Pope Soil & Water

Providing Quality Conservation Resources since 1949

Providing Quality Conservation Resources Since 1949

WALK IN ACCESS PROGRAM ENROLLMENT OPEN

Landowner enrollment has now begun for the Walk-In Access (WIA) program. The 2021 sign-up goes from March 15 to May 14. Since 2011 its purpose has been to pay private landowners for allowing the public to hunt on their land. The land must be a minimum of 40 acres with high-quality natural vegetation cover. Similar vegetation cover can be found on land already enrolled in conservation programs such as Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) or Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM). The use of the land is only allowed for hunting from Sept. 1 through May 31.

Walk-In Access has expanded through Minnesota and now includes 50 counties and covers 30,000 acres for hunters. If you are interested in using WIA land, you must pay the $3 permit when purchasing your hunting license.

Benefits for enrolling include:

  1. 2021 sign-up has an increased payment rate of $18/acre.
  2. Contracts are only 1 to 3 years long.
  3. MN DNR Conservation Officers enforce hunting laws.
  4. Can be an additional pay to existing conservation programs such as CRP or RIM.
  5. DNR will set up and provide signs around property enrolled in the program.
  6. Access to additional habitat for hunters to enjoy. Also giving an opportunity for new hunters to go to.

Pope County has been able to be a part of this program for many years and we hope to continue this partnership. Our office provides Minnesota DNR Walk-In Access mapping books if anyone is looking for a location to hunt. If you have any questions about the WIA program please contact Pope SWCD and ask for Nicole Brede at 320-634-5327.

Pope SWCD Recognized with Environmental Excellence Award

We are excited to announce that Pope SWCD is the recipient of the 2021 Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) Environmental Excellence Award for our work over the past several years in the Lake Minnewaska sub watershed project area.

Ross Reiffenberger, West Central Technical Service Area Engineer, nominated Pope SWCD for this award. From his nomination letter, “For years, the Pope SWCD has been working with landowners to educate and install erosion control practices on their land.” Since just 2014, $1,173,300 has been invested in the protection efforts for Lake Minnewaska from the Board of Soil and Water Resources (BWSR) state funded resources including the Clean Water Fund. It should be noted that some projects leveraged federal funding through the Natural Resources Conservation Service which would be in addition to the state funding shown. The SWCD in partnership have implemented 54 practices with 13 new ones in the planning phase.

The Pope SWCD is currently working with the City of Glenwood on a major ravine repair project.Thank you to Ross Reiffenberger and MECA for this recognition. It takes a village to be successful and we are fortunate here in Pope County we have a great community and partners. To learn more about MECA visit: https://mnerosion.org/

To learn more about the Clean Water Fund visit: https://www.legacy.mn.gov/clean-water-fund

Pictured below: Pope SWCD Staff Nicole Brede, Holly Kovarik, Jessica Hoheisel, Kelly Erickson. Pope SWCD Board Keith Nygaard, Tom Talle, Randy Pederson, D. Gary Reents, and Randy Mitteness

Virtual Manure Management Field Day a Success!

The Pope and Stearns SWCDs worked together to put together a Virtual Manure Management Field Day which was held on January 7th, 2021. The event had over 100 people registered.

During the virtual event, there were live interviews from Greg Vold, co-owner of Dorrich Dairy, Tim Woeste, co-owner of Upper Midwest Pumping, LLC, and Kevin Wolter, Business Development Manager, Bazooka Farmstar. There were research updates from University of Minnesota Extension staff members Melissa Wilson on manure management, Jodi DeJong-Hughes on tillage, and Anna Cates on soil health. There was also drone footage featuring the application of manure taking place on Dorrich Dairy.

A special thank you to Minnesota Department of Agriculture for sponsoring the event through the Minnesota Agriculture Water Quality Certification Program funding via the Clean Water Fund. Thank you Dorrich Dairy, Stearns SWCD, University of Minnesota Extension, Upper Midwest Pumping/Woeste Custom Harvesting, and Bazooka Farmstar.

Virtual Manure Management Field Day – Zoom Meeting (01.08.2021) – YouTube

Conservation Reserve Program Sign Up to start on January 4, 2021

CRP – General -Signup 56

It’s that time of year again with another sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) coming up soon. The CRP is intended to allow the option for farmers to remove environmentally sensitive land from agriculture production and in return receive a yearly rental payment. The producer must plant native species that will improve the health and quality of the land by giving it a 10-15 year rest from production.

On November 12, 2020 the USDA announced the next General CRP signup (Signup 56). This signup will start on January 4, 2021 and run through February 12, 2021. 

General CRP is competitive and uses the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) to rank eligible offers for selection. Some producers are familiar with the bidding process for eligibility and the FSA staff will help you through this.

We also want to remind producers that we do have Continuous CRP open as well. Continuous CRP is not a perpetual easement and does not require a competitive bid, acres that qualify can be automatically enrolled. This program offers different types of conservation practices but has more limitations on what can be enrolled.

It is important to remember that CRP land must meet certain eligibility criteria including ownership and cropping history.  If you are interested in signing up for these programs, please contact your local FSA office. Pope County FSA office can be reached at 320-634-5143 ext 2.

https://www.fsa.usda.gov/news-room/news-releases/2020/usda-to-open-signup-for-the-conservation-reserve-program-and-crp-grasslands-in-early-2021