Wilkin County Farm Achieves Water Quality Certification

June 13, 2024 by Alyson Levig

Kyle and Sue Gowin’s farming operation has recently joined over 1,450 producers to become certified as water quality stewards through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP). This voluntary program verifies farming operations implementing conservation-minded practices resulting in natural resource protection. Today, the decade-old program has confirmed over one million acres across the state working to protect water quality and reduce soil erosion.

The Gowin’s farming operation consists of cropland where corn, soybeans, wheat, and sugar beets are rotated. To aid in reducing the loss of the soil surface, the Gowins are progressively implementing more conservation tillage on their fields to maintain crop residue. Additionally, they are focusing on incorporating a cover crop after their wheat and sugar beet harvests to help reduce wind erosion.

By definition, conservation tillage is any form of tillage where 30% or more of the soil is covered with crop residue whereas cover crops are non-cash crops grown for the enrichment and protection of the soil surface. In conjunction, these two conservation practices increase soil organic matter, improve soil structure, and reduce soil erosion: thereby protecting the surrounding water quality.

To encompass both of these practices with limited field passes, the Gowins are perfecting planting a winter rye cover crop in 30-inch rows after their cash crop harvest. Then in the spring, Kyle and Sue will plant sugar beets between the winter rye rows prior to terminating the cover – a system that has worked well for his farming operation. In this scenario, the rye is terminated, two to three weeks after the sugar beets are planted.

In addition to these practices, the Gowins also apply proper nutrient and pest management on their farm as well as maintain a grass filter strip along a nearby creek shoreline. Overall, these management methods enable Kyle and Sue’s farm to better protect water quality and reduce eroding soil in Wilkin County.

Posted In: MAWQCP