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Conservation district reports surge in cost-share requests, cites federal drought wells and state match increase
Summary
A Dickinson County conservation district official told commissioners the district fielded more than two dozen cost-share applications for 2026 and noted federal emergency wells, large nutrient-management grants and a state law that doubled matching education funds.
A representative of the local conservation district told the Dickinson County Commission that the district received more demand for cost-share help than it could fund and that a recent change in state matching rules had increased the county's leverage.
The presenter said federal Farm Service Agency emergency-well work during the drought resulted in 60 wells in Dickinson County and that the conservation district “brought in over $1,250,000 into Dickinson County” in 2024 through partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and FSA. The district reported it obtained an additional $60,000 in local cost share but still had more applications than could be funded for 2025, and said more than 25 new cost-share applications had already been filed for 2026 alongside 12 federally funded applications that remained unfunded.
The presenter described how the district ranks applications after a sign-up window: “We take applications throughout the year and then we have a cost share sign up period that ends May 15, and we will… rank everything based on a system,” naming distance to perennial streams and number of acres improved as ranking criteria. Commissioners asked whether awards were first-come, first-served; staff answered that the ranking system determines which projects “rise to the top.”
The district said federal funding in recent rounds went heavily to nutrient-management programs, which can cost “upwards of $30,000,” leaving less federal money for waterways, terraces and other traditional projects. The presenter also noted that Senate Bill 36 increased the state match for district education funds: the state match that had previously matched up to $25,000 was changed so the district can now receive up to $50,000 for education and administrative support, including salary. The presenter said state cost-share payments that go directly to landowners and contractors remain limited to conservation-program uses.
Commissioners and attendees discussed cooperative work with neighboring conservation districts, shared equipment the district loans to landowners (no-till drills, a Truax seeder, and grit torches for prescribed burning) and efforts to cultivate new farmer interest through youth programs and school poster contests. A commissioner noted rotational grazing practices and local landowners’ multi-year projects that combine terraces, waterways and cover crops to reduce runoff and improve soil.
The presenter said the district will continue seeking additional cost-share dollars from state and federal partners and asked for continued county support. No formal county action was taken during the presentation.
Less urgent details: the district described several one-off educational grants obtained in 2024 that may not repeat in future years and encouraged continued cooperation with neighboring counties for events and equipment sharing.
