Conservation Agriculture Resources
MFU Foundation's conservation agriculture resources include the Conservation Advisor Spotlight series, the SWCD Conservation Equipment Rental Dashboard, the MN Conservation Ag Events Tracker, and the Conservation Photo Gallery. This page also details partner organization resources such as cost-share programs, grants and loans, and more.
Conservation Advisor Spotlight
Conservation advisors work one-on-one with farmers to assess resource concerns and find opportunities for stewardship improvements. These advisors can be found at organizations across the state, from Extension offices to Soil and Water Conservation Districts to wildlife-focused non-profits. MFU regularly features conservation advisors to share how their assistance can support your farm goals.
Equipment Rentals for Conservation
SWCD Conservation Equipment Rental Dashboard
Minnesota Farmers Union Foundation developed the Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Conservation Equipment Rental Dashboard to amplify the resources available for agricultural conservation and soil health practices. The dashboard features the essential equipment needed for practices such as no-till, cover crops, agroforestry, and pasture and native perennial plantings.
Find Conservation Agriculture Events with our Tracker!
Conservation Photo Gallery
The Conservation Photo Series is a public resource designed to help people better understand what conservation agriculture looks like in practice. These photos aim to support to the agricultural community and conservation partners in sharing the story and impact of conservation on working lands through their outreach, education, and communications.
Conservation Resources
Minnesota has strong support for conservation agriculture from state funded programs to non-profit organizations to commodity groups. Farmers can access technical and financial support for conservation adoption through a variety of sources.
Climate-Smart & Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) Working Group
From 2023 to 2025, Minnesota was a part of more than 30 of the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC) projects. In 2025, some of those projects continued through the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) program.
The Climate-Smart & Advancing Markets for Producers Working Group serves as an information-sharing network for organizations involved in these efforts. The group provides a forum to share project updates, build partnerships, increase awareness, and improve coordination across climate-smart agriculture initiatives in Minnesota.
Previous meetings have included discussions on topics such as farmer recruitment, workforce development, training and hiring, data management and project implementation. Summaries from past convenings are available here: May 2023, October 2023, and July 2024.
The Minnesota Working Group is coordinated by Minnesota Farmers Union in partnership with Minnesota Pork Board and The Nature Conservancy.
For more information contact MFU Foundation Director Ariel Kagan.