Saginaw Bay Regional Conservation Partnership Program
The Saginaw Bay Watershed Conservation Partnership has been selected to receive $10 million in funding under the new Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which was created under the 2014 Farm Bill. This work, co-led by the Michigan Agri-Business Association and The Nature Conservancy, represents a unique collaboration between conservation organizations, agronomy retailers, higher education institutions, commodity groups, agribusinesses and state and federal agencies.
This project, through the generous support of 16 sponsors, consists of over 30 partner organizations and is designed to direct Farm Bill dollars to the most optimal locations in the watershed – with the ability to track and measure progress against watershed goals. We aim to train approximately 100 certified crop advisors (CCA) from seven companies to use the Great Lakes Watershed Management System in order to help their customers, farmers across the watershed, implement practices designed to reduce nutrient loads and replenish water.
This project employs three major innovative strategies:
First, we are utilizing precision conservation: setting meaningful goals for the use of agricultural best management practices based on how many acres are necessary to affect a change in water quality.
Second, we are partnering with agribusinesses to equip them with the science and tools to help their customers, farmers across the watershed, implement practices designed to reduce sediment and nutrient loads and replenish water.
Third, we are using online tools developed in partnership with Michigan State University's Institute of Water Research to target acres with the highest potential for ecological returns and to track progress toward watershed goals.
Contact: Mary Fales | mfales@tnc.org
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