Soil carbon amendments improve the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of soil in the short term. Typically derived from plant residues and/or animal byproducts, soil organic amendments can include compost, biochar, and other regionally appropriate carbon-based materials.

Do This If You Have

• Poor soil health indicated by:

  • Little soil organic matter

  • Poor soil aggregate stability

  • Low soil water holding capacity

• Little to no habitat for soil organisms

• Poor plant productivity and health

• Inefficient use of irrigation water

• High particulate matter emissions

Conservation covers are perennial plants covering land not used for cropland agriculture or grazing. These covers provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. Plants like native and non-native grasses, legumes, and forbs can be selected based on your conservation goals, resources, and geographic region.

Do This If You Have

• Soil erosion

• Nutrient and sediment pollution in surface and/or ground water

• Poor air quality from particulate matter such as dust

• Need for small habitats for beneficial organisms and wildlife

A no-till residue management system protects the soil by using strip tillage, direct seeding and other techniques to limit soil disturbance and maximize retention of crop and plant residues.

You can tailor the amount, orientation, and distribution of crops and other plant residues to the system’s characteristics such as crop type and soil texture.

Do This If You Have

• Soil erosion

• Poor soil health and low organic matter content

• Nutrient and sediment pollution in surface and/or ground water

• Poor air quality from particulate matter such as dust

• Lack of beneficial soil (e.g., earthworms) and aboveground organisms (e.g., beetles)

A cover crop is planted when the primary crop isn’t grown. This practice covers the soil to reduce weeds, save water, increase biodiversity, and improve soil health. Native and non-native grasses, legumes, and forbs are commonly used, and can be selected based on your conservation goals, cropping system, resources, and geographic region.

Do This If You Have

• Seasonally bare soil

• Soil erosion from wind or water

• Poor soil health, soil fertility, and organic matter content

• High weed pressure

• Heavy reliance on external nutrient inputs

• Nutrient and sediment pollution in surface and/or ground water

• Poor air quality from particulate matter such as dust

• Lack of beneficial soil (ex., earthworms) and aboveground organisms (ex., pollinators)

Critical area plantings help reduce the potential for erosion in high-risk, disturbed areas. Grasses, shrubs, vines, and trees are used to stabilize sites and protect soil from wind and water damage.

Do This If You Have

• Construction areas

• Areas needing stabilization before or after natural disasters like floods or wildfires

• Eroded banks of natural channels, banks of constructed channels, lake shorelines, sand dunes, and riparian areas

• Other areas degraded by human activities or natural events

A wildlife habitat planting helps transition land under pasture or cropland uses to herbaceous and shrubby vegetation, which provides food, water, and shelter for wildlife.

Do This If You Have

• Degraded wildlife habitat for target species or pollinators

• Lack of habitat that resembles the historic and desired native plant communities

A hedgerow is a dense living fence of shrubs and trees planted across, in, or around agricultural land. This multi-functional landscape feature serves as windbreaks and helps bolster biodiversity by creating habitats for beneficial organisms like pollinators.

Do This If You Have

• High levels of chemical drift, odor movement, and airborne particulate matter

• Poor quantity and quality of habitat for beneficial organisms and wildlife

• Noise and dust nuisances

• No boundary delineation or contour guidelines

• Poor soil organic matter and bare soils

An upland wildlife habitat management system enhances wildlife habitats by using hilly lands during a portion of their life cycle. This practice manages these upland habitats and establishes connectivity for wildlife across the landscape.

Do This If You Have

• A wild animal species, guild, suite, or ecosystem that needs conservation on your land

Irrigation pipelines convey water from a supply source to a farm’s irrigation system, storage pond, or reservoir. As part of an irrigation system, this pipeline can be combined with other NRCS conservation practices.

Do This If You Have

• Irrigation conveyance water losses due to open channels

• High energy usage due to inefficient water conveyance systems

Irrigation water management plans are designed to determine and control the volume, frequency, and application rate of irrigation water in a planned, efficient manner.

Do This If You Have

• Poor irrigation water use efficiency

• Soil erosion induced by irrigation events

• High soil salinity in the crop root zone

• High energy use associate with irrigation

• High risk of surface and groundwater degradation

A pumping plant is a structure that pumps water at a specific rate to transfer water from a surface or underground source to irrigated lands, wetlands, livestock water structures, or reservoirs.

Do This If You Have

• Inadequate water for plants, livestock, or natural lands like wetlands

• Excessive surface or subsurface water that needs to be removed

• Livestock waste or liquid byproducts that need to be transferred

• High energy use associated with water conveyance

A structure for water control helps convey water, control the direction or rate of flow, maintain a desired water surface elevation, or measure water flow.

An integral component of water management systems, this practice is frequently combined with other NRCS conservation practices.

Do This If You Have

• A need to control the stage, discharge, distribution, delivery, or direction of water flow

A groundwater recharge basin is a part of a suite of practices used to recharge aquifers in areas of critical groundwater overdraft. These recharge structures can be configured as a basin or channel.

Do This If You Have

• A region of critical groundwater overdraft

• Adequate supply of water available for groundwater recharge

• Soil conditions are appropriate for groundwater recharge

• Recharge can occur without risk of groundwater quality degradation

On-farm recharge helps recharge aquifers with periodic application of surface and stormwater to actively managed cropland.

Do This If You Have

• A region with critical groundwater overdraft

• Adequate supply of water available for groundwater recharge

• Water conveyance systems exist or can be installed

• Soil conditions are appropriate for groundwater recharge

• Appropriate fertilizer and pest management practices are used to reduce risks of ground water quality degradation