Teams of farmers and farm advisors received mini-grants to install low-cost edge-of-field practices and create a video or podcast to share what they did and learned, so other farmers can learn from them.
Edge-of-field practices help mitigate erosion and nutrient runoff at the edge of farm fields, thereby saving soil, retaining nutrients, and improving water quality. They encompass a variety of practices, such as prairie strips, vegetated buffers, bioreactors, two-stage ditches, and many more.
The awarded teams implemented their projects from spring 2024 to winter 2025. Learn more about their projects and results below!
Read the press release about the completed projects.
Good Idea Mini-Grants were made possible with funding from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Walton Family Foundation through the Achieving Conservation Through Targeted Information, Outreach & Networking (ACTION) Program.
Minnesota Farmer Heidi Eger
Practice installed: Management of vegetated, wooded buffer using sheep grazing
Eger partnered with Fieldstone Consulting to construct an innovative vegetated waterway, which incorporates a woodland and sheep grazing, to prevent nutrient runoff into Wisel Creek, a trout stream.
The project demonstrates how woodlands can be managed affordably to mitigate runoff and enhance wildlife habitat.
Watch the video about the project
After watching, take this survey to tell us what you think.
Illinois Farmer Brian Corkill
Practice installed: Bioreactor
Corkill partnered with the University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership to install a second bioreactor on his 1000-acre corn and soybean operation to prevent nutrient loss through tile drainage.
This project demonstrates how a bioreactor can add to existing conservation cropping systems – e.g., Corkill’s includes cover crops, no-till, and responsible nutrient management.
Watch the video about the project
After watching, take this survey to tell us what you think.
Echo-Y Farms in Wisconsin
Practice installed: Prairie strip
Echo-Y Farms partnered with Sand County Foundation through their involvement in the Sauk Soil and Water Improvement Group (SSWIG), a farmer-led watershed conservation group, to design and install a prairie strip on recently purchased land that has experienced years of soil degradation.
Their project demonstrates the value of prairie strips for reducing erosion, increasing infiltration, and enhancing biodiversity.
Watch the video about the project
After watching, take this survey to tell us what you think.
Wisconsin Landowner Dennis Ireland
Practice installed: Field border
Ireland partnered with Wisconsin Farmers Union to combat long-term erosion on a field by clearing brush, re-grading the land, and installing a buffer strip.
This is a classic project that many farmers can relate to, and the team demonstrates how this erosion-control approach can be manageable.
Watch the video about the project
After watching, take this survey to tell us what you think.
Wisconsin Owner/Operator Dennis Mitchell
Practice installed: Grassed buffer strip
Mitchell partnered with Wisconsin Farmers Union to convert a 3.4 acre plot of low-profit cropland into a perennial grassed buffer that will mitigate erosion and nutrient loss to the adjacent Dry Run Creek.
A simple, easy-to-implement practice, the buffer demonstrates for other farmers how they too can prevent erosion and protect soil at their field borders.
Watch the video about the project
After watching, take this survey to tell us what you think.
Wisconsin Owner/Operator Larry Oehmichen
Practice installed: Trio of filter strips
Through their involvement in the Eau Pleine Partnership for Integrated Conservation (EPPIC), Oehmichen partnered with Marathon County Conservation Planning and Zoning, Pheasants Forever, and Shortlane Ag Supply LLC to install three different kinds of filter strips—a perennial hay harvestable buffer, a pollinator planting, and a wildlife enhancing strip—to reduce phosphorus runoff into a pond that is adjacent to a field in corn-soybean rotation.
The project demonstrates how to maximize benefits from marginal cropland.
Watch these videos about the project
After watching the first video, take this survey to tell us what you think.
After watching the second video, take this survey to tell us what you think.
Illinois Landowner Kent Bohnhoff
Practice installed: Automated drainage water management system
Bohnhoff partnered with the Iowa-based Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition and Ecosystem Services Exchange to install two automated drainage water management (DWM) systems, a promising practice for reducing nitrogen runoff and stabilizing yields.
While still underutilized, automated DWM systems allow farmers to be more responsive to crop needs and to manage multiple systems without the burden of driving to each site.
Watch the video about the project
After watching, take this survey to tell us what you think.
“After” photo coming soon!