69th SWCS International Annual Conference July 27-30, 2014 Lombard, IL

1. Clean Water Grows
Soil and Water Conservation Society
Lara Bryant, National Wildlife Federation
July 28, 2014
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2. Agenda
• Cover crops and water
• Status of cover crop adoption
• Strategies to increase adoption
• Examples of ag and water partnerships from Clean Water
Grows
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3. It costs $4.8 billion annually to remove nitrates from
drinking water, $1.7 billion from ag runoff.
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USGS

4. How do cover crops improve water quality?
Reduce sediment runoff
– N and P loading
Reduce nitrate leaching
Reduce need for fertilizer,
chemical inputs
Mustard. Allegan Conservation District
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5. And by how much…?
Every 1% increase in soil organic matter can increase soil
water storage by 16,000 gallons – NCAT
Winter rye cover reduced nitrate loss in tile drainage system
by 43% - Kaspar, 2014
Cover crops reduce phosphorus pollution by 50% - Iowa
Nutrient Reduction Strategy
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6. Goal = 20 million acres by 2020
10.3 million acres of cover crops =
2.6% of cropland
911k, 3%
596K, 4.7%
328K,
23%
70K,
16%

7. Why don’t more farmers use cover crops?
Fact: Change takes time and costs money
Myth: Cover crops won’t work in my region…
Myth: Cover crops won’t work in my cropping system…
Fact: Cover crops can work almost anywhere with proper
management, but there is a learning curve.
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8. Roadmap to Increased Adoption
• Support the champions
• Address policy barriers
• Advance cover crop
research
• Improve technology and
equipment availability
• Develop a unified and
compelling message
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9. Cover Crop Champions
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10. Clean Water Grows Case Studies
www.nwf.org/cleanwatergrows

11. Yahara Watershed, Wisconsin
Adaptive management
– 4 year project
– Common fund
Yahara Pride Farms
– Farmer led board
– 422 acres, Dane
County
– Goal: 3100 lbs of P
– Cost $40/lb
Wisconsin: 553K, 6%
Clean Lakes Alliance

12. Miami River Conservancy District, Ohio
Nutrient trading program
– EPA and USDA funding
Cost of POTW upgrades =
$422 million
Conservation practices =
$50 million
– 572 tons of nutrient
reductions
– $0.36-2.00/lb of P
Ohio: 357K, 3% Daniel Johnson Jr., flickr

13. Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy
Iowa: 379K, 1.4%
Practice potential
– 28% less N
– 50% less P
Increase cover crops to 60-
95% of acres
Practical Farmers of Iowa

14. Great Lakes Cover Crop Initiative
Funded through GLRI
Goal: Increase cover crop acreage by 15,000 in 3 years
Achieved: 20,000 cover crop acres in 18 months
Reductions:
– 68,000 lbs N
– 22,000 lbs P
– 2,700,000 lbs sediment
Michigan: 437K, 6%
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15. Indiana
Indiana: 596K, 4.7%
– Some estimates show 1
million acres
Conservation Cropping
Systems Initiative
– Mentoring
– Field Days
Clean Water Indiana
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Dan Perkins

16. Maryland
429,818 acres of cover
crops in 2012 (MDA)
60% of eligible acres
(MDA)
2012 Census data: 328K,
23%
Reductions:
– 2.58 million lbs of N
– 86,000 lbs of PMaryland Department of Agriculture (MDA)

17. Keys to Success
1. Stakeholder involvement
2. Easy enrollment
3. Adaptive approach/flexibility
4. Farmer-to-farmer approach
5. Building trust
6. Program consistency
7. Technical assistance

18. Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
Funding opportunity
Eligible partners - municipal water treatment facilities, water
districts, NGOs, state agencies, higher education, tribes,
and agricultural agencies
Critical conservation areas (8), national and state
Pre-proposal deadline passed, July 14
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/pr
ograms/farmbill/rcpp/
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19. Let’s get started! Contact bryantl@nwf.org for more info or
to start a working group
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Maryland Department of Agriculture