Watonwan County Soil and Water Conservation District

07/01/2026

Don't forget to register by tomorrow, July 2nd, to ensure yourself a free lunch at the upcoming soil health field day in Sleepy Eye!

06/23/2026

Check out this soil health field day that will be in Sleepy Eye on July 9th! ⬇️

Register by July 2nd to ensure yourself a meal!

🌱 Join Us for a Soil Health Field Day! 🌱

The Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District invites you to a Soil Health Field Day on July 9 at Port-Haven Farm (24953 285th Ave, Sleepy Eye, MN).

Hear from Kent Solberg and Mark Portner as they discuss:
✅ Cover crops
✅ No-till practices
✅ Livestock integration
✅ Economic benefits of soil health systems

🍴 Free lunch provided — please pre-register by July 2 to guarantee your meal!

Register by scanning the QR code on the flyer or call 507-794-2553.
Feel free to share this event with others who may be interested. We hope to see you there!

06/22/2026

Check out our local farmer mentor George sill talking about his experience with cover crops and cereal rye!

Area farmers have learned that the easiest place to add cover crops...

06/18/2026

Summer is the season for farm field days! Throughout Minnesota this summer, farmers and other organizations are hosting farm field days for farmers, landowners, and community members to learn about innovative and sustainable agricultural practices. You can stay up to date about local field days by checking our page and viewing the events calendar of the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition and the Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Minnesota Soil Health Coalition: https://www.mnsoilhealth.org/events/month/

Practical Farmers of Iowa: https://practicalfarmers.org/events/

06/18/2026

On Thursday, June 25, the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton will be hosting the 2026 "Cover Crop Field Day: Setting up for Success." Topics will include:
- cereal rye seeding rate and termination timing 🌾
- cover crops for grazing 🐮
- measuring cover crop impact on soil erosion 💨🌧️
- interseeding cover crops into short-stature corn 🌽
- winter camelina planting strategies 🌱
- and more!

The field day will run from 9 am to 1 pm. It is free for all to attend and includes lunch. Pre-register by Friday, June 19th to ensure yourself a lunch. The field day will be partially held outdoors, so prepare appropriately.

Register for the event and ensure yourself a free lunch by registering here:

June 25, 9:00 AM - 1 PM 2026 Cover Crop Field Day: Setting up for SuccessRegister for this FREE event here!When: Thursday, June 25, 2026 | 9:00 am – 1:00 pmWhere: Southwest Research & Outreach Center, 23669 130th St, Lamberton, MNNote: Cover Crop field Day is free and includes lunch. Please pre-r...

05/12/2026

The dirt sure has been blowing today! Watonwan SWCD has technical assistance and funding available to reduce wind erosion💨 in your fields. Contact Watonwan SWCD at 507-375-1225 to learn more about solutions available to keep YOUR soil in the field.

04/30/2026

Possible uses: CRP tree related plants and field windbreaks

04/29/2026

04/22/2026

The most cost-effective way to get started with soil health is to pick a small step that makes sense for your own farm.

Keep it simple and don’t worry about changing the whole farm at once. Implement the small step and then identify the next small step.

This is how it went for George Sill, a farmer in Madelia. He started with the small step of reducing tillage on sandy hilltops. No-tilling the hilltops helped him gain the confidence to expand no-till to the rest of the farm.

Through an evolving process that continues today, George has put together a soil health system that reduces his expenses💲, sustains or improves yield🌽, and takes better care of his land🌱.

In the video linked below ⬇️ George tells us how he gradually put the economic pieces together and shifted resources toward a different style of farming.

🌱Click the link to watch:

1 like. "Small steps lead to fuel and fertilizer savings"

04/14/2026

GrazeHERS is a hands-on grazing program designed for women in livestock and pasture management. Learn practical skills through 4 virtual sessions and on-farm experience at Port-Haven Farm in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota.

Online sessions start May 14--> mnglca.org/grazehers