Conservation Photo Series

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 the agricultural community and conservation partners in sharing the story and impact of conservation on working lands through their outreach, education, and communications.

These photos are available for download under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Please use them with attribution, for non-commercial purposes, and without modification.
    This windbreak acts as a barrier to slow wind speed and protects fields from soil erosion. Nicollet County, April 2026.
    This water and sediment control basin helps to slow water movement down the slope. The system, designed as small terraces with inlets to manage runoff, has allowed nearly all of the acres to remain in production. Cottonwood County, April 2026.
    Buffer strips protect water quality, support habitat and even offer space for recreation. Cottonwood County, April 2026.
    Agroforestry practices on working lands can increase biodiversity, provide wind protection, wildlife habitat, and help stabilize soil. This windbreak features dogwood shrubs and eastern red cedar. Lincoln County, April 2026.
    Rye is being used as a green manure on this field to build organic matter while also helping to keep the soil in place, retain moisture, and suppress weeds. Nicollet County, April 2026.
    Oats were seeded in the spring as a companion crop alongside alfalfa, helping to suppress weed pressure and keep the soil in place while the new stand is established. McLeod County, May 2026.
    Farmers talk about long term plans for a 250 acre field of alfalfa with a nurse cover crop of oats. McLeod County, May 2026.
    A field of organic oats growing next to a field of no-till soybeans. Nicollet County, April 2026.
    Organic oats planted in the spring will be sold to a feed mill. Nicollet County, April 2026.
    No-till soybeans and non-GMO corn are separated by a grass waterway, with grass buffer strips visible in the background. Scott County, July 2025.
    A farmer and conservation advisor walk through a field of windrowed oats, ready for harvest, while discussing the benefits of having oats in a diverse crop rotation. Scott County, July 2025.
    Sunflowers are excellent for attracting pollinators. These sunflowers will be made into a high protein and fiber ingredient for cereal. Dodge County, July 2025.
    Monarch butterfly enjoying nectar from a flowering alfalfa plant. Scott County, July 2025.
    Perennial groundcover reduces contamination risks to vulnerable groundwater resources in Southwest Minnesota. Wind turbines are seen in the background. Lincoln County, April 2026.
    Tile drainage is used to remove excess water from crop fields. Here, drainage water flows into a conservation wetland on a farm, which serves as a highly effective filtration system. McLeod County, May 2026.
    A farmer walks with conservation advisors next to a field of alfalfa, with fields of no-till soybeans and no-till non-GMO corn in the background. Scott County, July 2025.
    This low-lying area collects water, making it poorly suited for row crop production, which drains into the Missouri River Basin. The farmers are restoring it to native prairie, creating habitat for beneficial predatory insects. They also hope to incorporate livestock grazing as part of the land's long-term management. Lincoln County, April 2026.
    A field in the process of being strip-tilled in the fall. Swift County, October 2025.
    Aerial view of a field in the process of being strip-tilled in the fall. Swift County, October 2025.
    This strip till machine creates narrow tilled strips where the crop will be planted while leaving the residue between rows undisturbed. At the same time, the machine is placing fertilizer below the soil surface in the future seed row. Swift County, October 2025.
    A row crop cultivator is lightly used in the field once a week to manage weeds in an organic production system for corn, soy, and black beans. McLeod County, May 2026.
    A cover crop of oats helps to keep soil in place during windy winters in the Red River Valley. Clay County, January 2026.
    Small grain bins are essential infrastructure for supporting diversified crop markets. Clay County, January 2026.
    On this farm, hay is cut and baled as winter feed for cattle. In the winter, farmers can use bale grazing as a soil and nutrient management strategy. Chippewa County, October 2025.
    Beef cattle grazing on corn stover. Chippewa County, October 2025.
    Cattle feeding on hay spread over a snowy field in northern Minnesota. Pennington County, January 2026.
    Moving bales regularly prevents soil compaction and spreads nutrients across the pasture. This practice also helps manage weeds, improves water infiltration, and keeps animals healthy by providing high-quality forage while encouraging movement during the cold months. Otter Tail County, January 2026.
    Sheep graze outdoors during the winter in west-central Minnesota. Managed winter grazing can recycle nutrients and support long-term soil fertility. Otter Tail County, January 2026.
    A farmer uses a hay vertical mixer to distribute hay onto a field as feed for cattle in northern Minnesota. Pennington County, January 2026.
    Bale grazing in the winter allows livestock to be out in the pasture, instead of in the barn, where the animals do the work of distributing manure and nutrients in the field. Otter Tail County, January 2026.
    Wind exposure is a key challenge for grazing cattle in northern Minnesota. This farmer provides shelter from intense winter wind by using bale windbreaks. Pennington County, January 2026.
    A Farmer preparing a hay bale for sheep to continue grazing. Grazing livestock is one way to support soil fertility in the winter. Otter Tail County, January 2026.

Don’t see the conservation practice you’re looking for? Contact Lisa Holm at Lisa@mfu.org, and we’ll see if we have an image that meets your needs. We’d also love to hear what’s missing—your feedback can help us identify conservation practices that would be valuable to photograph and add to the collection.

Thank you to Minnesota-based photographers Tj Turner and John Cross for capturing these images.