Resources for Farmers

We work with our partners to provide Lower St. Croix watershed farmers and rural landowners technical assistance, resources, and education/outreach to support implementation of economical conservation practices that have water quality and soil health benefits.

Learn more about our:

Contact your county soil and water conservation district with requests for free site visits or additional information.

Keep up with us!
Interested in receiving regular updates where we promote ongoing program and learning opportunities? Join our email list (we promise not to spam you). You can also follow us on our Facebook page.

FARMER MENTOR PROGRAM

Interested in trying something new on your acres but not sure where to start? Get in touch with one of our local mentors! Serving Chisago, Isanti, and Washington counties, these mentors have years of experience with water- and soil-minded management strategies like reducing tillage, integrating cover crops, managing grazing, and more. They can advise farmers new to these practices and those already using them who are looking to optimize their approach, reduce risk, and boost ROI. Read on to find out which mentor may be the best fit for you and give them a call today!

Tim Behrends

Contact: 651-437-1693

Areas of Expertise: No-till, cover crops, perennial plantings

About Tim: Tim started farming in 1980 after getting a BSB in Business Ag. He currently farms corn, soy, and rye for seed on 160 acres with his son, Sam, in the southern end of Washington County. He started no-tilling his acres 20 years ago and added cover crops shortly after. Tim made the switch because he was dealing with substantial soil erosion on his hillsides after every big rain. After no-till and cover crops, he noticed much less erosion and larger yields, so he kept going. He chose to be a mentor to help other farmers be more profitable and save soil. Outside of farming, you may find Tim up north on a Boundary Waters Canoe trip with family. He has completed 37 American Birkebeiner ski races. 

RYAN LIND

Contact: Phone call is best, 612-760-0879

Areas of Expertise: No-till, strip till, vertical till, reduced till, cover crops, adding a small grain, crop rotation beyond corn-soy, nutrient management, pasture & hay plantings, grazing cover crops, perennial plantings, precision ag, soil health analysis

About Ryan: Ryan co-owns and operates Ag Strategies, LLC, an independent crop consulting company in east central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin, specializing in grid soil sampling, VRT precision ag, nutrient management, scouting, and agronomy consulting. Together with Garret Pearson, he also owns and operates Riverside Farms – 450 acres of no-till corn, soybeans, and small grains just southeast of Rush City. Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in Crop & Soils from UW-River Falls and is a Certified Crop Advisor in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Ryan uses soil health practices to help build production on his acres for his generation and the next, and to work towards the long-term goal of growing more with less commercial input. Outside of his work with Ag Strategies and Riverside Farms, he likes to spend time outdoors with his family and serves as a volunteer firefighter for Rush City.

LANCE PETERSEN

Contact: Text is best, 612-532-0069 

Areas of Expertise: Strip till, nutrient management, precision ag

About Lance: Lance grew up on the family farm near Rush City, and now farms 900 acres of corn and soybeans with his dad, Chuck, and cousin, Rick. Lance has 15 years of experience with strip tilling, including modifying and custom building equipment to better meet the needs of farming on varied soils. Lance split-applies nutrients by banding dry in spring, planter-applying liquid fertilizer, and doing an in-season side dress of nitrogen. Lance uses soil health practices to increase profitability and efficiency of time in the cab and to limit off-field detriments to others. He also likes a good challenge and appreciates getting to design, prototype, and build new equipment. He chose to be a mentor after experiencing how tough it can be to find advice at the local level with these practices. When he’s not farming, he likes to listen to live music, enjoy a rooftop patio, and river kayak the St. Croix.

JON SCHMITT

Contact: Call or text, 320-247-2795

Areas of Expertise: No-till, reduced till, cover crops, adding a small grain, crop rotation beyond corn-soy, prescribed grazing, pasture & hay plantings, grazing cover crops, perennial plantings

About Jon: Jon grew up on a 100-cow dairy near Rice, MN. After getting his degree from the University of Minnesota in Agronomy and Dairy Production, he started working in the agronomy sector and is currently with Peterson’s North Branch Mill. Jon is a certified crop advisor with experience in a wide range of management systems. He also farms 90 acres just south of Pine City in a corn/soy/rye rotation followed by multispecies cover crop. Jon uses soil health practices to reduce costs with tightening margins and because he believes farming with nature is a lot easier than fighting her. When he’s not working with Peterson’s or on the farm, Jon enjoys taking his wife and kids out on the lake.

