A conservation or farm plan is a road map to help you achieve goals for your property. It assesses aspects of your property and outlines specific actions you can take — called best management practices (BMPs) — that meet your goals and financial capabilities.

You don’t need to be a commercial operation to benefit from a farm plan. We work with farms and homesteads of all sizes, from backyard horse owners to dairy operations with large numbers of livestock.

These plans are completely voluntary. If you choose to develop one, one of our local conservation specialists will come out to your property at your invitation and work with you to develop the plan.

Many things are considered, including your goals, acreage, soil types, slope of the land, location of wells and septic system, proximity to water bodies, type and numbers of livestock or crops, and resources such as machinery or buildings.

We develop plans following standards and specifications provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.