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Foster County Soil Conservation District is here to promote soil, water, and resource conservation by offering technical, financial, informational, and educational assistance and opportunities to the people of Foster County.
Check out our programs and services. Get in touch with us if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or if you are interested in participating in any of our programs.
2026 Eco Ed Day at Juanita Lake Park
On September 9, Foster County SCD held its annual Eco Ed Day tour for sixth graders from the Carrington and Midkota Schools. Sevenry-one students in small groups attended a round of six learning sessions during the event. The goal of Eco Ed is to give students an outdoor education experience that provides opportunities for fun and hands-on learning. This year the event had the advantage of having perfect temperatures, even though it got a little windy.
Foster County Extension Agent Jeff Gale led the first part of the agronomy sessions about North Dakota crops and how they are used, assisted by SCD Supervisors Curt Klein, Sam Partlow, and Cody Montgomery. The students got to try out a hand cranked corn sheller and model grain thresher before they took home a bottle that they filled with the seeds of fifteen North Dakota crops.
Foster County SCD Technician Easton Brown used specimens such as skulls, furs, and preserved insects to teach the students about wildlife living in and around wetlands.
Elizabeth Krause from the Northern Hardy Fruit Project at Carrington Research Extension Center led the session on trees and woodlands. She talked with the students about different kinds of trees and tree structures, some basic principles of tree identification, and showed how windbreaks work.
NRCS Soil Conservationist Kelly Satrom taught them about soils, soil textures, soil health, and erosion.
Ezra Aberle, a Research Specialist from the Carrington Research Extension Center, took the kids on a pasture walk to learn about rangelands and range management. He taught the students to identify a number of range plants.
Liz Smith from ND Dept. of Environmental Quality used a model to show what watersheds are and how they work. She also talked about water quality and how to avoid polluting our watersheds.
At the end of the day, there was a special presentation to all of the students by The Bugman’s Daughter, Kathleen Schell. Using lessons learned from her entomologist father, she introduced the students to some creepy friends, explained how to tell an insect from an arachnid, and offered interesting information on their behaviors and how they can affect humans.
Foster County Soil Conservation District would like to thank all who assisted with this event. Besides the teachers and chaperones and all those who led the presentations, that includes Foster County for the use of Juanita Lake Park, Jon Stangeland for the use of his pasture for the range sessions, and everyone that provided grain samples. We’d also like to thank the sponsors who paid for the T-shirts received by all attending: Arrowwood Prairie Coop, CenDak Cooperative, and Sunrich Products.
Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture
The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture was a three-year pilot program designed to encourage farmers and ranchers to adopt conservation practices that improve productivity, strengthen rural communities, and enhance environmental stewardship. It was supported through USDA's Advancing Markets for Producers initiative. The program provided payments of $100 per acre or animal unit for eligible conservation practices. North Dakota was one of four states participating, and Foster County SCD was one of eight districts in the state that took part.
The project was led nationally by Virginia Tech with North Dakota Farmer's Union serving as the state lead for North Dakota, and the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts and the North Dakota Conservation District Employees Association also providing administrative support for the project. The local soil conservation districts participating delivered technical assistance to producers.
During the two years the program operated in North Dakota, more than $13 million was distributed to 582 producers across those eight counties. Over 124,000 acres and animal units were enrolled in conservation practices, with No-till, Reduced Till, Prescribed Grazing, and Conservation Crop Rotation among the most widely adopted.
Foster County SCD had 84 producer contracts and more than 16,000 acres and animal units impacted. Local producers received more than $1.7 million through the program to assist them with implementing conservation practices.
Not the Dirty Thirties, Now!!
Photo: Storm Tracker Weather
Photo: Bev Nessler
These photos were taken spring of 2017, showing that soil erosion is still a threat to our farmland. These sights have been repeated more than once since then. See the "News and Information" page for photos of ditch deposits from the dust storm of March 29-30, 2021. Parts of eastern North Dakota have lost over half of their topsoil since 1964.
"Most of what we call topsoil today is a mixture of the remains of the original higher organic matter topsoil mixed through tillage with some subsurface horizon. Loss of soil in millions of acres can be measured in feet over the past 120 years. Most lost soil...is going high into the air, and only a small amount lands in a roadside ditch." (Dave Franzen, NDSU) For more information, see the video "The History of Soil Erosion in North Dakota" on YouTube.
There are things we can do to prevent sights like this. Windbreaks that help decrease wind erosion are being removed and not replaced. There are other practices as well that promote soil health and will also help decrease erosion, such as keeping the soil covered with vegetation or residue, minimizing soil disturbance, and keeping live roots in the soil for as long as possible with practices like cover crops.
June 6, 2024
One of the SCD Board members took this photo through his windshield while stopped on the road. Soil erosion continues to be an ongoing problem in Foster County.
Photo: Sam Partlow
When land does well for its owner, and the owner does well by his land; when both end up better by reason of their partnership, we have conservation. -- Aldo Leopold