MIKE SLATER

Contact: 651-434-1209 or mvslater439@gmail.com

Areas of Expertise: No-till, strip till, vertical till, cover crops, adding a small grain, crop rotation beyond corn-soy, pasture & hay planting

About Mike: Mike grew up helping his grandparents on their hobby farm. When he got the itch to start farming himself, he began with 15 acres of hay and has expanded to 600 acres of corn, soy, rye, and hay in the Hugo/Scandia area. After getting degrees in Ag Communications & Marketing with an emphasis in Crops & Soils and in Animal Science with an emphasis in Beef Production from the University of Minnesota, he started working as a sales agronomist with Federated Co-op. His acres are predominantly no-till in a corn-corn-soy rotation, with rye and hay rotating in where fit. He started using no-till for timing reasons – needing to cut a pass out of the system to balance on-farm and off-farm work. After being surprised at how well the no-till system worked, particularly during the ’22 and ’23 droughts, he decided to stick with it. When he’s not farming or working with Federated, Mike loves to travel, whether it’s just driving around the state crop scouting or heading out of the state or country to see somewhere new. Pictured: Mike (right) and his grandfather.

upcoming events and Learning OPPORTUNITIES

Events

Field days, workshops, networking - our partners are very interested in providing opportunities for producers to network and learn from each other.

Please be sure to regularly check our Events page for upcoming learning and networking opportunities.

Ag in Action Video Series:
Join our ag staff as they travel the Lower St. Croix watershed to work with and learn from our farmers. From showcasing different tillage practices to digging deep into soil health, there’s a little bit of everything to explore!

Conversations with a Farmer Video Series:
Farming in east-central Minnesota has unique challenges - with a shorter growing season and variable soil types - farming ‘breeds’ different here. This video series features interviews with area farmers and talks about everything from their tillage practices to nutrient management to where they go to get information.

Conservation Blogs across the Lower St. Croix Watershed:
Educators Barbara Heitkamp and Angie Hong host blogs that regularly share stories and conservation tips across the watershed, including:

Available programs

Click on the organizations below to learn about ongoing potential funding programs. In process of updating (Feb 2024).

  • Agricultural Conservation Program

    The Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership has a program to provide technical and financial assistance for non-structural practices. Conservation staff will work one on one with you to create an individualized plan to integrate with your system. Covered practices include cover crops, nutrient management, prescribed grazing, no-till and strip till, and other conservation tillage*.

    Contact your county SWCD to learn more.

    *available practices can vary by county

  • EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

    Offers a large selection of practices producers and landowners can implement (cover crops, no-till, strip till, conservation tillage, grazing, windbreaks, nutrient and pest management, erosion control). Contract length varies depending on practice(s) chosen, applicants receive payments after they implement the practice(s). Payment rates are approximately 60% of actual costs. Can submit an application at any time. NRCS will process applications 1-2 times annually generally in the spring, the program is competitive.

    Click to learn more.

    Continuous CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) through the Farm State Agency and NRCS

    Up to a 15 year program of putting crop ground into perennial vegetation (native and introduced species). Receive an annual rental payment based on the 3 most predominant soils in the offer area. Contracts begin 10/1 – 11/1 annually, can apply anytime.

    Click to learn more.

    CSP (Conservation Stewardship Program) through the NRCS

    A 5-year program in which you receive a payment based on the conservation practices currently using and payment for additional practices agreed to implement. CSP offers a variety of enhancements to add to the operation. Applications can be submitted at any time, applications are processed annually (typically in spring).

    Click to learn more.

    Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) contacts for the Lower St. Croix Watershed:

    Anoka County: Logan Berg - (763) 567-5367, logan.j.berg@usda.gov

    Chisago County: Megan Lindberg - (651) 674-2333, megan.lindberg@usda.gov

    Isanti County: Brian Steffen - (763) 689-3354, brain.steffen@usda.gov

    Pine County: Jason Rehn - (320) 384-7432, jason.rehn@usda.gov

    Washington County: Matt Lundberg - (651) 605-6416, matthew.lundberg@usda.gov

  • Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) through the MN Department of Agriculture, NRCS and county SWCDs

    The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) is a voluntary opportunity for farmers and agricultural landowners to take the lead in implementing conservation practices that protect our water.

