Enrollment is now open for the Yahara Pride Farms (YPF) cost-share program. The deadline to enroll is Nov. 15 and is open to farmers in the Yahara Watershed which includes southern Columbia, Dane and northern Rock counties.
The program is designed to help minimize the risk associated with trying new conservation practices on the farm. One of the program goals is to provide farmers with value in hopes they continue or combine endorsed practices for even greater environmental impact. In particular, cover crops and low-disturbance manure injection have proven extremely effective in reducing phosphorus and increasing soil health and crop yields.
“The cost-share program has been effective in encouraging farmers in the watershed to try new things to benefit water quality,” said Jeff Endres, YPF chairman. “These techniques have become best-management practices for farmers who have tried them. We would love to see additional farmers participate for the first time.”
Enrollment is simple. Go to yaharapridefarms.org, complete the 2018 cost-share program form and return it by mail. YPF will follow up when forms are received to determine if any changes or adjustments are needed. A nutrient management plan must be submitted for any acres enrolled in the program and cost-share checks are distributed at the YPF March Watershed-Wide Conference.
YPF is committed to collecting and analyzing data from the cost-share program. This past July, YPF released the 2017 Phosphorus Report documenting that farmers in the program reduced phosphorus delivery to the Madison lakes and the Yahara River by 18,900 lbs. The full report is available at yaharapridefarms.org.
The 2018 YPF Cost-share program includes:
- Strip Tillage – $15/acre for up to 100 acres (max. payment of $1500/farm)
- Low Disturbance Manure Injection – $20 per acre up to 100 acres (max. payment $2,000/farm)
- Cover Crops – $40 per acre up to 50-acre maximum
- Low Disturbance Deep Tillage and Cover Crop Planting – $55 per acre up to 50 acres
- Headland Stacking and/or Composting Manure – for winter application only – $3.50/yd
- Composting Manure – enroll in pilot program, payment TBD
- Stacking of multiple cost-share practices – payment TBD