FARMING FOR THE FUTURE  

Run-off can be created by

Best Management Practices can help decrease run-off rain or snowmelt and
water from things people
By using best management practices on your croplands, your waterways
do, like over applying
will thank you! There are options to improve soil health while reducing the manure. We can choose
loss of soil. An increase in soil health means there will be an increase in products carefully and
infiltration. The practices highlighted below are just a few different options shape our lawns and
to consider. pavement so water sinks
NO-TILL in. When we do, runoff is
reduced, pollutants filter
No-till farming is exactly what it sounds like, no soil is disturbed with plows
or disks. Through decreasing the amount of tillage on a garden or field, an out and streams , lakes,
improvement on soil health can be seen. Tilling a field can lead to soil and groundwater are
compaction as well as create potential run-off protected.
Building soil problems. Freshly tilled, bare soil can be easily lost to
health on your a precipitation. If complete no-till is not possible,
farm is consider decreasing tillage. Any reduction in tillage Untreated runoff is the
beneficial to can increase infiltration as well as decrease soil biggest threat to our
compaction. nation’s water quality,
not only you COVER CROPS according to the U.S.
but your crops Cover crops are grown to help improve soil as well Environmental
and the nearby as reduce run-off from croplands. There are a variety Protection Agency. Let’s
waterways of crops that can be used but they are usually make the small,
legumes, grasses, or small grains. These crops are important changes that
planted later in the season and can lead to an improvement in the insects will reduce that threat
and fungi that are important to plant health and pollination. Cover crops can and improve water
be tilled in or left on the field as mulch. These crops can help increase
quality and our lives!
nitrogen in the soil as well as build paths for future crop roots to fill. The
faster crops can establish themselves, the better the soil conservation.
LOW DISTRUBANCE MANURE APPLICATION
Low disturbance manure application helps to decrease the disturbance of
the soil. This type of manure application is Realize 
usually done through broadcasting the What touches the ground
manure or surface application of the enters the water 
manure rather than incorporating it through
cultivation. Surface application may result
in some run-off problems but combined
with the use of no till or cover crops, the Connecting Our Waters
impact can be minimized. Manure injection
can also be used as a low disturbance EDQ0Pe
manure application.

PROTECT OUR RESOURCES THROUGH SOIL CONSERVATION

Connecting Our Waters
P.O. Box 1861 Appleton, WI 54912 | 920.851.6472
connectingourwaters.org fwwa.org wamsco.org