Our Mission: Protect our water and land resources by assisting Rock County landowners with understanding conservation rules and implementing best-management practices.
QUICK ACCESS LINKS
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Earthwork and Tile Contractors
Tiling or Watercourse Clean-Out Requirements 1) Tiling Application 2) Watercourse cleanout Commercial Licensing Information |
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Crop Equivalent Ratios (CER)
Contact the Farm Services Agency at 507-283-2369 |
CURRENT FARM RENTAL RATES
Contact the local MN-Extension office at 507-283-1302 |
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2025 Calendar
8 am - Monday, April 21, 2025 Rock SWCD Board Meeting Rock County Land Management Office |
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
Not taking any more orders this spring, but a few trees are left!
Contact our office!
CAWT RECERTIFY
Online option to recertify
(June 1st - October 31st)
In-person class option:
FarmFest - Thursday, August 7th
CONGRATULATIONS TO JIM AND SHERRI LADD
2024 ROCK COUNTY OUTSTANDING CONSERVATIONISTS
2024 ROCK COUNTY OUTSTANDING CONSERVATIONISTS
Jim and Sherri Ladd in their pasture with cow/calf pairs grazing in the background.
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Jim and Sherri and their children from left to right: Matthew and Mary-Frances Swenson, Jim, Sherri and Jo-Hannah and Zachary Hamann
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The Rock SWCD Board of Supervisors and staff awarded Jim and Sherri Ladd with the 2024 Outstanding Conservationist Award. Ladd’s have both been involved in farming their entire lives and have been farming and raising cow calf pairs together for 29 years. They have been nominated for this award for not only their long-time soil health conservation practices, but also for their extensive efforts in the wellhead area to reduce nitrates in public wells.
One of the greatest efforts involved transitioning 110 acres of highly productive crop ground located in Rock County Rural Water’s highly vulnerable wellhead area to a managed grazing system to support their cow calf herd. The Ladds have worked with the NRCS grazing specialist to develop a detailed management system, rotating their cows on 8 paddocks based on vegetative growth, soils and cow condition. By changing their land use on this ground directly adjacent to the public wells, the nitrate levels have dropped dramatically. They have established a pollinator plot adjacent to the pasture that has attracted and provided habitat for pollinators, pheasants, has greatly increased turkey population and many prairie songbirds.
They have been using cover crops for the past 15 years and seeding alfalfa to retain nitrates. To reduce nitrate impacts on the wellhead, the Ladds also utilize split application of nitrogen and the University of MN nitrogen recommendations. They have installed 12 water and sediment basins to reduce erosion to the Rock River as well as protecting and stabilizing the riparian area of the Rock River along their farm by seeding native grasses and enrolling the area in a RIM easement.
Jim has served the community in providing valuable input serving on the MDA Groundwater Local Advisory Team as well as the Rock County Rural Water Board. He also served as an Elder for their church offering guidance and mentorship in ministry for fellow members of their congregation.
Jim and Sheri have fielded questions on their transition from highly productive crop ground to pasture and mentored others interested in following their lead. They are also passing their passion and knowledge to the next generation in helping their youngest daughter Jo-Hannah and her husband Zachary transition into the cow calf operation with plans to continue the farming practices and grazing system they have developed.
Through their efforts, willingness to adopt new practices and share their knowledge, the Ladd’s have shown they are true stewards of the land protecting and preserving all it has to offer.
One of the greatest efforts involved transitioning 110 acres of highly productive crop ground located in Rock County Rural Water’s highly vulnerable wellhead area to a managed grazing system to support their cow calf herd. The Ladds have worked with the NRCS grazing specialist to develop a detailed management system, rotating their cows on 8 paddocks based on vegetative growth, soils and cow condition. By changing their land use on this ground directly adjacent to the public wells, the nitrate levels have dropped dramatically. They have established a pollinator plot adjacent to the pasture that has attracted and provided habitat for pollinators, pheasants, has greatly increased turkey population and many prairie songbirds.
They have been using cover crops for the past 15 years and seeding alfalfa to retain nitrates. To reduce nitrate impacts on the wellhead, the Ladds also utilize split application of nitrogen and the University of MN nitrogen recommendations. They have installed 12 water and sediment basins to reduce erosion to the Rock River as well as protecting and stabilizing the riparian area of the Rock River along their farm by seeding native grasses and enrolling the area in a RIM easement.
Jim has served the community in providing valuable input serving on the MDA Groundwater Local Advisory Team as well as the Rock County Rural Water Board. He also served as an Elder for their church offering guidance and mentorship in ministry for fellow members of their congregation.
Jim and Sheri have fielded questions on their transition from highly productive crop ground to pasture and mentored others interested in following their lead. They are also passing their passion and knowledge to the next generation in helping their youngest daughter Jo-Hannah and her husband Zachary transition into the cow calf operation with plans to continue the farming practices and grazing system they have developed.
