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Introduce cover crops into the cropping system. Cover crops are grasses, legumes, or forbs planted for seasonal vegetative cover, established on an annual basis, between successive cash crops or companion-planted into a cash crop. Cover crops often get planted in fields following a short season crop or other times when a field would otherwise have little or no vegetative cover. Cover crops can be established between growing seasons to protect the soil from erosion and nutrient loss.

A primary purpose of cover crops is to capture left-over nutrients, like nitrate-nitrogen in the soil. Other purposes may include forage production, erosion reduction, suppression of weeds or pests, improvement of soil moisture use efficiency, or overall soil health improvement.

The amount of nitrate leaching reduction from cover crops varies depending on many factors, mainly weather and biomass accumulation of the cover crop in the fall. Despite their variability, research has shown that cover crops provide a nitrate reduction compared to no cover crops. Studies in Minnesota and Iowa have shown reductions in nitrate loads in drainage water between 11% and 76% with rye cover crop.

Requirements to qualify for Cover Crop Initiative funding:

• Work with MDA field staff, local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Natural resources Conservation Services (NRCS) technician, agronomist, or other natural resource professional to plan, develop, and design a cover crop program based on adoption of species that have a very good or excellent ability to scavenge nitrogen. Inclusion of cover crops into a cropping system involves unique management strategies. Please refer to MDA’s Minnesota Cover Crop Guide, the Midwest Cover Crops Council, or NRCS MN Agronomy Tech Note 33 for information on cover crop species, seeding date, seeding rate, method of seeding, etc.
• Work with a local SWCD and enroll in their cover crop program, if possible.
• Funding through this initiative may be available for producers operating in a Level 2 DWSMA who choose to go above and beyond a local county/SWCD, state, or federal cover crop program. For example:  additional or different acres may be funded through this initiative than those acres enrolled in a publicly funded local SWCD, Federal Farm Bill, Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP), or other state cost share program.
• Producers cannot participate in another publicly funded cover crop cost share program on a county, state, or federal level on the same acres enrolled in this initiative. For example: producers participating in a Federal Farm Bill Cost-share program, MAWQCP cover crop program, or other state of Minnesota cover crop program, or local county/SWCD cover crop program are ineligible to enroll the same acres from the publicly funded program into this initiative.

Producer Compensation

Producers who enroll in the Cover Crop Initiative may be eligible for compensation based on meeting the components in the technical resources mentioned above. Producers may be eligible for a payment of $40/acre up to 125 acres for a maximum of $5,000. Payment to producer will be made upon successful establishment of cover crop.

Terminate fall seeded cereal grain cover crops the following spring after the cover crop has reached twelve inches in height or after May 13. Delayed cover crop termination, especially with fall-seeded winter cereal grains, has been shown to increase nitrogen retention, thereby reducing nitrate-nitrogen leaching though the soil profile.

Requirements to qualify for Delayed Cover Crop Termination Initiative funding:

• Terminate fall seeded, winter-hardy cover crops the following spring.
• (1) Either plant cash crop into standing, green cover crop and terminate after May 13 or after cover crop has reached 12” in height. Or (2) Terminate cover crop after May 13 or after it has reached 12” in height and plant cash crop later.
• Provide records of cover crop seeding date, planting rate, row crop planting date, and date of cover crop termination.
• Please refer to MDA’s Minnesota Cover Crop Guide, the Midwest Cover Crops Council, or NRCS Minnesota Agronomy Tech Note 33 for information on cover crop species, seeding date, seeding rate, method of seeding, etc. The MDA takes no responsibility for crop loss due to cover crop or cash crop management decisions.
• Funding through this initiative may be available for producers operating in a Level 2 DWSMA who choose to go above and beyond a local county/SWCD, state, or federal delayed cover crop termination program. Producers cannot participate in any other publicly funded delayed cover crop termination cost share programs on a county, state, or federal level, such as: Federal Farm Bill Cost-share programs, Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program, or other state of Minnesota cost-share programs, or local county/SWCD programs on the same delayed cover crop termination acres contracted in this initiative. A producer may participate in the Delayed Cover Crop Termination Initiative on the same acres as a publicly funded cover crop program as long as the Delayed Cover Crop Termination Initiative does not conflict with guidelines in said publicly funded cover crop program.

Producer Compensation

Producers who enroll in this initiative may be eligible for compensation based on meeting the requirements and technical guidelines stated above. Producers may be eligible for a payment of $25/acre up to 200 acres for a maximum of $5,000 when delaying cover crop termination as described above.

Test manure and/or calibrate manure spreader(s) to give proper nitrogen credit to manure on crop land. Testing of manure and manure spreader calibration are important management strategies to reduce variability and dial in actual N values when determining N needs for a crop.

Manure is an excellent source of nitrogen for plants but can be variable in its availability to plants. Nitrogen (N) is required in the largest quantities by non-legume crops. Applying manure to meet crop N needs will likely overapply phosphorus (P), and possibly potassium (K), for a crop such as corn. On the other hand, using manure to meet P needs of the crop will likely result in a lower application rate and will underapply N and possibly K. Commercial fertilizers will then be needed to balance out N and K needs. Consider the pros and cons of these two options when choosing a manure application rate. Application methods as well as inorganic N content of manure are key variables to manage when working with manure.

Requirements to qualify for Manure Management Initiative funding:

• Test manure for nutrient content on farms or manure storage areas where testing hasn’t occurred in the last 3 years. And/or,
• Work with a local SWCD technician, feedlot officer, or Extension Educator to calibrate manure spreader(s). Or self-calibrate manure spreader(s) using a certified scale(s).
• Provide documentation of calibrated manure spreader.
• Apply manure at or below the nitrogen rate approved for the DWSMA.

