Abstract
Increased awareness of the contributions of nonpoint source runoff to the degradation of water quality in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico emphasizes the need to increase conservation practices that reduce nutrient export from agricultural lands. To achieve long-term conservation goals in agricultural landscapes, it is important to understand farmers' perspectives on what practices are effective, practical, and economically attainable. We conducted a series of surveys, interspersed with focused outreach, of farmers in two agricultural watersheds in central Illinois in an attempt to better understand how outreach influenced their views on and adoption of conservation practices. Programs differed between the two watersheds in terms of the levels of intensity at which outreach efforts were conducted. Survey results suggest that more intensive outreach efforts, such as one-on-one landowner visits, localized workshops, and tours, can increase adoption of conservation practices associated with cost-share programs. Technical and financial assistance provided in a timely manner that did not interfere with planting and harvesting were major incentives among farmers in both watersheds to participate in cost-share conservation programs. Primary disincentives among farmers to enroll in cost-share programs were associated with multiple programmatic changes and complex application processes. Results indicate that there remains a need for outreach that increases awareness and implementation of conservation and best management practices specific to reducing agricultural runoff from tile-drained sources. Mitigation of nonpoint runoff will also require more effective management of nitrogen application rates and timing in order to conserve freshwater resources in Midwest agricultural landscapes and downstream waters. Integrated outreach teams comprised of stakeholders and local conservation agencies may lead to successful outreach efforts and reduce demands on limited conservation agency staff time.
Footnotes
Maria Lemke is an aquatic ecologist, and Tim Lindenbaum is an outreach coordinator with the Illinois Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. William Perry is an associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Illinois State University. Matt Herbert is an aquatic ecologist with the Michigan Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and Tim Tear is director of Conservation Science with the New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Jim Herkert is director of the Office of Resource Conservation at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
- © 2010 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society