Soil Health Programs
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
The Scott SWCD offers financial incentives for a variety of soil health practices including cover crops, no till, and nutrient management. Soil health practices focus on reducing soil and nutrient loss from farm fields, primarily by keeping the soil covered. These practices aim to improve soil structure and infiltration, reduce erosion, and in turn, improve water and air quality.
If you're interested in installing soil health practices, the Scott SWCD is available to help every step of the way from planning, to planting. Scott SWCD technicians are available to provide free technical assistance to all Scott County land owners and producers. In addition to that service, grant funds are also available for implementing these practices.
Soil Health Practice Descriptions:
Program Guidelines for Cover Crops:
Cover crop applications must be submitted by Monday, August 3, 2026 to
Diann Vosejpka dvosejpka@scottswcd.org
Cover crops consist of grasses, legumes, or other herbaceous plants seeded individually or in mixes either before or after harvest of the primary crop.
The primary benefits of cover crops include reducing erosion and improving the soil's physical and biological properties. Healthy soil yields less runoff and improves nutrient and water utilization by crops.
Cover crops have also been shown to break through a plow pan, reduce weed pressure, and improve crop diversity on farms. Evidence shows that growing cover crops increases resilience in heavy rainfall events, and under drought conditions. Cover crops help when it doesn’t rain, they help when it rains, and they help when it pours!
Scroll through our Cover Crop photo gallery
Program Guidelines for High Residue Management:
High Residue Management, which includes no-till and strip-till, is the practice of limiting soil-disturbing activities to only those necessary to place nutrients and seed in the ground. Traditional practices such as fall tillage and spring cultivating are avoided entirely.
The primary benefits of no till are drastically reduced soil erosion and sediment loss. Over time soil health including organic matter and structure improve, which helps increase water infiltration and reduce runoff volumes.
According to the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, an increase in cover of just 10% can reduce the amount of wind lost soil particles by 30%.
Benefits of No-Till:
Time and equipment savings
Erosion prevention
Soil structure improvement
Scroll through our High Residue Management photo gallery
Project Guidelines for Nutrient Management:
Nutrient Management is managing the amount, source, placement, form and timing of crop fertilizers. Our program follows fertilizer recommendations backed by years of University of Minnesota research. The purpose of this program is to prevent over-application of crop nutrients, reducing pollution to surface and groundwater resources.
Benefits of Nutrient Management:
Cost Savings
Fertilizer Efficiency
Nutrient Runoff Reduction
View our Soil Health Virtual Tour
Explore an interactive slideshow of local producers using soil health practices in Scott County. Each spot will showcase the progression of soil health practices throughout the 2026 growing season.
