Boots on the Ground | Clean River Partners

Biologist Chris Williamson didn't think he'd ever lead a discussion about cover crops, or apply for money for cover crop seed. But when the Missouri Department of Conservation made Peno Creek a protection priority, his focus became the creek's agricultural watershed. "In 2013 we knew we wanted to collaborate with farmers," said Williamson. "But we didn't know how. That turned out to be a good thing, because instead of developing a program and trying to pitch it, we listened."

In this conversation, meet Williamson, Peno Creek area landowners Curtis Delgman and John Scherder, and MDC's stream and watershed chief, Sherry Fischer. Hear how this core team connected people, continued to listen, and turned a ripple of interest into a wave of cover crop adoption near Hannibal.