Natural Resources Conservation Service

Mission

The mission of the Natural Resources Conservation Service is to provide USDA technical leadership, working in partnership with local, state, and other federal conservation agencies and organizations, to help people conserve, improve and sustain our natural resources.

Vision

A productive Minnesota in harmony with a sustainable environment.

Helping People Help the Land

The Natural Resources Conservation Service assists the Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District with the application of soil conservation, water conservation, water quality, and wildlife habitat practices for all land owners in the county. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance for various conservation practices such as: terraces, water and sediment control basins, grassed waterways, ag waste storage structures, residue management, nutrient management, wildlife habitat plantings, and windbreaks. Financial assistance is provided through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

For more information contact the Waite Park Field Office at 320-251-7800 Extension 3 or visit the Minnesota NRCS Web site at: http://www.mn.nrcs.usda.gov/.

An Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

NRCS-SWCD History

The relationship between Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a long-standing relationship that started during the dustbowl era of the 1930's. 

SWCD's are local units of government, each with a locally-elected Board of Supervisors, which cover the entire state; their boundaries are based on county lines.  Their function is to identify local conservation needs, and prioritize the expenditures of conservation funds, ensuring that the investment will provide long-term protection of natural resources.

NRCS is a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture that provides technical leadership to help people conserve, improve, and sustain our natural resources with durable, well-designed conservation measures.

Stearns County Conservation Partnership

The Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), along with our partners from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), work to provide voluntary, incentive-based conservation opportunities for Stearns County landowners to help keep our working lands productive, while improving our soil and water quality.  The co-location of our office with USDA means that our office can help coordinate cost-sharing for landowners from local, state and federal programs. 

Many of the private landowners who invest their own money in conservation don't distinguish between local, state and federal conservation programs.  They appreciate being able to put a face to the people helping them care for their land and water, and value the convenience and accessibility of a local service center.  

USDA-NRCS payments to landowners through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in Stearns County. 

Historically, the SWCD has worked with agricultural producers, but in recent years the needs of non-rural landowners have increased.  The new Minnesota Clean Water Legacy funds also enable us to assist non-rural land occupiers with their erosion control and water quality concerns.  Efforts to address these issues have resulted in lakeshore and streambank improvements, rain gardens, and other natural resource projects.  Our joint conservation efforts, along with the Board of Water and Soil Resources, watershed districts, and lake associations, have worked together to improve the quality of the natural resources in Stearns County and central Minnesota.  But, there is still work to be done!