Programs provide funding for soil saving measures

by Chrystal Houston, UBBNRD

When Matt Grosshans started farming seven years ago in Hamilton County, he was interested in regenerative agriculture practices he’d learned about in college, including cover crops, reduced tillage and rotational cropping systems. However, it wasn’t until extreme weather patterns started impacting his operation that he realized these practices weren’t just a good idea, they were essential to maintaining his most valuable resource -- his soil.
Erosion control was the biggest concern for Grosshans, who was tired of seeing his strip-tilled fields washed out with heavy spring rains. The flooding in 2019 was eye-opening, as his hillier acres saw an unprecedented amount of erosion. Damage from that event is still apparent in some areas. 
“Last year we got a six-inch rain in early May in like an hour,” he said. “Extreme heavy rainfall really needs good soil structure or else there’s erosion. I am interested in the long-term sustainability of the soil, especially for fields that I farm that are more challenging.”
Grosshans partnered with the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District (NRD) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to take advantage of funding and technical assistance for installing cover crops. He planted 350 acres of rye after corn and beans in fall 2021.

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