Assistance Availabe for Soil Health
Assistance Available for Certain Soil Health Land Management
Financial and technical assistance for certain soil health land management practices is available for South Dakota producers and landowners with land inside state watershed project boundaries and the northern counties of the James River Water Development District. The assistance is provided through the Soil Health Planning and Improvement Project being administered by the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition (SDSHC).
The purpose of the project is to improve water quality by reducing runoff and helping producers store more precipitation in their soil by improving their water infiltration rates and storage capacity. By using soil health practices, producers and landowners can improve their drought resilience and improve the quality of the state’s rivers, lakes, and streams.
Through this project, technical assistance and cost sharing funds are available for planting cover crops, planting forage and biomass in riparian areas, and fencing, planting riparian buffers, and stock watering best management practices for pasture grazing. SDSHC staff will also provide advice and technical assistance for other conservation practices and work with landowners to determine the availability of financial assistance for best management practices for their operations.
To qualify for the project’s financial assistance, supported work must occur in South Dakota’s active Section 319 watershed project areas or the northern counties of the James River Water Development District. These include South Central Watershed Project, Northeast Glacial Lakes Watershed Project, Belle Fourche River Watershed Project, Upper Big Sioux River Watershed Project, Big Sioux River Watershed Project, Spink County, Brown County, Beadle County and portions of Marshall County.
Participating landowners and operators must complete an application and be willing to provide documentation of work completed, including receipts for services and materials, documentation of time spent on supported work, and before and after photos. All supported practices must be approved by SDSHC prior to beginning work and verified by SDSHC staff after work completion. Participation in the program is also dependent upon available funds.
To learn more about the project and receive an application, contact SDSHC Coordinator Cindy Zenk at 605-280-4190 or sdsoilhealth@ gmail.com or if you are a Grant County producer, please contact Grant County Conservation District (605) 432-6570 ext. 3.
