Use of No-till Leads to a Reduction in Soil Erosion for Laurens County Farmer     

Reggie Faulk has land alongside Gator Creek in Laurens County. For several generations, the land had been conventionally tilled. Tobacco, peanuts and corn were the major crops grown on the land. Residue from these crops were harrowed each fall which resulted in severe erosion in many areas on his land. Faulk recognized that he needed to stop the erosion to save the soil and keep his land healthy and productive.

Faulk said that he had read about the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in a farm magazine and decided to contact the Dublin NRCS office to see if he might be eligible for the conservation program. He met with District Conservationist Britt Parker and signed up for the program. Faulk was accepted into the EQIP and has never looked back. NRCS has developed conservation plans on all his farms that will protect his soils and increase production potential of his soil.

He is also participating in the Department of Natural Resource’s Bob White Quail Initiative and has seen an increase in the number of quail, as well as other non-game bird species, on his land. Faulk is now a fan of conservation and of no-till in particular. “No-till has helped me to eliminate the erosion that was occurring on my farm. I can now say that all my land is producing crops and is more productive than ever,” Faulk said.

For more information about the Bob White Quail Initiative, visit http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/ Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) The Environmental Quality Incentives Program provides technical, educational, and financial assistance to eligible farmers and ranchers to address soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. The program provides assistance to farmers and ranchers in complying with Federal, State, and tribal environmental laws, and encourages environmental enhancement.

The program is funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation. The purposes of the program are achieved through the implementation of a conservation plan which includes structural, vegetative, and land management practices on eligible land. Two- to ten-year contracts are made with eligible producers.

Cost-share payments may be made to implement one or more eligible structural or vegetative practices, such as animal waste management facilities, terraces, filter strips, tree planting, and permanent wildlife habitat. Incentive payments can be made to implement one or more land management practices, such as residue management, upland wildlife habitat management, and grazing land management. For more information on conservation programs, visit www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov

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