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Financial Assistance Available for Tree Shelterbelts

This is the time of the year to start planning a shelterbelt for spring. Our staff can help plan a shelterbelt that will perform its function and choose species suitable to your site.

Cost-share programs available include REAP, which pays 75% of the cost of the trees and installation.

CRP is an excellent program for sites that have crop history. CRP will pay 90% of the costs and an annual payment for 15 years.

Contact the NRCS office for technical and financial assistance this winter. Spring is right around the corner.

Soil Survey now on the internet

The Worth County Soil Survey is now available on the internet. This is an electronic alternative to the hardcopy publication. The Web Soil Survey provides the means for quicker access to the full soil survey content with the most current data.

The Web Soil Survey provides agricultural producers, landowners and consultants electronic access to relevant soil and related information needed to make land-use and management decisions.

The WEB Soil Survey allows the user to define an area of interest, print or save soil maps directly from the web, and to develop soil interpretive maps that can be printed at home.

The Web Soil Survey can be accessed at: http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov. You are encouraged to contact the Northwood NRCS office if you need assistance on accessing and using the web soil survey.

Incentive Payments Available for Strip-tillage

Strip-till Advantages:

· Fewer field trips reduce fuel costs vs. conventional tillage

· Promotes faster preplant warming and drying of soil in the seeding zone vs. no-till.

· Increases plant available moisture.

· Nutrient efficiency is improved with the direct application into seed zone.

· Reduces wind and water soil erosion.

· Improves soil organic content.

Incentive payments through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are available in Worth County to encourage producers to utilize strip-tillage. The incentive payments may be used to hire a custom strip-tiller or to help purchase equipment.

Producers can receive $10/acre per year for three years on up to 320 acres. Land enrolled in EQIP must be strip-tilled or no-tilled for five consecutive years with payments made in each of the first three years.

Strip-tillage is a system that will save labor and fuel while providing environmental benefits . This is an alternative to no-till in poorly drained soils where the cleared seed zone will warm up faster in the spring. Yet the benefits of no-till will be maintained with 70-80% of the row width undisturbed.

Seedbed preparation for a strip-till system is completed in a narrow band no more than 1/3 of the row width. It may be completed in the fall with the application of nutrients or at planting time. Crop residue is left undisturbed between the seedbed areas.

You can apply for EQIP at the NRCS office in Northwood on a continuous basis. Additional information on EQIP can be found at: www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/wortheqip

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