Growing and connecting farmer networks to protect and restore waters in the Cannon River Watershed

This project builds a network of farmers practicing conservation in SE MN by providing cover crop incentives, recruiting conventional farmers into the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP), and educating new and small-scale farmers about the Agroforestry Poultry System (APS). By joining farmers of different backgrounds with each other and with conservation practices that benefit them and their land, Clean River Partners (CRP) will help steward a farming community whose actions provide economic and ecological benefits to regional watersheds.

This proposal improves water quality by implementing agroforestry and cover crops, two well-established BMPs, in 6 Cannon River subwatersheds. We will build on recent successes with our partners: an established cover crop project that has reduced nitrate in a self-sustaining trout stream, the establishment of the Cannon River Agricultural Collaborative (CRAC) which is a watershed-wide effort to introduce farmers MAWQCP, and previous partnerships with an established regenerative poultry farm that?s ready to expand its system.

This proposal will:

Provide cover crop incentives for 19 farmers on 1,325 acres to protect Rice, Heath, and Wolf Creeks
Host a field day for peer-to-peer learning about the efficacy and economics of cover crops
Conduct outreach in the Medford, Rush, and Prairie Creek watersheds to enroll 17 farmers in the MAWQCP by 2025
Host a farm tour highlighting water quality and conservation practices
Host 4 APS workshops with our partners, including the BIPOC-led Regenerative Agriculture Alliance (RAA)
Host a capstone event connecting farmers from all these activities to each other and our partners

These activities will lead to reduced nutrients in the focus subwatersheds, education and access to conservation practices for more than 300 farmers, a more sustainable and equitable food system, and a more diverse network of conservation practitioners in SE MN.