Through their efforts, willingness to adopt new practices and share their knowledge, the Ladd’s have shown they are true stewards of the land protecting and preserving all it has to offer.
SOIL HEALTH DEMONSTRATION PLOT
The Rock County Soil Health Team partnering with the University Of MN Office Of Soil Health has established a field scale demonstration site to compare no-till farming with cover crops to conventional till farming without cover crops in a corn/soybean rotation with full width field equipment. The field is located in the SE ¼ of section 18 in Martin Township west of Hills.
Click here for a map of the location.
A Learning Block Method will be used for Comparison
Click here for a map of the location.
A Learning Block Method will be used for Comparison
Using variable rate technology, data has been collected for historic yields, soils, fertility levels, cation-exchange capacities, etc., and generated variable-rate prescriptions for each grid of the field has been created.
3 acre learning block will be compared to the 4 acres surrounding the learning block and using algorithms to create a statistical analysis that develops a strong or weak correlation in treatment differences.
Comparing 3 treated acres to 4 non-treated acres transecting the entire field within a management zone is a great apples-to-apples comparison.
The project will run 3 years and calculate the economic results of the demonstration plots utilizing input expenses, crop yields and potential soil health benefits.
Plans are to hold field days at the site to present the findings.
MN CREP
WHAT IS MN CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program)?
MN CREP is a voluntary, federal-state funded natural resource conservation program that uses a science based approach to target environmentally sensitive land in 54 Counties in southern and western Minnesota. This is accomplished through permanent protection by establishing conservation practices via payments to farmers and agricultural land owners.
CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON:
How it works.
MN CREP Objectives
How the will be restored and protected.
Why enroll now?
Enrollment - Contact the Rock County Land Management Office
WHAT IS MN CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program)?
MN CREP is a voluntary, federal-state funded natural resource conservation program that uses a science based approach to target environmentally sensitive land in 54 Counties in southern and western Minnesota. This is accomplished through permanent protection by establishing conservation practices via payments to farmers and agricultural land owners.
CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON:
How it works.
MN CREP Objectives
How the will be restored and protected.
Why enroll now?
Enrollment - Contact the Rock County Land Management Office
MINNESOTA BUFFER LAW
The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources oversees implementation of the Buffer Law, which requires farmers to have vegetated buffers along cropland that borders ditches, streams, rivers and lakes. In accordance with the MN Board of Soil and Water Resources, Rock SWCD has developed a plan for Buffer Compliance Tracking. Click here for further information.
ROCK SWCD MONITORING PLAN FOR BUFFER COMPLIANCE TRACKING
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Large Energy Wind Conversion Systems
Permitting Process
Minnesota Rules 7854
*Timeline from application acceptance to permit decision is 180 days.
Click here for a flowchart of the process.
Permitting Process
Minnesota Rules 7854
*Timeline from application acceptance to permit decision is 180 days.
Click here for a flowchart of the process.
MN Department of Commerce
Environmental Review of Energy Projects
The Minnesota Department of Commerce Energy Environmental Review and Analysis (EERA) unit conducts environmental review of proposed energy projects including power plants, transmission lines, wind farms, and pipelines. EERA conducts environmental review on behalf of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission), and EERA’s environmental review informs the permit decisions made by the Commission.
Click here for the Department of Commerce and further information.
Environmental Review of Energy Projects
The Minnesota Department of Commerce Energy Environmental Review and Analysis (EERA) unit conducts environmental review of proposed energy projects including power plants, transmission lines, wind farms, and pipelines. EERA conducts environmental review on behalf of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission), and EERA’s environmental review informs the permit decisions made by the Commission.
Click here for the Department of Commerce and further information.
Guides to Prairie Restoration in Minnesota
Restoring a prairie just got easier.
Many landowners and managers have land that they would like to see covered with native flowers and grasses. But, creating a prairie is hard and often unpredictable work. The techniques and types of seeds planted will vary depending on the current state of the land, how moist or dry the site is, and type of prairie you would like to establish.
To deal with these issues, The Nature Conservancy and the University of Minnesota have developed 20 different restoration guides, each specific to one of five different types of starting conditions, two different moisture levels, and two different intended uses for restored prairie.
Each guide includes recommended techniques, timing and plant species, as well as estimated costs for completing a successful prairie restoration. The guides can be downloaded for free at:
To deal with these issues, The Nature Conservancy and the University of Minnesota have developed 20 different restoration guides, each specific to one of five different types of starting conditions, two different moisture levels, and two different intended uses for restored prairie.
Each guide includes recommended techniques, timing and plant species, as well as estimated costs for completing a successful prairie restoration. The guides can be downloaded for free at: