Lower Minnesota River West

07/27/2026

07/09/2026

We are here until 5 pm—Come get your water tested!

Arlington Event Center
204 Shamrock Dr, Arlington, MN

07/09/2026

🚜 🌱 Conservation Practice Spotlight: Buffer Strips
Healthy farms and clean water go hand in hand. Buffer strips are one of the most effective conservation practices for protecting Minnesota's lakes, rivers, streams, and drainage systems while keeping valuable soil and nutrients where they belong.

💧 What are Buffer Strips?
Buffer strips are areas of perennial vegetation, such as grasses or native plants, established along rivers, streams, ditches, and public waters. These vegetated areas act as natural filters by slowing runoff, trapping sediment, absorbing excess nutrients, and reducing erosion before water reaches nearby waterways.

Benefits of Buffer Strips:
✅ Reduces soil erosion and protects streambanks
✅ Filters sediment, phosphorus, and other pollutants from runoff
✅ Improves water quality in rivers, lakes, and streams
✅ Provides valuable habitat for pollinators and wildlife
✅ Helps stabilize shorelines and drainage systems
✅ Supports healthier soils and more resilient farmland

By slowing runoff and filtering pollutants, buffer strips help protect Minnesota's water resources while maintaining productive agricultural land.

📋 Minnesota Buffer Law
Minnesota's Buffer Law helps protect the state's water resources by requiring perennial vegetative buffers along public waters and public drainage systems.

The law generally requires:
🌾 A 50-foot average buffer (minimum 30 feet) along public waters.
🌾 A 16.5-foot buffer along public drainage ditches.

These buffers help reduce erosion, improve water quality, and support healthy aquatic ecosystems while allowing working lands to remain productive. Local Soil and Water Conservation Districts work with landowners to provide guidance on compliance and available conservation options.

💧 Why It Matters
Clean water begins on the land. Buffer strips help keep soil in the field, reduce nutrient runoff, protect fish and wildlife habitat, and improve water quality for everyone. They are a simple, effective conservation practice with lasting benefits for both agriculture and our natural resources.

💰 Funding Opportunity Available
The Lower Minnesota River West watershed has funding available to help producers implement conservation practices, including buffer strips.

📞 Interested landowners and producers are encouraged to contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District to learn more about available programs and determine if they qualify for financial assistance.

Healthy buffers today help protect Minnesota's water for generations to come. 🌱💧

07/06/2026

💧🦆 Conservation Practice Spotlight: Wetland Restoration & Protection

Wetlands are among nature's most valuable resources. They provide clean water, reduce flooding, improve wildlife habitat, and support healthy agricultural landscapes. Restoring and protecting wetlands helps ensure these benefits continue for future generations.

💧 What is Wetland Restoration & Protection?

Wetland restoration involves returning drained or altered wetlands back to their natural condition by restoring their ability to hold water and support native vegetation. Wetland protection focuses on preserving existing wetlands so they can continue providing important environmental benefits.

Benefits of Wetland Restoration & Protection:
✅ Reduces flooding by storing excess rainfall and snowmelt
✅ Filters sediment, nutrients, and pollutants before they reach lakes, rivers, and streams
✅ Improves water quality downstream
✅ Recharges groundwater supplies
✅ Provides essential habitat for waterfowl, pollinators, fish, amphibians, and other wildlife
✅ Helps reduce soil erosion by slowing runoff
✅ Supports biodiversity and healthy ecosystems

Wetlands act like nature's sponge—absorbing, storing, and slowly releasing water. They also serve as natural filters, removing excess nutrients and sediment that can negatively impact water quality.

🌾 Why It Matters

Healthy wetlands benefit both agriculture and the environment. By reducing runoff and improving water quality, wetlands help protect downstream communities while creating valuable habitat for wildlife. Conserving wetlands is an investment in cleaner water, healthier ecosystems, and more resilient landscapes.

💰 Funding Opportunity Available

The Lower Minnesota River West watershed has funding available to help landowners implement conservation practices, including eligible wetland restoration projects.

📞 Interested landowners are encouraged to contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District to learn more about available conservation programs and determine if they qualify for financial assistance.

Protecting wetlands today helps safeguard clean water, healthy wildlife habitat, and resilient landscapes for generations to come.

07/02/2026

🚜 🌱 Conservation Practice Spotlight: Water & Sediment Control Basins (WASCOBs)

Healthy soils and clean water start with managing runoff. Water and Sediment Control Basins (WASCOBs) are a proven conservation practice that helps reduce soil erosion on sloping cropland while protecting downstream water quality.

💧 What is a Water & Sediment Control Basin (WASCOB)?

A Water and Sediment Control Basin is an earthen embankment built across a hillside to temporarily collect and slow runoff after heavy rains. As water is held back, soil and sediment settle out before the water is safely released through an underground outlet. This helps prevent gullies from forming and keeps valuable topsoil where it belongs—on the field.

