Conservation Agriculture
We offer technical and financial assistance to assist land managers and producers with projects large and small. Our cost-share programs are largely grant-funded, and we are always open to hearing your project ideas so that we can attempt to match it with an available grant cycle.
Minimal Tillage, Direct Seeding, No-Till
We have cost-share options available to farmers to help transition from conventional agricultural techniques to soil conservation activities for erosion control and soil health.
Precision Agriculture
Precision agriculture is an emerging set of farm management strategies that can help producers gather crop information and apply site-specific practices to variable field conditions. Precision ag strategies can improve operations’ efficiency and sustainability by reducing equipment operation time, field inputs, overall costs, and environmental impacts. Tools used to implement precision ag management include remote sensing, drone technology, GPS guidance, plant testing, and other technologies that can guide machinery and provide producers with detailed field and crop information. To learn more, visit our Precision Agriculture webpage.
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Filter Strips, Riparian Restoration, and Buffers
These systems can prevent excess soil and nutrients from running off your land and into the nearby streams. Our buffer programs compensate farmers for planting and maintaining riparian waterways on their property. We have several buffer programs (including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and the Commodity Buffer Program) with different levels of intensity, maintenance, and requirements. To learn more about riparian restoration programs, click here.
Livestock Management
Whether you are looking for technical or financial assistance, we are here to help with your soil and water conservation efforts. From grazing management plans to help with fencing, off-stream watering facilities, heavy use area protection and pasture reseeding, we can develop a plan that works for your operation. Learn more here.
Cover Crops, Crop Rotation, and Nutrient Management
Interested in what's going on beneath the surface? We can provide soil testing and nutrient management suggestions that can help optimize your soil to its highest potential with the right plan for you and your operation.
Small-Scale Agriculture
We understand that not all land managers are large-scale producers, and we are happy to help land managers who manage our natural resources on any scale.
Water Quality Monitoring and Soil Sampling Design
We can help you develop a monitoring protocol for whatever your needs may be. To learn more about research projects that we are currently undertaking, click here.
Conservation Agriculture Resources
The following resources provide information on conservation agriculture programs and practices. Click the title of each resource to access it.
GENERAL & BEGINNING FARMER RESOURCES
Conserve WA: Beginning Farmer Resources
The Washington State Conservation Commission’s list of conservation resources related to farming (including the Rodale Institute, Tilth Alliance, and The Xerces Society). Includes a link to connect with your local conservation district.
USDA: How to Start a Farm: Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
United States Department of Agriculture’s support page for beginning farmers. Includes links for planning resources, nearest service center locations, funding opportunities for operation startup, and resources for selling farming products, as well as tools for disaster and loan assistance.
Find your local USDA beginning farmer coordinator at the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinators Directory.
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USDA Farm Service Agency: Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Loans
USDA’s Farm Service Agency webpage highlights loan options for first-time producers. Lists “beginning farmer” qualifications, provides details on different loan types, and includes links to planning resources.
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USDA: Women Farmers
USDA’s webpage about resources, incentives, and programs with special priority for women farmers and ranchers. Includes a library of articles about female producer operations across the country.
LOCAL OFFICES AND FARMER NETWORKS
USDA Service Center Locator
Map of United States Department of Agriculture offices around the country, including Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, Conservation District, and Rural Development offices. Search by state and county.
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Washington State University Extension
Learn about WSU’s active research units and extension programs relating to regional food systems and natural resource management. Website includes extension project news and community education events.
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PNW Farmers' Network
Host organization for workshops and events geared towards “members of the agriculture community who are interested in soil health and cropping system innovation.” Find a calendar of events, YouTube videos, and a podcast featuring stories from local producers and their soil health trials.
