View and/or apply to receive money for conservation with our 2023 Incentive Application.
ABOUT
The Horse Creek Farmer-Led Watershed Council is a group of farmers working together to improve soil and water conservation within the Horse Creek watershed. The council was established 2013. The Horse Creek watershed is approximately 76 square miles in size and is located mostly in Polk County as well as part of St. Croix County.
Our mission is to help producers to adopt best management practices dedicated to protecting water quality and improving soil health.
In order to promote farmer learning, council members organize events such as workshops, field days, and seminars.
The council offers incentives to farmers in the watershed for implementing well testing & conservation practices including soil sampling, cover crops, and planter improvements.
RESEARCH
The Horse Creek Farmers also maintain a demonstration site with 5 trials and 15 plots. View the 2022 report here. On March 23rd, 2022, they hosted a presentation on the results from their fest plot.
See Dane Christenson’s presentation slides on the test plot, here. In the fall of 2021, Dennis Busch of UW Platteville did an infiltration study on the plots. See his presentation on findings from Horse Creek and around the midwest here.
Goals
1. Investigate and implement practices that can improve soil health and water retention while increasing yields and improving return on investment;
2. Learn where nutrients are coming from and where they are going;
3. Enhance and protect land within the Horse Creek & Squaw Lake watersheds;
4. Work in conjunction with area lake districts.
Farmer-Led Watershed Councils of the St. Croix and Red Cedar Rivers 