Methodology
 

Literature Review

-- Sustainable Ag and 
    Watershed Conservation
-- Government Programs
-- Barriers to Conservation
    Farming
-- Creating an Enabling 
    Environment for 
    Conservation Farming
 

Research Project: Conservation Farming in Northfield, MN

--  Watershed Conservation
    on Northfield Farms
-- Government Programs
-- Barriers to Conservation
    Farming
-- Creating an Enabling 
    Environment for 
    Conservation Farming
 

In Pictures: Northfield Farms
 

Educational Program Development for Conservation Farming in Northfield, MN
 

Conclusions
 

Acknowledgements
 

Literature Cited
 

I interviewed 11 farmers in the Northfield area regarding conservation practices in place on their farms, the impact of government technical and financial programs and government policies on the implementation of conservation farming practices, and the major barriers to implementation of conservation farming practices.  When possible, I conducted these interviews on their farms in order to tour the farm and see conservation practices in place. 

In my interviews with farmers, I sought to answer the following questions: 

1) What conservation practices are currently being practiced, or could be practiced, on farms in the Northfield area in order to protect surface and groundwater?  Under what environmental conditions (soils, rainfall, climate) are each of these practices appropriate and effective? 

2) What government technical and financial assistance programs are available to farmers seeking to implement watershed conservation measures on their farms?  How effective are these policies in reaching interested farmers and enabling implementation of sustainable practices?  Specifically, I inquired about the use of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and the Conservation Security Program (CSP). 

3) What are the main barriers to implementation of watershed conservation practices on Northfield farms? 

4) What changes in education, policies, and society would enable farmers to effectively conserve soil and water resources? 

My selection of interviewees was decidedly nonrandom, as I actively sought out farmers practicing soil and water conservation on their farms.  Contacts were made based on references from farmers that I had a previous working relationship with from a Biology independent research on agricultural ecology, and from the directory of the Sustainable Farming Association of the Cannon River Region.  The small sample size and nonrandom selection process does not allow me to generalize about American farmers or even southeast Minnesota farmers.  However, by focusing on farms that have made efforts to implement conservation practices on their farms, I gained a sense of the possibilities and constraints inherent in conservation farming in the Cannon River Region of southeast Minnesota. 

I also interviewed three agricultural educators (two staff members of the Rice and Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation Districts and one agricultural extension agent) in order to draw on the knowledge obtained through working with people involved in agriculture on issues of soil and watershed conservation.  From the extension agents, I sought to gain an understanding of how scientific research can be communicated to the agricultural community in recommendations for management practices.  From the SWCD staff, I inquired about the resources that they provide to farmers seeking to implement conservation practices, and which resources seem to be most helpful. 

The primary purpose of my interviews with farmers and extension agents in the Northfield area was to localize and apply the knowledge gained from a Literature Review on conservation farming practices, government technical and financial assistance programs, and barriers to conservation farming.  The interviews provided a sense of conservation practices that are appropriate to the Northfield area, both ecologically (based on soil type, climate, etc.) and socio-economically (based on farm size, farm income, labor, etc.).  Data gathered from interviews on conservation practices in place, use of government technical and financial assistance programs, barriers to conservation farming, and possible changes to promote conservation farming are summarized and presented on the Web page, Conservation Farming in Northfield, MN.  This written statement is a summary of the impressions that I took away from talking with farmers.  With written consent from the interviewees, I include names and / or descriptions of individuals’ farms and photos in connection with specific responses to my questions to give more context to the responses, or as examples.

In order to carry out my interviews with farmers, SWCD staff, and agricultural extension agents, I applied to the St. Olaf College Institutional Review Board and received approval for my research design and interview materials.  Each interviewee received an information sheet describing the objectives of my project and how the data would be used.  Interviewees also received an Informed Consent form in which they specified their preferences for use of their names, specific information about their farms, and use of photos taken on their farms in the project.  On the page Conservation Farming in Northfield, MN, some farmers are referred to by first and last name, some by first name only, and some are not referred to by name, according to their preferences.
 
 

Education and Outreach Program Development for Conservation Farming in Northfield, MN

After gaining a better understanding of the difficulties farmers face in implementing conservation farming practices, I worked to develop an educational program that will help enable citizens in Northfield to contribute to good stewardship of local land and water resources.  Specifically, I designed a Conservation Farming Presentation and an accompanying Conservation Farming Handout to be used in outreach programs of the Cannon River Watershed Partnership.  These are presented on the Web Page, Educational Program Development for Conservation Farming in Northfield, MN.