INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Farmers in 11 Indiana watersheds have until June 19 to apply for funding for practices designed to improve water quality and soil health in those areas.

The eligible watersheds and sub-watersheds are: Big Pine Creek Ditch and Little Pine Creek (Benton, White counties); Little Wea Creek (Tippecanoe County); Prairie Creek and Tobin Ditch (Boone, Clinton, Hamilton, Tipton counties); Silver Creek (Fulton, Kosciusko, Miami, Wabash counties); Beargrass Creek (Wabash County); Ell Creek (Dubois County); Eagle Creek (Boone, Hendricks, Marion counties); Shatto Ditch (Kosciusko County); and Kirkpatrick Ditch (Benton, Jasper, Newton counties).

"We were looking for places where we know there are water quality concerns," said Jill M. Reinhart, assistant state conservationist for special projects for Indiana’s USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. "We were also looking for areas we know there are interested farmers.

"These are places with a need, with farmers with a willingness to get things done and where we have the capacity to help."

Money for the projects will come from targeted Environmental Quality Incentives Program funds and does not affect other dollars the state receives from the program. The money will be distributed through one of three initiatives – Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, National Water Quality Initiative and Regional Conservation Partnership Project (RCPP) – depending on the watershed.

The state will have nearly $870,000 total to spend on practices in all the watersheds for 2015, Reinhart said.

The primary goal of the three initiatives is to protect and improve water quality, she noted. Practices eligible for funding include cover crops, no-till, nutrient management practices, filter strips and two-stage ditches.

Indiana has set payment rates for each practice, she said, adding the state may pay for roughly 75 percent of a practice, depending on the project.

"This is an opportunity for farmers to consider these practices in a less-competitive situation," Reinhart noted. "They will only be competing against others in the same watershed. It’s also an opportunity to try new practices."

The goal for the RCPP watersheds – Shatto and Kirkpatrick ditches – is to have cover crops used on 85 percent of active farmland by the time the project ends in five years, she said. The two RCPP watersheds were recommended by the University of Notre Dame. The eligible watersheds are all considered small. "We chose this size because that’s the scale where we can see change," Reinhart explained. "We’re also trying to put in a water quality monitoring effort. Through monitoring and modeling, we hope to show success. These are pilot watersheds; we’ll be able to see what works."

Approved watershed practices will lower the amount of nutrients in waterways, limit erosion and improve the land’s ability to withstand droughts and floods, said Jane Hardisty, state conservationist. "These conservation practices will help clean and conserve water, make agricultural operations more resilient and stimulate rural economies," she stated. "We are working with partners to encourage farmers to put in conservation practices in these targeted watersheds that address water quality concerns and help improve soil health and agricultural production.

"By targeting initiative dollars we can make a greater impact on the health of our streams and rivers and, ultimately, the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico."

Change isn’t always easy for farmers to make, Reinhart noted.

"It takes time to see a change in farming," she said. "Farmers tend to farm the way their fathers and grandfathers farmed. We’re trying to help show people changes can affect their production and economic figures as well as improve the environment. We’re educating them, trying to make a shift in how they farm."

To be eligible, a farmer must be registered with the Farm Service Agency. For those without a conservation plan, a district conservationist will visit their farm and help create one. For more information on the watersheds and initiatives, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/in/programs