2023 a record year for Indiana conservation practices

INDIANAPOLIS — For the second year in a row, Indiana landowners set a record number of conservation practices to maintain soil health, according to the Indiana Conservation Partnership.

In 2023, landowners installed more than 50,000 new conservation practices, up 3,000 from 2022.

In all, 14,524 of these practices reduced sediment and nutrients from entering Indiana’s waterways. And 162,047 cover crop acres helped with carbon sequestration.

“Indiana’s vitality is rooted in the soil,” said Damarys Mortenson, state conservationist. “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.”

The ICP works with Hoosier landowners to provide technical or financial assistance for the implementation of conservation projects.

“Year after year, Hoosier farmers and conservationists are installing additional stewardship practices and working hard to ensure nutrients and irreplaceable topsoil stay on their fields,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch.

“Breaking records year after year is no small feat, and I want to thank the partners in this program and also the landowners and farmers for their contributions and wish them well on their continued success of improving soil health.”

Key Highlights

• Last year, landowners helped prevent over 1.6 million tons of sediment, over 3.6 million pounds of nitrogen and over 1.8 million pounds of phosphorus from entering Indiana waterways.

• In the fall of 2022, and emerging in the spring of 2023, Hoosier farmers planted more than 1.6 million acres of living cover, which includes cover crops and winter wheat.

• Cover crops and no-till practices sequestered an estimated 41,000 tons of soil organic carbon, which is the equivalent to the carbon emissions of more than 30,168 cars.

View the complete report at https://tinyurl.com/5eazfrnz.