INDIANAPOLIS – For the second straight year, Indiana landowners have set a record for the number of conservation practices they use to maintain soil health, according to the Indiana Conservation Partnership (ICP).

In 2023, the ICP supported the installation of more than 50,000 new conservation practices, the organization said in a release. In 2022, a then-record 47,000 conservation practices were installed.

Some of the most common conservation best management practices in the state are cover crops, nutrient management, residue and tillage management, conservation cover and grassed waterways, the release said.

Over the last year, landowners helped prevent more than 1.6 million tons of sediment, over 3.6 million pounds of nitrogen and more than 1.8 million pounds of phosphorus from entering Hoosier waterways, according to ICP.

Shannon Zezula, Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) state resource conservationist, told Farm World he wasn’t surprised Hoosier landowners set a record last year for the number of conservation practices used.

“Indiana farmers have always been national leaders in adopting conservation on their farms, and with the continued quality technical advice from the Indiana Conservation Partnership employees, and the recent significant additions of Inflation Reduction Act funding and Clean Water Indiana funding, the Indiana Conservation Partnership was able to get these funds to willing farmers to install more conservation practices than ever before.”

ICP partners include the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Purdue University Extension and NRCS. ICP is composed of public and non-profit groups, and landowners, that work together for the betterment of soil health and water quality.

The ICP release said in the fall of 2022 and into the spring of 2023, Hoosier farmers planted more than 1.6 million acres of living cover, including cover crops and winter wheat. Cover crops and no-till practices implemented with the organization’s assistance sequestered an estimated 41,000 tons of soil and organic carbon, which is the equivalent to the carbon emissions of more than 30,168 cars, the release noted.

“Indiana farmers manage nearly two-thirds of Indiana’s total acres – conservation on these lands provides cleaner water and air, healthier soils, and improved wildlife habitat and forest health for all of Indiana’s citizens and other states as well,” Zezula explained. “With the continued efforts of the Indiana Conservation Partnership and the even greater increases in funding, we expect even more conservation to get on the ground.”

In 2023, there was an estimated $124 million of conservation investment from federal, state and local partners in Indiana, Jennifer Thum, Indiana State Department of Agriculture director of soil conservation, told Farm World.

In the release, Damarys Mortenson, Indiana NRCS state conservationist, said, “Indiana’s vitality is rooted in the soil. In a time when extreme weather events are inevitable, keeping our soil healthy and productive is of paramount importance. We are seeing great strides by our Indiana farmers who are working with the ICP to incorporate soil health principles on their land.

“These producers are increasing their soil’s organic matter, reducing the need for expensive inputs and improving microbial activity – all while harvesting better profits and often better yields.”