
"Farmers Helping Farmers to Protect Water Quality"
Go to www.waterqualityfarming.org for more information!
Purpose
- To communicate benefits of conservation practices to the larger community
- To assist in educating landowners about BMP’s (best management practices)
- To promote more conservation practice implementation
- To bring more farms to MAEAP (Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program) verification
Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Cover crops help to reduce erosion and increase fertility and water holding capacity of the soil. Cover crops can also help to manage the growth of weeds, disease and pests.
Filter strips reduce erosion and increase water infiltration through the soil. This can help to reduce the amount of nutrients found in runoff that ultimately enters the Western Lake Erie Basin.
Crop rotation can replenish soil nutrients, leading to improved yield. It can also reduce common crop pests and diseases. Ted (left) and Matt (right) Hinderer of Chelsea won a Yield Hero Award for their 2014 corn crop. The corn was grown in rotation with soybeans the previous year. The corn crop required only 137 lbs of total nitrogen additions.
Partners & Sponsors
A BIG THANK YOU to all of our partners and sponsors, including Southeastern Michigan Farmers!
River Raisin Watershed Council
Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS)
Michigan Association of Conservation Districts
Greenstone Farm Credit Services
Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP)
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner
Lenawee County Drain Commissioner
Natural Resources Working Group