A recent farm visit further emphasized the importance of conservation planning.

The farmer had a couple of objectives and the two most-pressing were construction of a pond and addressing excessive water in her pasture fields.

Unfortunately she had already spent several thousand dollars building fence in an area that would have been ideal for a pond. She’ll now spend a few thousand dollars more addressing the excess water in her pasture fields.

This was an unfortunate but all too common example of the importance of conservation planning. Had our office been contacted before any fence was built, we could have evaluated the entire farm and made some better recommendations for pasture fields.

We could have illustrated how the wet soils would hinder pasture production and what winter feeding and exercise areas would likely turn into.

Developing a conservation plan is the key part in being a good farm manager. Walking the farm and discussing management objectives and overall goals with a blank slate allows us to make several recommendations, giving the operator several options to pick from.

Then, once a decision is made, we can work on implementing the plan.

Whether you’re a new farm owner or a seasoned veteran who has moved away from keeping written plans, our office is more than willing to meet with you and talk about your objective to develop a plan that fits your operation.

Having a written conservation plan also helps maintain conservation compliance for those participating in USDA programs.

While the Food Security Act doesn’t specifically require a written plan to address soil erosion, it is the participant’s responsibility to document an approved system.

Recently we have been finding that following a simple no-till corn and soybean rotation is not enough to prevent erosion, so having and implementing a farm-specific written plan is the best way to maintain compliance.

If you’d like to learn more about our conservation planning services or to schedule a farm visit feel free to contact our office.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.