This new resource from the Soil and Water Conservation Society offers how-to guides for implementing management practices.
If you are looking to know more about the latest techniques for preserving water quality and reducing soil loss, there is now a one-stop resource for that information.
The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) recently unveiled the Conservation Media Library, a comprehensive online collection of instructional videos, slide shows, graphics, fact sheets and other materials designed to help farmers research, plan and install different types of soil and water conservation systems.
“With growing emphasis on reducing the impact of nutrient loss on water supplies, there is tremendous demand among growers, crop consultants and conservation professionals for practical information on how they can accomplish this goal,” explains SWCS CEO Clare Lindahl. “The Conservation Media Library meets this need in a format that’s educational and user-friendly.”
Free Access And Downloads
The content and website design for the media library were created by SWCS. Funding for the project came from a $75,000 Conservation Innovation Grant from USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, with in-kind contributions of more than $80,000 from the Conservation Districts of Iowa and SWCS. All materials in the library can be accessed and downloaded free-of-charge.
The library focuses on four conservation practices: cover crops, drainage water management, saturated buffers and prairie strips. Although geared toward the Midwest, producers in other areas may find the information useful as well.
Catherine DeLong, who led the library project for SWCS, says, “The resource materials are heavy on video and photos, enabling farmers and landowners to readily visualize how the planning, installation, finished product and results for these systems would look in their own fields. This is truly a pragmatic, hands-on, how-to guide for protecting soil and water resources.”
Technical guidance and support for the Conservation Media Library came from NRCS, university researchers, agribusiness and watershed consultants.
With more than 3,000 members around the world, the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization that serves as an advocate for conservation professionals and for science-based conservation practice, programs and policy.
You can follow SWCS on Facebook at www.facebook.com/soilandwaterconservation, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/swcsnews and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/swcsnews/.
