The Allamakee County SWCD currently has a project to help landowners include conservation in their farm leases by updating their NRCS conservation plan(s) and plan maps to include them as an addendum to the farm lease.   This free service is available to anyone in Allamakee County. Since we have an active watershed project in the Waterloo Creek Watershed, we would really like to encourage Waterloo (Bee/Duck) Creek landowners, in both the Iowa and Minnesota portions, to consider participating in this project. This project helps to facilitate discussion between the landowners and tenants regarding their goals and priorities for the land.  More information about this project can be found by clicking here.

By including a conservation plan and map in the lease, both the landowner and renter know where specific conservation practices should be installed and maintained. By having this information written down and drawn out on a map, there is less confusion in the future. Much of the land in Allamakee County is highly erodible (HEL) and the producer is required to be following a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) approved conservation system on the HEL acres in order to be eligible for USDA Program benefits.

If you have any interest in participating in this project or would like more information, please contact Sara Berges at the Allamakee SWCD by calling (563) 568-2246 ext. 3, emailing [email protected], or stopping by the office at 635 9^th St NW in Waukon.