An Inside Look at a Local Working Group Meeting

Every county across the country holds an annual Local Working Group (LWG) meeting, usually during the spring or summer. These meetings are hosted by local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) (or their equivalent, as they are called different things in different states) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

At these meetings farmers, landowners, and community members are invited to share input on local conservation needs. What many people don't realize is that the recommendations that come out of these annual meetings have a direct impact on guiding how federal and state conservation resources are prioritized within counties, and often at the state level. Many farmers aren’t aware these once-a-year meetings are open to the public—yet they’re a simple way to make sure local and diverse farming perspectives are heard.

On May 28th, fellow RTC staffer Ginger Fride and I attended Wabasha County's annual LWG meeting. Neither of us had been to one of these meetings before, but as we are encouraging farmers, landowners, and community members to attend, we decided we should attend the meeting in our county! We arrived to find a decent turn-out, and while the majority were staff from agencies and conservation organizations, there were a few landowners and farmers.

After introductions, last year's priorities for the county were shared. The included: 1. Groundwater/Surface Water Health, 2. Best Land Use, and 3. Habitat/Recreation Preservation/Enhancement. OK - who doesn't want safe drinking water, healthy soils and a countryside that is good for all us earthlings. But the HOW to achieve these goals and WHO gets to help move us all toward them was a great question that really took what - on the surface - could have been an "ok, let's just do that again this year" to a great discussion.

I have to give kudos to the agency folks in the room for their dedication to promoting as many conservation practices as they could last year. Everything from helping with urban rain barrels to designing livestock waste management systems that mitigate run-off into our waterways, to using cover crops to prevent slowing erosion, to planting native flowers in support of pollinator habitat, to removing invasive species to planting windbreaks. Each county makes its own recommendations for priorities, which is why it is so important to attend to ensure local and diverse farming perspectives are heard.

If you have some time - i recommend you go and listen to what is going on. Don't be afraid to chime in on what you think too! And in case you don't know what a WAGZ, MAWQCP, or DWSMA is - don't worry about it - I didn't know either!

WAGZ - Watershed Alliance for the Greater Zumbro

MAWQCP - Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program

DWSMA - Drinking Water Supply Management Area

Here are two great guides created by the Midwest Agriculture Conservation Network to better understand these meetings and prepare for them:

Meeting dates for MN are still being added and can be found here. You can also check with your local SWCD or NRCS office for more details. If you have further questions or attend your meeting this year and are willing to share your experience, please reach out to [email protected].

Brett Olson, Renewing the Countryside