Sustainable Agriculture
There are 95,000 farms in Missouri, second most in the United States—and that makes agriculture one of our greatest opportunities for conservation. More than 90% of the farms here are family owned, and the nearly 28 million total acres devoted to agriculture in Missouri cover two-thirds of the state. The Nature Conservancy works with Missouri’s growers as well as our conservation partners to put sustainable practices into action. That’s crucial, not just for the viability of those farmers and ranchers, but for the health of our rivers and streams. Currently, Missouri is the leading phosphorous contributor in the Mississippi River basin. The Grand River watershed in northwest Missouri is a high contributor in the state. Runoff flows downriver and contributes to the hypoxic zone, “dead zone,” in the Gulf of Mexico. To make the biggest impact on conservation, solutions have to work for farmers and the environment. Research and the science that comes from it is leading the way to this adaptive management as more demand is placed on every acre of land. The pressure on both is greater than ever. Increased demand for food from a growing population combined with economic shifts and climate change are constantly raising the stakes. But there are answers. TNC’s work in sustainable agriculture offers models that can be used widely to increase profits and protect our land and water resources. Whether it’s testing new strategies to mitigate farmers’ risks, planting natural buffers along rivers to stop erosion, promoting new climate-smart practices or
partnering on wide-ranging campaigns for smart use of fertilizers and grazing intensities, we are invested in helping Missouri’s farms and ranches remain strong and sustainable into the future.
TNC collaborates with local farmers and ranchers to help put sustainable practices into action. © Kristy Stoyer/TNC
Little Creek Farm The Nature Conservancy bought Little Creek Farm in 2017 and has turned its 217 acres into a center of agricultural innovation. Overlooking the rolling hills of Dunn Ranch Prairie, which sits just across the road, the property is more than just a farm with a view. It serves as TNC’s first sustainable grazing demonstration farm in Missouri. With our partners, we’re testing strategies that benefit farmers and the environment. Local rancher Ryan Cox leases the land from TNC and collaborates with our staff on sustainable practices. Interseeding warm-season native grasses has improved the health and biodiversity of pastures, and Cox rotates his herd through the farm’s twelve paddocks, instead of leaving them in one or two pastures to chew the grass to the ground. That’s extended the grazing season and allowed Cox to run more cows per acre.
Rancher Ryan Cox is a partner at TNC's Little Creek Farm. © Kristy Stoyer/TNC
The farm’s namesake has been improved, too. A major stream restoration project completed in 2022 repaired the eroded banks of Little Creek and created an underwater wedge that reconnects more than five miles of aquatic habitat. This is critical to the passage upstream into the headwaters for the federally listed Topeka shiner. That’s great news for the health of the creek and the aquatic system here in this portion of the Great Plains.
BEFORE & AFTER: Before restoration, the streambanks of Little Creek were severely eroding, dumping harmful nutrients and sediment into the stream and limiting aquatic habitat. Now, the free-flowing creek is lined with natural materials that increase habitat and provide a more fish-friendly passage. © Steve Herrington/TNC
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Dunn Ranch Prairie Grassbank Standing in the sea of tallgrass, Dunn Ranch Prairie can feel endless. Waves of wildflowers go on and on, choruses of migrating birds fill the air and fascinations range from bison to towering dark-earth anthills. A lot of life flows through Dunn’s 3,258 acres, but The Nature Conservancy’s Kent Wamsley notes that it’s “a drop in the bucket” when placed in the context of its place within the 160,000 acres of the Grand Rivers Grasslands of Missouri and Iowa. The grassbank is TNC’s first in the central United States. It is a way to extend Dunn’s ecological impact— and help out our neighbors. A three-year agreement allows two local ranchers to graze cattle for a few months a year on two specific pastures on Dunn in a unit that totals 400 acres. In return, those ranchers choose and implement sustainable grazing practices, such as removing fescue and planting native grasses, woody removal, resting certain pastures and controlled cattle access near streams on their own land. The program is as much an exchange of ideas as it is resources. TNC and its neighbors work together to figure out how to support ranchers and the land. “We’re in grazing country,” says Wamsley, TNC’s grasslands and sustainable agriculture strategy manager in Missouri. “If we want to make a difference, we need to work beyond our property borders.” 4R Nutrient Reduction Program Think of the 4R program as farming backed by scientific data and logistical support. It is about using fertilizer efficiently to save money while protecting the land and water from harmful runoff. No one who grows crops wants to pay for expensive nutrients that are going to wash away, but a lot of variables can make it hard to figure out how to avoid it. That’s where the program’s four “rights” come in: using the right fertilizer source at the right rate at the right time in the right place. Soil testing through TNC’s current pilots use the Nutri-Track system developed by TNC’s retail partner MFA, Inc., which helps create individualized fertilizing plans for farmers and ensures the plans are working in the future. TNC joined a diverse group of collaborators with help from the Missouri Fertilizer Control Board, select ag retailers, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts to launch the 4R program in 2018, and thousands of acres across the state have been enrolled since then. We have a goal to enroll 250,000 acres by 2025. That will help farmers’ bottom line and improve water quality all the way from Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico. TNC's grassbank in Missouri is helping ranchers put conservation practices into place on their land. © Kristy Stoyer/TNC
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