Missouri’s Soil and Water Conservation Program distributes $40 million to landowners

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Soil and Water Conservation Program provided $40 million to Missouri landowners in fiscal year 2023. The program funded nearly 6,000 projects designed to save soil and protect water quality across Missouri. Funding for the program is made possible through the Parks, Soil and Water Sales Tax.

“This accomplishment highlights the demand for land improvement in Missouri and how much work is left towards benefiting our farmers,” said Jim Plassmeyer, director of the Soil and Water Conservation Program. “Achieving this goal was made possible by the hard work of our commissioners, program staff, the 114 soil and water conservation districts, and our federal partners at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.”

The Soil and Water Conservation Program assists farmers and landowners by providing partial financial assistance for construction of management practices aiding in the prevention or control of excessive erosion and improvement of water quality. Each of Missouri’s 114 county-level soil and water conservation districts provide the hands-on technical assistance, education and best practices for their local agricultural landowners and operators.

The Soil and Water Conservation Program’s annual budget appropriation for cost-share projects will be increasing to $50 million for the 2024 fiscal year beginning July 1. Since the first passage of the Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax in 1988, Missouri has prevented more than 192 million tons of soil erosion while also improving the state’s water quality and keeping farmland productive.

Visit mosoilandwater.land to find your county’s soil and water conservation district, or learn more about MoDNR’s Soil and Water Conservation Program at dnr.mo.gov/about-us/missouri-geological-survey/soil-water-conservation-program.