Benefits of Water & Sediment Control Basins:
✅ Reduces soil erosion caused by rainfall and runoff
✅ Prevents gully formation in fields
✅ Keeps valuable topsoil and nutrients on the land
✅ Improves downstream water quality by reducing sediment loss
✅ Protects long-term productivity of farmland
✅ Helps manage excess runoff during heavy rain events

By slowing the movement of water across the landscape, WASCOBs help farmers protect their fields while reducing sediment and nutrient runoff into nearby streams, rivers, and lakes.

💧 Why It Matters

Every ton of soil that stays in the field helps preserve the productivity of our farmland while protecting local water resources. Conservation practices like Water and Sediment Control Basins are an investment in healthier soils, cleaner water, and more resilient farming operations.

💰 Funding Opportunity Available

The Lower Minnesota River West watershed has funding available to help producers implement conservation practices, including Water and Sediment Control Basins.

📞 Interested landowners and producers are encouraged to contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District to learn more about available programs and determine if they qualify for financial assistance.

Healthy soils today help protect our water resources for future generations. 🌱💧

06/22/2026

ROADMAP FOR POLLINATOR CONSERVATION: Pressures from climate change, pesticides and habitat loss have created an uphill battle for pollinators, but Minnesota's conservation community has shown its commitment to addressing these challenges. To create a roadmap for conservation efforts, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources recently updated its Pollinator Plan.
One segment summarizes five key priorities: collaborate with large numbers of Minnesotans; engage the next generation of stewards; maximize pollinator benefits via strategic programs that incorporate habitat in a range of landscapes such as easements, schools, parks, utility corridors, solar fields and yards; strengthen partner collaboration; and offer innovative technical assistance.
Link to the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources’ 2026 Pollinator Plan: https://buff.ly/mLBUv6Z
PHOTO: Great Northern bumblebee on wild lupine

06/22/2026

🚜 🌱Conservation Practice Spotlight: No-Till & Strip-Till

Healthy soils are the foundation of productive farms and clean water. Two proven conservation practices—No-Till and Strip-Till—help protect soil while maintaining crop productivity.

🚜 What is No-Till?
No-till farming minimizes soil disturbance by planting directly into crop residue from previous seasons. Instead of intensive tillage, specialized equipment places seed into a narrow slot while leaving residue on the soil surface.

Benefits of No-Till:
✅ Reduces soil erosion from wind and water
✅ Improves water infiltration and moisture retention
✅ Builds soil organic matter over time
✅ Enhances soil biological activity and soil health
✅ Reduces fuel use and field passes
✅ Helps keep nutrients and sediment out of nearby streams and rivers

By keeping residue on the surface, no-till protects the soil much like a natural mulch. Research and conservation programs have long recognized no-till as an effective practice for improving soil health and reducing erosion.

🌾 What is Strip-Till?
Strip-till combines the benefits of no-till with targeted soil preparation. Narrow strips are tilled only where the crop row will be planted, while the area between rows remains undisturbed and protected by crop residue.

Benefits of Strip-Till:
✅ Maintains residue cover between rows
✅ Reduces erosion compared to full-width tillage
✅ Improves seedbed conditions and early crop growth
✅ Enhances nutrient placement efficiency
✅ Conserves soil moisture
✅ Reduces overall soil disturbance and fuel costs

Strip-till offers a balance between soil conservation and seedbed preparation, making it a popular option for many row-crop producers.

💧 Why It Matters
Conservation tillage practices help keep soil where it belongs—in the field. Reducing erosion protects water quality, improves long-term soil productivity, and supports resilient farming operations.

💰 Funding Opportunity Available
The Lower Minnesota River West watershed has funding available to help producers implement conservation practices such as no-till and strip-till.

📞 Interested landowners and producers are encouraged to contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District to learn more about available programs and determine if they qualify for financial assistance.

Healthy soils today help protect our water resources for future generations.

06/11/2026

🌱 Conservation Practice Spotlight: Cover Crops

What happens to a field after harvest? For many producers, it's an opportunity to keep working toward healthier soil through the use of cover crops.

Cover crops are plants grown between cash crop seasons to keep living roots in the soil. Common cover crops in Minnesota include cereal rye, oats, radishes, and clover. While they may not be harvested for profit, they provide valuable benefits both above and below the ground.

Cover crops help:
✅ Reduce soil erosion from wind and water
✅ Improve soil structure and soil health
✅ Increase water infiltration and reduce runoff
✅ Capture and recycle nutrients that might otherwise be lost
✅ Suppress weeds
✅ Build organic matter over time

One of the biggest benefits of cover crops is keeping the soil covered during periods when fields would otherwise be bare. This protection helps keep valuable topsoil in place and supports healthier, more resilient cropland for future generations.

Healthy soils are the foundation of productive farms, clean water, and sustainable agriculture.

Interested in learning more about cover crops or other conservation practices? Contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District to explore available resources and opportunities.

06/10/2026

Due to low enrollment, we will not be holding Beneath Our Boots on June 17.

While we're disappointed that this event won't take place as planned, we're excited about future opportunities to explore and learn together. Thank you to everyone who showed interest and support!

Be sure to follow our page for upcoming programs, events, and new ways to support conservation through Best Management Practices. We look forward to seeing you at a future event!