Missouri Farmers Boost Grazing with NRCS EQIP Support

By Blake Jackson

In northwest Missouri’s Grand River watershed, communities are working together to manage fluctuating water levels with support from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Through financial and easement assistance programs, local producers are adopting conservation practices that improve both water management and agricultural productivity.

Unlike the water-abundant Ozarks in southeast Missouri, the Grand River region faces alternating periods of drought and flooding.

Mandi Bird, who raises registered Simmental seedstock cattle with her husband Dillon in Daviess County, credits the local USDA Service Center for helping her implement practices that enhanced her operation.

“It was like I had a team of experts with local knowledge and experience that helped me to brainstorm ideas to set up my grazing system – they worked with me to help maximize my forages and profit,” Bird said.

After attending NRCS Grazing School in 2019, the Birds used lessons learned to establish a grazing system partially funded by the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

They installed pipelines and two livestock drinkers, enabling them to subdivide their pastures and adopt rotational grazing. This approach improves soil health, boosts forage growth, and increases drought resistance through the use of warm-season grasses.

“Access to good quality water is one of the most limiting factors in grazing systems,” Bird noted. “It would have been quite the financial undertaking to implement the grazing system without NRCS financial assistance, but the effort has been well worth it. We have been able to increase our stocking numbers by 25%.”

In nearby Caldwell County, landowner Tim Nebergall enrolled his property in the Wetland Reserve Easements program, enhancing water quality and wildlife habitat. NRCS Wetland Team Leader Clint Roby explained, “Restoring wetlands improves water quality by slowing down water, trapping sediment and excess nutrients.”

“The number and diversity of migratory birds that use this land is just staggering,” Nebergall said. “My wife Janelle and I have prioritized the restoration that it will take to pass this legacy on to the next generation including our daughters, Hannah and Ella.”

Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt praised Missouri’s NRCS staff, stating, ““I want to say a special thank you to the team here in Missouri for helping to keep our farmers farming with the technical and financial assistance that they need to increase operational productivity and financial stability."

Photo Credit: gettyimages-imaginegolf