    Through this program, certified producers receive:

    Regulatory certainty: certified producers are deemed to be in compliance with any new water quality rules or laws during the period of certification (10 years)
    Recognition: certified producers may use their status to promote their business as protective of water quality
    Priority for technical assistance: producers seeking certification can obtain specially designated technical and financial assistance to implement practices that promote water quality from two avenues:
    MDA grant for ag practices providing up to 75% cost share with a maximum payment of $5,000 for those already certified or actively seeking certification
    RCPP (Regional Conservation Partnership Program): The MAWQCP provides RCPP grants through NRCS to provide a special funding pool of conservation funds.

    MAWQCP contacts for the lower St. Croix Watershed:

    Metro (Anoka and Washington Counties): Will Bomier, (651) 201-6141, will.bomier@state.mn.us

    Northeast MN (Isanti, Pine, and Chisago Counties): Ryan Clark (218) 384-3891 x6 ryan.clark@carltonswcd.org

  • Chisago Soil and Water Conservation District (www.chisagoswcd.org)
    Contact:     Mary Jo Youngbauer - (651) 674-2333, mary.youngbauer@mn.nacdnet.net OR Jacquelynn Olson, 651/674-2333, jacquelynn.olson@mn.nacdnet.net

    Available Programs:

    Cost Share Program – Technical planning and financial assistance to implement conservation practices

    Goose & Rush Creek Watershed – Technical assistance and implementation funding for erosion control, wetland restoration, and soil health practices, expires December 2026

    Chisago Lakes Lake Improvement District - Technical assistance and implementation funding for soil health practices as well as urban and agricultural erosion control projects, expires Dec 2025

    St. Croix Direct Drainage area - Technical assistance and implementation funding for erosion control, wetland restoration, and soil health practices, expires Dec 2025

  • Washington Conservation District (www.mnwcd.org)
    Contact: Angela Defenbaugh (651) 796-2262, adefenbaugh@mnwcd.org
    Sign up for a FREE site visit.

    Available Programs:

    Cost Share Program – Technical planning and financial assistance to implement conservation practices

    Cost Share Non-Structural Practices - Includes cover crops, nutrient management, prescribed grazing, residue and tillage management

  • Isanti Soil and Water Conservation District (www.isantiswcd.org)
    Contact: Matthew Remer - (763) 689-3271, MRemer@IsantiSWCD.org

    Available Programs (PDF available via this link):

    • Cost Share Program – Technical planning and financial assistance to implement conservation practices (https://tinyurl.com/isantiprograms)

    • Cost Share Non-Structural Practices – Includes cover crops (multi-species) and residue and tillage management, both 3 year contracts

    Green Lake Watershed – 100% funding, examples of projects filter strips, grassed waterways, wetland restorations, water and sediment control basins (WASCOBs), cover crops, residue and tillage management

    Rum River Watershed:

    • Technical assistance and implementation funding for erosion control, wetland restoration, and soil health practices

    • Technical assistance and funding for tree planting on permanently protected land (Conservation Easements and/or 20+ yr Sustainable Forest Incentive Act lands)

    • Reinvest in MN (RIM) perpetual conservation easements, restoring vegetation and hydrology to pre-settlement conditions, pays 60% of land value

  • Pine Soil and Water Conservation District (www.pineswcd.com)
    Contact: Paul Swanson - (320) 216-4241 paul.swanson@co.pine.mn.us

    Available Programs:
    Cost Share Program – Technical planning and financial assistance to implement conservation practice

    Snake and Kettle River Watersheds – Reinvest in MN (RIM) perpetual conservation easements, restoring vegetation and hydrology to pre-settlement conditions, pays 60% of land value

  • Anoka Soil and Water Conservation District (www.anokaswcd.org)
    Contact: Jamie Schurbon - (763) 434-2030 x210, jamie.schurbon@anokaswcd.org

    Available Programs:

    Cost Share Program – Technical planning and financial assistance to implement conservation practices


Resources

Below find information on a variety of topics that may be of interest to farmers/rural landowners.

Disclaimer: The resources and links on this page are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership (Partnership) of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. The Partnership bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.

Lower St. Croix One Watershed-One Plan (LSC1W1P)