Field Windbreaks and Shelterbelts District staff will assist with the development and installation of field windbreaks and shelterbelts for County landowners and operators.
Other items available are tree mats and staples, tree tubes and stakes.
The Cities of Windom and Mountain Lake have boulevard tree programs. Cost -Share is available, contact your City Street Department, City Office, or SWCD for more information.
State Cost-Share Program
Through the State Cost-Share Program, landowners can request financial and technical assistance for the implementation of approved conservation practices that protect and improve water quality by controlling soil erosion and reducing sedimentation.
This program provides up to 75 percent or a flat rate depending on the practice of the total eligible costs of a practice.
Some of the most common practices are as follows: Critical Area Plantings, Field Windbreaks, Filter Strips, Grass Waterways, Terraces, and Water and Sediment Control Basins
Agriculture Best Management Practices This program provides low interest financing to farmers, landowners, and agriculture supply businesses to encourage agricultural best management practices that prevent or reduce runoff from feedlots and farm fields and other pollution problems identified by the county in local water plans.
The District provides this opportunity through the MN Department of Agriculture and local banking institutions.
RIM/CREP Easement Programs
Reinvest in Minnesota
The RIM Program is a permanent easement program administered through the Cottonwood SWCD by the Board of Water and Soil Resources.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
Minnesota River and Des Moines River Watershed CREP easements are administered through the Cottonwood SWCD by the Board of Water and Soil Resources.
Check out our webpage HERE for more information on MNCREP!
Rainfall Monitoring
The Cottonwood SWCD works with rainfall monitors across Cottonwood County and reports rainfall/snowfall results monthly to the State Climatology Office.
Groundwater Monitoring
The Cottonwood SWCD reports to the MN Department of Natural Resources the depth to groundwater readings from four wells in Cottonwood County
