A farm project involving Richland County’s Conservation Department sprouted national attention recently from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Last year, the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) received a three-year grant from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to conduct agricultural field trials in Richland, Dillon and Marlboro counties.  In conjunction with researchers at the University of South Carolina and the Dillon and Marlboro SWCDs, Richland SWCD is conducting trials to demonstrate the benefits of using multi-species cover crops to improve soil health, protect environmental quality and reduce production costs.

The USDA shines a spotlight on the study in an article on its national blog site.

“The grant is enabling conservation partners in South Carolina to seize the opportunity to be leaders in the soil health movement … farmers are realizing the critical link between soil organic matter, soil health and financial savings,” the article states.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.