Soil Health

The transition from conventional tillage to strip till or no till can resemble the seven stages of grief as farmers work through the emotional and management changes that come with reducing tillage.

Soil health practices are increasing in Rice County, including the planting of cover crops on about 10,000 acres and no-till/strip-till on about 8000 acres.

Local organizations partner with farmers in the Rice Creek Watershed to study how cover crops affect nitrogen management and water quality.

For many people, fall is their favorite time of the year. The leaves are starting to change, the temperature has dropped, and you can open up the windows to let the fresh air in. Driving across Rice County’s beautiful countryside, one of the first things you will notice is that our farmers are out in the field, operating the combine, tractor, and truck, working long into the night. To our farmers and your families, we wish you a safe and bountiful harvest. As you are working

Local study finds nitrogen-rich cereal rye could help reduce fertilizer needs This spring, farmers from Rice and Steele counties joined forces to better understand the nutrient value of cover crops—specifically cereal rye—on their fields. With support from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota Extension, the Soil and Water Conservation Districts in Rice and Steele counties collected biomass samples from ten fields to assess the levels of n