Each year the Stearns County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) recognizes an individual(s) or organizations for outstanding accomplishments in implementing conservation practices and improving Minnesota’s natural resources.
Steve and Cheryl Schlangen, the 2021 Outstanding Conservationists, will be recognized for their conservation efforts at the 39th annual banquet of the Stearns County Chapter of Pheasants Forever (SCPF). The SCPF has a long-standing tradition of honoring the Outstanding Conservationist at their banquet each year. The Schlangens were honored at the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation District’s (MASWCD) annual convention in December 2021, along with other Outstanding Conservationists from around the state.
The Schlangens began farming in Stearns County in 1986 and currently milk 60 Holsteins with a Lely robotic milker and raise their own feed on 200 acres of corn, soybeans, barley, and alfalfa. The Schlangens have established a long history of conservation work on their farm that includes cover crops, vegetative buffer strips, grassed waterways, water-and-sediment control basins, reduced tillage, and no-till.
With funding assistance from NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Schlangens built a manure-stacking slab that allows them to store manure and use it to apply the nutrients at the right source, rate, time, and place. They also use low-disturbance manure injection to ensure the manure is incorporated into the soil to reduce runoff risks.
They also work with a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) to determine nutrient needs and conduct grid soil sampling to help select the fields needing additional or minimal nutrients.
The Schlangens have participated in the NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in 2005, 2015, and 2021. Through this program and working with NRCS and SWCD staff, the Schlangens have been able to continually improve and expand their existing nutrient and pest management while working to reduce nutrient runoff.
In 2016, the Schlangens became water quality certified through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP), which provided a whole-farm review of their operation to see where they could improve conservation efforts.
The Stearns County Chapter of Pheasants Forever annual banquet will be held at the St. Cloud Holiday Inn Saturday, March 5. This event is open to the public and walk-ins are welcome. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with the traditional “crowing hour,” with dinner and prizes starting at 7 p.m. The evening festivities include a live auction, silent auction, and a variety of raffles. Proceeds from the banquet are used in Stearns County for habitat projects, youth activities, and public use land acquisitions that protect water quality. If you are interested in attending the SCPF annual banquet, visit their website at www.stearnspf.org/banquets/ or call Mike Windschitl, SCPF Banquet Chair at (320) 248-1116.