Virginia Department of Conservation and RecreationAn official website of the Commonwealth of Virginia Here's how you knowAn official websiteHere's how you know
Department of Conservation and Recreation
This article was originally featured in the Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP) Fall 2024 Quarterly newsletter (PDF) published by the Cooperative Extension at Virginia State University.
DCR Conservation Planning and Training Coordinator Carl Thiel-Goin contributed to this post.
Crucial to any modern farming operation is balancing productivity, profitability and environmental stewardship. By implementing effective conservation strategies, farmers can enhance soil health, protect water quality and foster biodiversity with the added benefit of increased productivity and access to state cost-share programs.
Conservation plans are tools to assist producers in making sound environmental decisions for their operations. They provide a road map that identifies a customer’s objectives, existing problems and opportunities and outlines what the next steps are to reach their goals.
In Virginia, farmers can contact their local soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) to partner with certified conservation planners to develop a conservation plan tailored to their specific land and operation.
Once a farmer contacts their district office, a conservation planner will begin collecting data on the operation, including developing a resource guide sheet and farm inventory. A follow-up in-person meeting will be arranged to visit the property to complete an assessment of the natural resources and gain more information on the operation and objectives of the producer. To prepare, district staff will consider aerial, soil, and topographical maps and other resources.
District staff will collect operation information, landowner concerns and walk the property to identify any resource concerns to begin plan development. From this visit and other conversations with the producer, the district staff will then work on developing a plan with options to achieve their objectives.
The result will be a step-by-step plan that a farmer can follow to implement conservation practices, such as cover cropping and no-till farming, to address soil erosion and nutrient loss, and evaluate their results. Conservation plans are “living documents” that are likely to be updated as improvements are made and goals are met.
A conservation plan may recommend best management practices and operational changes that help farmers access state funding opportunities including the Virginia Agricultural BMP Cost-Share Program (VACS). Certain best management practices can often be funded by a combination of state and federal funds that further reduce a producer’s expense to below 30% of the total cost.
Individuals interested in developing a conservation plan for their operation and more information on funding opportunities should contact their local soil and water conservation district: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/swcdlist.
The Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP), a part of Cooperative Extension at Virginia State University, educates and empowers small, limited-resource, socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers to own, operate and sustain farms and ranches independently with agricultural training programs that improve farm management skills and quality of life. Reach out to the Virginia Small Farm Outreach Program directly at (804) 524-3292 or smallfarm@vsu.edu.
Categories
Soil and Water Conservation
Tags
ecosystem | nutrient management
