Rock County Conservation

09/04/2026

🌱 SOIL HEALTH COST-SHARE AVAILABLE! 🌱

Are you a producer in the Pipestone, Split Rock, or Mound Creek Watershed in Rock or Pipestone County? Pipestone County Conservation & Zoning You may be eligible for Soil Health Cost-Share!

📋 2-Year Contracts Available:

🚜 $30/acre — No-Till &/or Strip-Till
Up to 500 acres

🌾 $40/acre — Single-Species Cover Crop
Up to 375 acres

🌱 $60/acre — Multi-Species Cover Crop
Up to 250 acres

✨ Flexible contracts! Soil Health acres can be rotated between fields as long as the fields are located within the eligible watersheds.

🗺️ Check out the map to see if your fields are eligible!

📞 Interested or have questions? Stop by or give the Rock Land Management/SWCD Office a call to learn more and get signed up!

🌎 Invest in your soil. Improve your farm. Build healthier soils for the future.

08/28/2026

Got to see a local drone applicator fly on some cover crops into standing soybeans today!

Aerial seeding gives the cover crop a chance to get established early and make the most of the remaining growing season. Another step toward protecting our soil and setting the field up for next year.

08/21/2026

08/06/2026

We're opening the next round of our Soil Health Financial Assistance Program Grants for application on Aug. 3. The grant helps people purchase or retrofit equipment to support soil-building practices. A total of $5 million is available.

Info 🔗 https://www.mda.state.mn.us/5-million-available-soil-health-equipment-grants-0

08/06/2026

Farmers in Nobles and Rock counties in MN may be eligible for federal disaster recovery loans due to drought conditions after USDA Secretary Rollins designated a contiguous Iowa county as a primary natural disaster area. Apply with your local Farm Service Agency office.

Info 🔗 https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/minnesota
Check out our Rural Finance Authority's Disaster Recovery Loan program for more options: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/disasterloan

08/03/2026

This is a great opportunity to learn more about Strip-Till

07/24/2026

06/08/2026

Your trees are thirsty. Newly planted trees need 15–25 gallons of water once a week for the first 3–5 years.

Help them beat the heat:

💧Set a hose on a slow trickle for 1–2 hours, rotating it around the tree every 20 minutes or so.
💧Use a 5-gallon bucket to slowly pour water around the base.
💧Use a tree watering bag and refill it as needed.

Also remember to mulch properly — about 3 inches deep in a donut shape, keeping mulch away from the trunk.

Watering once a week during hot, dry spells is one of the easiest ways to reduce stress on trees and help them thrive.

Learn more at mndnr.gov/tree-care

05/22/2026

04/30/2026

We still have trees available. Please call the office if you are interested. 🌳🌲🌳🌲