The MDA recognizes there is active and ongoing research related to manure management, and development of agronomic best management practices is ongoing. Farmers should adopt best management practices as they become available.

Technical Resources

• University of Minnesota Extension’s What’s manure worth? calculator
• University of Minnesota Extension’s Manure application methods and nitrogen losses
• University of Minnesota Extension’s Calculating manure application rates
• University of Minnesota Extension’s Manure sampling and nutrient analysis

Producer Compensation

Producers who enroll in the Manure Management Initiative may be eligible for compensation based on meeting the components the requirements listed above. Producers may be eligible for payments to assist with manure sampling at a rate of $50/sample result. Producers may choose to work with a local SWCD technician, Extension Educator, or Feedlot Officer to calibrate manure spreader(s) or may choose to calibrate the spreader(s) on their own. Either way, the producer must provide the weights and calculations that were used to calibrate the manure spreader(s). Producers may be eligible for a payment of $200 per calibrated spreader.

The fluctuation in fertilizer price affects the economic optimum N rate. To account for this change, the ratio of the price of N per pound to the value of a bushel of corn has been added to the N rate decision. The price/value ratio is used to determine the maximum return to N value (MRTN). The MRTN is the N rate that maximizes profit to the producer.

Effective strategies for reducing nitrate loss to groundwater are practices that reduce the amount of N used to produce a crop with maximum efficiency while reducing the amount of N that may be leached through the soil profile.

Nitrogen application rates will be dependent on the DWSMA BMP rate and University of Minnesota guidelines for corn. University of Minnesota Extension Fertilizer Guidelines for Agronomic Crops in Minnesota

Requirements to qualify Nitrogen Reduction Initiative funding:

• Take appropriate N credit for all sources, including legumes and livestock manure. Also include N supplied in a starter, weed and feed program, and contributions from phosphorus fertilizers such as MAP and DAP, or other inorganic fertilizers which contain N when calculating the total N rate.
• N credits from manure shall be from actual test results and applied at known rates.
• Apply an N rate at least 15 lbs. lower than the 0.1 MRTN rate for corn following corn (160 lbs./ac.) or at least 10 lbs. lower than the 0.1 MRTN rate for corn following soybeans (130 lbs./ac); at least 15 lbs. lower than the 0.1 MRTN for corn following corn on irrigated sandy soils (195 lbs./ac.) or at least 10 lbs. lower than the 0.1 MRTN rate for corn following soybeans (170 lbs./ac.) on irrigated sandy soils; or at least 15 lbs. lower than the DWSMA BMP rate for corn following corn, or at least 10 lbs. lower than the DWSMA BMP rate for corn following soybeans if the DWSMA rate is lower than the 0.1 MRTN.
• Payment is earmarked for producers who haven’t met the 10 or 15 lbs. threshold in the past.
• Organic crop land or crop land transitioning to organic is not eligible for the Nitrogen Reduction Initiative.

Producer Compensation

Producers who enroll in the Nitrogen Reduction Initiative may be eligible for compensation based on meeting the components of the technical resources mentioned above. Producers may be eligible for a payment of $25/acre up to 200 acres for a maximum of $5,000. Payment to producer will be made upon receipt of nitrogen records that indicate the applicable reduction in N based on fertilizer inputs and crediting all other sources of N.

Establish a perennial crop on crop land for at least three years where none has existed for five or more years. The integration of perennial crops has been shown to increase overall uptake of nitrogen making it less available for leaching and/or utilize soil moisture thereby reducing nitrate movement when compared to annual row crop production. Perennial crops have a longer growing season compared to annual crops. The resulting uptake of nitrogen and water during the leaching-prone spring and fall periods reduces nitrate leaching losses. Because perennial crops are effective in taking up nitrogen and have lower overall nitrogen needs compared to annual crops such as corn and potatoes, less nitrogen is needed to be applied through fertilizer.

Requirements to qualify for Perennial Crop Initiative funding:

• The perennial crop will replace an annual row crop or will be used in a rotation with annual row crops where a perennial crop hasn’t been used within the last five years.
• Seed bed preparation, seeding rate and spacing must be adequate to ensure good establishment of the perennial crop and be based on the technical resources listed below.
• After establishment, the perennial crop should remain in the field for at least three growing seasons. Perennial crops may include alfalfa or mixed hay, pasture, Kernza, etc.
• Nitrogen application from fertilizer and/or manure must follow guidance from the University of Minnesota. If additional N is needed, in-season soil or plant testing or other adaptive management technologies verified by the MDA can be used to document and quantify this need and additional nitrogen can be added
• If used in a rotation with annual crops, adequate nitrogen credit must be taken from the perennial crop using University of Minnesota recommendations.

The MDA recognizes there is active and ongoing research related to new or emerging perennial crops and the development of agronomic best management practices is ongoing. Farmers should adopt best management practices as they become available.

Technical Resources

• University of Minnesota Extension’s Establishing alfalfa-grass mixtures
• University of Minnesota Extension’s Fertilizing grass-legume mixtures in Minnesota
• University of Minnesota Extension’s Managing the rotation from alfalfa to corn
• University of Minnesota Extension’s Planting forages

Producer Compensation

Producers who enroll in the Perennial Crop Initiative may be eligible for compensation based on meeting the components in the University of Minnesota technical resources. Producers may be eligible for a payment of $50/acre up to 100 acres for a maximum of $5,000. Payment will be made upon successful establishment of the perennial crop.