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.

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

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.