Stone County Soil and Water Conservation District

Stone County Soil and Water Conservation District Legislation began to take shape to better manage and conserve the nation’s soil. Despite these actions, Missouri was still plagued with high erosion rates.

Soil and Water Conservation Districts throughout the state provide technical assistance & financial incentives to landowners to implement conservation practices. History of the Soil and Water Conservation Program
In the 1930s, as the Dust Bowl swept across the nation relocating an estimated 300 million tons of soil, Americans realized the devastating effects of soil erosion. In 1982, Missouri was

losing soil at a rate of 10.9 tons per acre each year on cultivated cropland. A one-tenth-of-one-percent parks, soils and water sales tax was passed by Missouri voters in 1984 to fund state parks and soil and water conservation efforts. Prior to the passage of the sales tax, Missouri had the second highest rate of erosion in the nation. Almost two-thirds of Missouri voters renewed the tax in 1988 and 1996. In 2006, the tax passed by its highest percentage to date (70.8). Since 1982, Missouri’s erosion rate dropped more than any other state. It is estimated that more than 148 million tons of soil have been saved since the start of the sales tax, but millions of tons of soil still wash away every year on cultivated cropland in Missouri. The majority of the soils side of this tax has been used to assist agricultural landowners through voluntary programs that are developed by the Soil and Water Districts Commission. They are administered by the Soil and Water Conservation Program through district boards in each of the 114 counties. The cost-share program provides financial incentives to landowners for up to 75 percent of the cost for installation of soil conservation practices that prevent or control excessive erosion. Soil and water conservation districts provide technical support with the design, implementation and maintenance of practices. By promoting good farming techniques that help keep soil on the fields and waters clean, each soil and water conservation district is conserving the productivity of Missouri’s working lands.

Perilla mint, a toxic summer annual, is also known as rattlesnake w**d, purple mint and beefsteak plant. All parts of it...
09/03/2026

Perilla mint, a toxic summer annual, is also known as rattlesnake w**d, purple mint and beefsteak plant. All parts of it are toxic, and it can cause breathing problems and death in cows and small ruminants. Most adult animals have learned safe grazing habits & will eat around it when other palatable forage is available; whereas younger animals may not have & in a drought, with limited forage, be cautious they don't eat this! Can be controlled with most herbicides.

See below outreach. If interested, RSVP by calling 723-8389.
09/01/2026

See below outreach. If interested, RSVP by calling 723-8389.

08/20/2026

Nitrogen prices have risen more than 40% in recent months, causing many livestock producers to take a closer look at fall fertility decisions.

Research shows fall nitrogen applications can increase stockpiled tall fescue yields, but the return on investment depends on fertilizer costs, hay prices and growing conditions.

To compare costs and make an informed decision based on your specific situation, use the formula in this article: https://brnw.ch/21x533h

08/20/2026

We will be set up at the Crane Broiler Festival next to MU Extension of Stone County this Friday/Saturday. Come See Us!

Improve Pasture Health & Maximize Forage with Rotational Grazing. Last Grazing School close to our area; this October in...
08/18/2026

Improve Pasture Health & Maximize Forage with Rotational Grazing. Last Grazing School close to our area; this October in Strafford. Call 417-468-4176 ext. 3 to register. Required for financial assistance thru the State Cost Share Program for Grazing Systems.

08/13/2026

Rising feed and fertilizer costs are squeezing ranch margins from every direction. But cutting costs doesn't have to mean abandoning what's worked for generations.

A recent Noble Rancher article walks through three low-risk practices producers can test on a limited scale, without overhauling their operation or gambling on something unproven.

The first is adjusting grazing rest periods. A conventional cow-calf rancher in central Oklahoma extended rest on just one rotation by five days during early summer and delayed feeding hay by two weeks in late summer. No change in stocking rate, no new infrastructure. Just timing.

The second is testing cover crops or forage diversity on marginal acres. One underperforming corner of a pasture, one post-wheat cover crop, one small comparison plot. Cost-share programs through NRCS EQIP and local conservation districts can help offset the cost.

The third is improving water distribution. A Texas rancher added one temporary cross-fence and moved a portable water tank to the back of a pasture, encouraging cattle into lightly grazed sections and stretching grazing by 12 additional days before supplemental feed was needed.

Try one. Track what changes. If it works, expand. If not, no harm done.

Read the full article: https://www.noble.org/regenerative-agriculture/three-low-risk-practices-to-cut-costs-without-sacrificing-tradition/

08/13/2026

Senators introduce bill to combat Asian Longhorned Tick threat to U.S. beef industry.

Address

108-B Cortney Lane
Crane, MO
65633

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+14177238389

Website

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