Soil Health & Watershed Groups

Mower County Watersheds

Southeast Minnesota

Jeff Irvin (Northern Country Coop), Tom Cotter (farmer cooperator), Nathan Augustine (Northern Country Coop), and Al Slowinski (farmer cooperator) are examining the relationship between nitrogen application, water quality and a farmer's return on investment.

Contact

Contact: Tim Ruzek - Water Plan & Outreach Coordinator at Mower SWCD

Email: tim@mowerdistrict.org

Phone: (507) 993-2518

Website: https://www.cedarriverwd.org/1w1p/

Mission

Mower County includes the upper reaches of two significant rivers: the Root River, which flows east to the Mississippi through southern Minnesota, and the Cedar River, which flows south through eastern Iowa to join the Iowa River near its entry to the Mississippi in the southeast corner of the state. Mower Soil & Water Conservation District’s soil health and water protection initiatives are collaborative, building connections to protect these assets with peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, education, resources and expertise and research with partner institutions.

Mower County Soil & Water Conservation District’s mission is to coordinate and implement conservation work, and to serve as a leader for natural resource restoration and protection while maintaining a viable local economy. It is a grassroots organization governed by elected officials.

News & Stories

About Us

Growing a Group:

Active group 5+ years
Book sharing
Farmer-led group
Formed a new group
Fundraising
Grant writing
Member-led project planning
Neighbor to neighbor mentoring
Personal invitations to neighbors to grow the group
Other

Collaboration:

Actively participated in local watershed planning process
Collaboration with agriculture or conservation organizations
Collaboration with local ag retailers and/or crop advisors
Collaboration with local civic groups
Collaboration with local college or university
Other - The Sustainable Answer Acre, a farmer-led, collaborative research project focused on the economic and environmental effects of applying nitrogen to crop fields

Outreach:

Engage local schools
Media interviews
Presentation to groups
Promotion to media outlets
Social media cultivation
Video Development
Website Development
Other - Citizen Water Monitors Program

Land & Water:

Bioreactors
Cover crops
Crop diversification
Floodplain restoration
Grass waterways
Grazing
Nutrient management & retention
Perennial crops
Prairie strips
Saturated buffers
Stream buffers
Stream restoration
Water retention basins
Wetlands
Other

Assessment & Data:

Agronomic data collection
Field edge data collection
Field walkovers
Stream monitoring
Other

Events:

Fishing event
Farm field days
Paddle event
Upstream or downstream connections/visits
Booth at local event
Other

Fishers & Famers Partnership Program Participation:

Workshop
Neighbor to Neighbor Radio Podcast
Boots on the Ground Online Conversation
Group Presentation
Project Tour
Featured in a Story
Featured in a Video
Meetings
None

Additional Photos

Mower County farmer Wayne DeWall (left) and Mower SWCD watershed technician James Fett review facts at a public event on the DeWall farm. DeWall is a participant in Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Field to Stream Partnership in the Root River headwaters.

After five years and 14 projects, Mower SWCD-Cedar River Watershed District has achieved its original goal for reducing peak stormwater flows in Austin. Eight percent was targeted, and 10 percent reduction has been measured at the Cedar River's confluence with Dobbins Creek.