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Know Your Watershed is coordinated by Conservation Technology Information Center.

Results
The demonstration was a pilot project for similar situations affecting the lake and its residents. The project team utilized the demonstration as a teaching tool about the cause and effect the agriculture community has on surrounding areas and the conservation practices that help curtail flooding, sedimentation and siltation. The county engineer demonstrated to townships and municipalities the effectiveness of storm water control and the resulting water quality benefits. The immediate benefit was to the residents of the Chippewa area, by resolving their flooding problems. The broader benefit was reduction of agricultural and residential runoff into the lake, enhancing water quality. The sediment basin became part of the county engineering office's permanent maintenance program.

Annual Conservation Practices (ACP) Funds

ACP funds were provided by Farm Services Agency (FSA), formerly Agriculture Stabilization & Conservation Services (ASCS). The funds were provided as cost-share assistance for installation of grassed waterways, grade stabilization structures, critical area seedings, tree plantings, streambank protection, filter strip seedings, hayland and pasture seedings for CRP, and conservation tillage practices.

Results
The funds provided assistance to install 62.7 acres of waterways; approximately 36 structures; over 255 acres of filter strip seedings; four acres of critical area seedings; 17 acres of tree plantings and numerous acres of conservation tillage practices. Several long-term agreements previously assigned will be installed over the next five years under this program.

Chisel Point Replacement Program  

This program provided assistance to purchase specific chisel points for chisel plows used in a conservation tillage system. These points increase the amount of residue left on the soil surface after tillage. The types of points qualifying for assistance were: two-inch straight points, winged straight points, low crown sweeps, Blue Jet or Yetter sub-tiller points.

The amount of assistance allowed was $10/point up to a maximum of $130.00. To qualify for this program the participant must own or operate a minimum of ten acres in the watershed (verified by FSA); own a chisel plow or Yetter or Blue Jet sub-tiller; must submit a completed application before purchasing the points; provide purchase invoice to the joint board to receive reimbursement and contact the project team when tillage occurs and planting is completed.

Results
The program to date has funded 657 chisel points or 73 chisel plows. One of the problems with this program has been the cost-share reimbursement. If this program is offered again, the reimbursement should be for the purchase price of the points, not to exceed $10/point. In many cases, the price per point was only $7. Therefore, the applicant is being reimbursed for more than actual cost.

Conservation Equipment Buy-Down  

The Conservation Equipment Buy-Down Program was designed to assist farmers in purchasing new or used no-till or ridge-till equipment to utilize conservation practices. Watershed farmers could also use the funds toward converting conventional drills and planters to no-till systems. The equipment qualified for purchase assistance was: no-till planters; no-till drills; ridge-till planters; and ridge-till cultivators. To qualify the participant must have owned ground in the watershed or farmed acreage in the watershed for three consecutive years or 50 percent of all tillable acres must have been within the watershed boundaries. The equipment must have been purchased through a lending institution or equipment credit corporation. A current conservation plan for the farm was also required. The participant was required to maintain ownership of the new or used equipment purchased for a minimum of two years. However, conversion equipment ownership must have been maintained for four years unless upgrading to like equipment.

The participant, after approval, received buy-down of 15 percent of the list price or a maximum of $4,000 per sign-up. There was also a limit of two applications accepted per individual. The applicant also provided a purchase invoice to the joint board to receive reimbursement.

Cost-share assistance has also been available for combine chaff spreaders. The cost-share was a flat rate of $250 per complete chaff spreader package purchased not to exceed a maximum of $500, in the event two packages were purchased. To qualify, the applicant must own or operate a minimum of ten acres in the watershed. Applicant must also own/rent/or lease a combine.

Results
The funding has assisted the purchase of 50 different pieces of no-till equipment and cost-share for approximately 25 chaff spreaders. One of the program difficulties has been agricultural producers who've tried to lease the minimum amount of acres in the watershed purposely to take advantage of the program or have purchased the equipment but not utilized a 100 percent no-till system. Policing all the applicants has been difficult. The program has been well received, even with these exceptional cases of minor problems. The program was responsible in swaying several people into converting to a no-till tillage system. After seeing the no-till successes of the pioneers in the watershed, others were convinced to purchase equipment. A complete evaluation was conducted on the equipment buy down program and is referenced in Section 9, the Evaluation Section.

Detailed Nutrient Management The purpose of this program was to encourage efficient use of nutrients in the watershed. The program demonstrated responsible fertilizer management practices which were to enhance the water quality of Indian Lake.

Results
Three test plots were planted to conduct nitrogen management tests. A Cardy Nitrate meter was utilized to demonstrate nitrogen application's affect on water quality. Yield checks were also conducted on these test plots. Micro-nutrient test plots were set up and soil samples were taken. A nine-week letter-study course on soil fertility was also conducted with 100 watershed agriculture producers and agriculture students participating.

Conservation Tax Incentive Program The purpose of this program was to reduce or manage soil erosion on cropland by leaving a minimum of 30 percent crop residue on the soil surface year round while under the tolerable soil loss limits. Participants were paid $4 per acre per year for eligible and adequately treated cropland and/or hayland where conservation tillage was applied or $6 per acre of eligible and adequately treated cropland and/or hayland where no-tillage is applied. A maximum payment of $500 was made to landowners/operators whose acreage was within the 1,000 foot corridor. The participation was limited to two years per applicant.

Results
By implementing no-till, the landowner could reduce soil erosion by an average of four to seven tons/acre/year. With conservation tillage, the landowner could reduce soil erosion by an average of three to five tons/acre/year. Payments were made on 3,330 acres which maintained greater than 30 percent crop residue on the soil surface all year.

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