The Minnehaha Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (MSAI) Conservation Implementation Strategy (CIS) Project is entering its third year in northeastern Minnehaha County, serving Sioux Falls and the surrounding community working to improve land quality. This 3-year project is one of 17 selected in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 and federally-funded through the NRCS conservation programs in the 2018 Farm Bill.
This project addresses resource concerns surrounding plant and soil health/quality through the use of conservation practices, such as: High tunnels, cover crops, filter strips, and other supporting practices. This initiative will be implemented by the NRCS and Minnehaha Conservation District (CD) in collaboration with farmers, ranchers, and landowners within the project area who are eligible to apply for financial assistance. While applications are accepted year-round, interested landowners and operators in the project area who are eligible to apply for financial assistance are encouraged to apply by the review date for FY2023 which is February 24, 2023.
The NRCS' conservation specialists and partners are coordinating these projects throughout the state. Through collectively focusing expertise and resources on the most significant resource concerns in the highest priority areas, CIS projects can yield impressive returns. Collaborative funding and support from other agencies and groups create a coordinated community effort, as well as focus on mutual issues of concern. The MSAI is a partnership between the Minnehaha CD and the SD NRCS to directly benefit local producers in their pursuit of providing fresh quality products to the community. Project sponsors identified degraded plant quality, soil quality limitations, erosion, and pest pressure as resource concerns and developed this CIS project to address the situation. "This initiative allowed us to assist producers with multiple practices the first year, and we are excited to continue helping the community as the MSAI continues,” says Alina Krone-Hedman, Minnehaha CD Urban Conservation Education Coordinator, in Sioux Falls, SD.
To apply to be a part of this project, contact your local NRCS Service Center at www.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/find-a-service-center, or contact Brian Top at topsoilsd@gmail.com or (605) 359-5108, or Alina Krone-Hedman at minnehaha.urbanconservation@gmail.com or (605) 595-8052. For more information on the CIS in SD, or if you have ideas for a project, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/eqip-environmental-quality-incentives/south-dakota/south-dakota-conservation, or contact Jeff Vander Wilt, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, at jeffrey.vanderwilt@usda.gov or (605) 352-1226.
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