilization plan. This includes Mobile Application Systems, Solid Set Systems or an Underground Main and Hydrant System. Litter Spreaders are a commonly used Mobile Application System.

Incinerator	Composter	Mobile Waste Application System

Agrichemical Pollution Prevention

Precision Agrichemical Application - A Global Positioning System (GPS) system that enables reduction and greater control of fertilizer and pesticide application by avoiding excessive overlapping, unnecessary application on end/turn rows and more precise control of application rates.

For more information and a complete list of Best Management Practices, please contact us or visit the Division of Soil & Water Conservation's Agricultural Cost Share Program website.