Winona County Soil & Water Conservation District

09/02/2026

👋 Meet our new District Manager, Quinn Lewis! 👋

We’re excited to officially welcome Quinn to the Winona County SWCD team!

Quinn brings a strong background in water and soil resources and environmental science and is looking forward to working in the Driftless Area, connecting with local landowners and partners, and learning more about conservation efforts throughout Winona County.

Outside of work, Quinn enjoys spending time outdoors, birdwatching, over-analyzing sports, and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Please join us in giving Quinn a warm welcome!

09/02/2026

The UMN N Rate and Timing Research Plot events in Elgin and Dover have been postponed until Tuesday, Sept 6th due to rain and wet conditions.
We hope to see you there!

09/01/2026

🦞 Crayfish Monitoring in Winona County!

Over the last two weeks, Ecological Conservationist & Outreach Coordinator Abbi Hoffman has been out trapping and monitoring for rusty crayfish, an invasive species, in the Pickwick and Rollingstone areas.

The good news? Most of the crayfish found have been native species, including virile, devil, and northern clearwater crayfish! Only one invasive rusty crayfish was found, located near the mill in Pickwick.

Check out some of the crayfish she encountered along the way! 🦞👇

08/24/2026

Join UMN Extension and MDA at their N Rate and Timing Research Plots
Thursday, September 3rd
9:00am in Elgin
1:00pm in Dover

08/13/2026

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined us for Family Night on the Farm! 🚜🌾

We especially want to thank the Barkheim family for opening up their farm and being such wonderful hosts. Events like this are a great opportunity to bring families, agriculture, and our community together and we were grateful to be a part of it!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth to visit, learn, and say hello. We enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces and meeting some new ones along the way!

08/11/2026

Final week to get your cover crop applications in!
Find the application on our website at www.winonaswcd.org.

08/06/2026

REMINDER
Cover Crop Cost-Share Applications are due August 15th!
Find the application on the Winona County SWCD website: https://www.winonaswcd.org/services/technical-assistance/soil-health-and-cover-crops/

08/05/2026

Sign up and join the Driftless Area Ag Alliance for Good Idea Shop Talks.

07/28/2026

Get your Winona County SWCD Cover Crop Applications in by August 15th to be considered for funding this fall! Visit https://www.winonaswcd.org/services/technical-assistance/soil-health-and-cover-crops/ for the link to the application.

07/27/2026

MDA Soil-Health Equipment Grants!
Looking to purchase or retrofit a piece of equipment to improve soil health on your fields? Check out the MDA Soil-Health Equipment Grant. MDA will start accepting applications for the Soil-Health Equipment Grant August 3rd. Application deadline is August 31st, 2026.
Learn more at:

The application for the Fiscal Year 2027 Soil Health Financial Assistance Grant will open on August 3, 2026, and c