Our Mission: Protect our water and land resources by assisting Rock County landowners with understanding conservation rules and implementing best-management practices.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
AGRI Livestock Investment Grant
APPLICATION PERIOD IS OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER 13, 2025.
Are you thinking of making some updates you your livestock operation?? Now is the time to apply for grant funding toward your project!
This grant program reimburses investments in:
The grant will not pay for livestock, tractors, skid steer loaders, general purpose buildings, pasture or crop land, animal feed, crop seed, planters, combines, or debt refinancing.
This grant program reimburses investments in:
- Buildings or facilities to produce livestock or livestock products.
- Development of pasture for use by livestock, including but not limited to lanes, watering systems, and fences.
- Equipment for livestock housing, confinement, feeding, and waste management.
The grant will not pay for livestock, tractors, skid steer loaders, general purpose buildings, pasture or crop land, animal feed, crop seed, planters, combines, or debt refinancing.
APPLICATION PERIOD IS OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER 13, 2025.
Click the link below to apply:
AGRI Livestock Investment Grant | Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Click the link below to apply:
AGRI Livestock Investment Grant | Minnesota Department of Agriculture
IT'S TREE TIME
It is that time of the year again!
Place your tree order now for pickup and planting in the spring of 2026.
Want trees, but not sure what kind and how many??? ...Contact Lee in our office and he will help you figure out a plan!
Place your tree order now for pickup and planting in the spring of 2026.
Want trees, but not sure what kind and how many??? ...Contact Lee in our office and he will help you figure out a plan!
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, November 17, 2025 Rock SWCD Board Meeting Rock County Land Management Office - 309 S. Freeman Avenue
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CONGRATULATIONS TO TERRY AUKES
2025 ROCK COUNTY OUTSTANDING CONSERVATIONISTS
2025 ROCK COUNTY OUTSTANDING CONSERVATIONISTS
Terry implements cover crops, no-till planting, variable rate seeding, prescription fertilizer by grid sampling, nitrate stalk sampling, Electro Conductivity Soil Mapping, scouting and DNA testing, for prescriptive seed selection and chemical and fungicide applications.
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Terry with his
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The Rock SWCD Board of Supervisors and staff awarded Terry Aukes with the 2025 Outstanding Conservationist Award. Terry has been farming for 26 years and is being nominated for this award because of his awareness and commitment to practicing, mentoring and educating others on the importance of soil health and conservation. Terry has installed numerous water and sediment control basins and waterways on his crop fields.
He has established 80 acres of RIM ground including a food plot and also incorporating pollinator acres, 600 walnut, seedless cedars and blue spruce trees along with native grasses for wildlife habitat. He also maintains a wetland within these acres and has buffer strips along all DNR streams within his land.
Terry has a passion for soil health and has been planting cover crops and no till planting for 14 years. These practices have reduced wind and water erosion as well as made his fields resilient to the weather extremes we have had over the last 20 years. He implements variable rate seeding and prescription application of fertilizer by grid sampling and utilizes early spring nitrate sampling with fall stalk nitrate to balance his sulpher and nitrogen ratios. He uses Electro Conductivity Soil Mapping which reveals variations in soil texture, salinity and water holding capacity which further defines management zones within his fields. Through these practices he has seen an increase up to 20 bushels per acres. He incorporates intensive scouting and uses DNA testing of his soil to be prescriptive in seed selection as well as chemical and fungicide applications.
He has done extensive outreach on soil health through his job as an agronomist which also gives him an insight to new and emerging technologies. To further help with new practices and technologies he has a Soil Health Plot with the Rock SWCD and the University of MN. He has presented information to help educate local farmers as well as SWCD and NRCS staff at soil health workshops and field days held by Rock SWCD. Terry is a member of the Rock County Soil Health Team that provides guidance to promote soil health practices as well as serving as a mentor to area farmers wanting to adopt soil health practices.
Terry has been a member of the Rock County Soil Health Team since 2015 where he has not only promoted soil health but also served as a mentor to area farmers wanting to adopt soil health practices. He is a member of the MN Soil Health Coalition, is certified in the MN Ag Water Quality Certification program and a member of a farmer peer group that meets to discuss and share knowledge on practices and results they have seen.
Through his passion for new technologies, leadership and commitment to soil health practices, conservation practices and willingness to share and promote is knowledge Terry sets an impressive example of what it means to be a good steward of the land.
He has established 80 acres of RIM ground including a food plot and also incorporating pollinator acres, 600 walnut, seedless cedars and blue spruce trees along with native grasses for wildlife habitat. He also maintains a wetland within these acres and has buffer strips along all DNR streams within his land.
Terry has a passion for soil health and has been planting cover crops and no till planting for 14 years. These practices have reduced wind and water erosion as well as made his fields resilient to the weather extremes we have had over the last 20 years. He implements variable rate seeding and prescription application of fertilizer by grid sampling and utilizes early spring nitrate sampling with fall stalk nitrate to balance his sulpher and nitrogen ratios. He uses Electro Conductivity Soil Mapping which reveals variations in soil texture, salinity and water holding capacity which further defines management zones within his fields. Through these practices he has seen an increase up to 20 bushels per acres. He incorporates intensive scouting and uses DNA testing of his soil to be prescriptive in seed selection as well as chemical and fungicide applications.
He has done extensive outreach on soil health through his job as an agronomist which also gives him an insight to new and emerging technologies. To further help with new practices and technologies he has a Soil Health Plot with the Rock SWCD and the University of MN. He has presented information to help educate local farmers as well as SWCD and NRCS staff at soil health workshops and field days held by Rock SWCD. Terry is a member of the Rock County Soil Health Team that provides guidance to promote soil health practices as well as serving as a mentor to area farmers wanting to adopt soil health practices.
Terry has been a member of the Rock County Soil Health Team since 2015 where he has not only promoted soil health but also served as a mentor to area farmers wanting to adopt soil health practices. He is a member of the MN Soil Health Coalition, is certified in the MN Ag Water Quality Certification program and a member of a farmer peer group that meets to discuss and share knowledge on practices and results they have seen.
Through his passion for new technologies, leadership and commitment to soil health practices, conservation practices and willingness to share and promote is knowledge Terry sets an impressive example of what it means to be a good steward of the land.
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
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.
MINNESOTA BUFFER LAW
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.
www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/minnesota/explore/prairie-restoration-guides.xml
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: