Location: The St. Croix and Red Cedar River Basins are located in west central Wisconsin.
Project objectives: To improve water quality in the Red Cedar and St. Croix River basins through reduced phosphorus and sediment loading; to increase farmer knowledge on, and engagement with, water quality issues, including the adoption of conservation practices; to develop leadership around water quality among farmers in the selected sub-watersheds; and to develop a unique collaborative model of water quality improvement through farmer engagement that can be replicated in watersheds throughout the Upper Mississippi River Basin and nationwide.
Project Methods: Phosphorus (P) pollution reductions and the expansion of farm conservation
activities will occur by way of an innovative, farmer-directed conservation incentives program.
Four farmer-led watershed councils are up and running in Pierce, Polk, St. Croix, and Dunn
Counties. Each council receives an annual pool of funding ($17,000 in 2014, provided by the
Minneapolis-based McKnight Foundation), with which they can design a conservation incentives
program that achieves water-quality goals. The farmers themselves determine the best paths to
conservation success within their watershed, and recruit and encourage other producers to
participate. County Land Conservation Department staff and University of Wisconsin-Extension
staff work closely with the farmer councils to provide technical assistance, facilitation, and
education, as well as monitor the project’s outcomes.
Project Personnel:
Dunn County: Dan Prestebak, Conservationist; Amanda Hanson, Conservation Planner
Pierce County: Rod Webb, Conservationist; Dennis Fritz, Conservation Planner
Polk County: Tim Ritten, Conservationist; Eric Wojchik, Conservation Planner
St. Croix County: Bob Heise, Conservationist; Kyle Kulow, Conservation Planner
UW-Extension: Julia Olmstead, Outreach Specialist/Project Coordinator; Paul Kivlin, Nutrient
Management Specialist
Project Partners: Dunn County Land and Water Conservation Department, Pierce County Land and Water Conservation Department, Polk County Land and Water Conservation Department, St. Croix County Land and Water Conservation Department, UW-Extension, Wisconsin DNR, Wisconsin Farmers Union
Focus: To improve water quality in the Red Cedar and St. Croix River basins through reduced phosphorus and sediment loading; to increase farmer knowledge on, and engagement with, water quality issues, including the adoption of conservation practices; to develop leadership around water quality among farmers in the selected sub-watersheds; and to develop a unique collaborative model of water quality improvement through farmer engagement that can be replicated in watersheds throughout the Upper Mississippi River Basin and nationwide.
Approaches: Development of farmer-led councils in four pilot watersheds will be led by the project coordinator. Farmers will do P indexing on as many fields as possible within the watershed. Phosphorus reductions will be tracked based on P index assessments and conservation activities will be encouraged. The farmer councils will determine which conservation practices are most useful and attractive to farmers within the watershed and an incentives program will be created.