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Inland Northwest FLOURISH
FLOURISH (or Farmers Leading Our United Revolution In Soil Health) is a USDA and Palouse Conservation District-supported project involving 27 farmers in the Inland Pacific Northwest who are incorporating soil health practices to study their effectiveness on dryland cropping systems. The FLOURISH website includes project updates and soil health reports, informational videos, and links to episodes of the FLOURISH podcast, which features interviews with individual farmers sharing their experiences.
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USDA: Get Involved in Your Agricultural Community
USDA’s informational website on how to connect with the USDA and Farm Service Agency’s advisory and county committees, local farmer-focused extension programs, research and promotion programs, and FFA and 4-H programs.
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WA Farmland Trust: Farm to Farmer
Farmer-to-farmer network supported by WA Farmland Trust.
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Northwest Food Hub Network
Network of farmer-owned cooperative food hubs. Hosts the annual Northwest Food Hub Network Summit.
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CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE 101
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Conservation Agriculture
Educational website that illustrates the basic principles of conservation agriculture and soil health. Provides links to case studies, news articles, and recent publications relating to conservation agriculture around the world.
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USDA: Conservation Concerns Tool
Learn about potential conservation issues on your farm, ranch, or forest land related to soils, water, habitat, and energy use, and connect with a conservationist who can help address your concerns.
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USDA: “Conservation At Work” Video Series
Explore USDA’s library of 1- to 2-minute videos about conservation projects in action, featuring producer testimonies. Video categories include Crops, Forest, Livestock, Soil Health, Water Quality, Wildlife, and more.
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NRCS-SPECIFIC CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Brief fact sheets detailing goals and requirements of NRCS’s technical and financial assistance programs for farmers, landowners, and ranchers wanting to engage or already engaged in conservation work on their land.
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PRODUCT AND PRACTICE-SPECIFIC INFORMATION
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education’s database of sustainable agriculture projects, past and current; search by specific agricultural products as well as specific conservation practices.
WSDA: Regulations for Specific Products
Washington State Department of Agriculture’s list of state regulations for selling different farming and ranching products, complete with extensive, downloadable fact sheets for thorough guidance on working with each product.
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WSU Extension: Agriculture and Food Systems Resources
List of website links of national and Washington-specific agricultural agencies, local farmer networks, and product-specific associations.
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FIRE PROTECTION, WEED MANAGEMENT, AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE
​NRCS: Climate-Smart Mitigation Activities
Provides a comprehensive list of climate-smart mitigation activities with brief summaries of each practice. See the link to the “Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF) Mitigation Activities List” on this page for the full list of practices and details. Also includes a link to an informational booklet titled “The Role of Agriculture in Climate.”
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Palouse Conservation District: Wildfire Resiliency
Provides links to resources on wildfire resilient practices.
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United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): "Climate Smart Agriculture Case Studies"
An extensive publication of case studies from around the world highlighting developments in farming practices and programs that relate to climate resilience. Case study topics range from policy and institutional change to field-level implementation of climate-smart practices.
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Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board: "Full Circle"
A 20-page online publication that walks through the basics of integrated weed management, considerations for planting and site preparation (including information on cover cropping and mulch types), and Eastern and Western Washington-specific lists of pollinator plants.
Interested in learning more about our conservation agriculture programs? Feel free to reach out to the staff below.
Andrew Wolfe | AndrewW@PalouseCD.org | (509) 553-1850
Lauren Kirkpatrick | LaurenK@PalouseCD.org | (509) 553-1852
Farmed Smart Certification
Farmed Smart is a “boots on the ground” third party verifier of regenerative agriculture food production systems. Operated by Spokane Conservation District, the Farmed Smart certification process puts highly trained agriculture professionals on the farm to verify the use of sustainable, regenerative production practices and is approved by state environmental regulators.
Farmed Smart certified producers receive regulatory assurance for meeting water quality standards, with the goal of achieving access to value-added markets for sustainably produced commodities.
Farms are certified based on the following criteria:
water quality · air quality · soil health · wildlife habitat · energy conservation · economic sustainability
Questions?