McKnight Foundation grant helps local feedlot producers

Feedlot producers who have non-compliant feedlots are receiving technical assistance to bring their feedlot into compliance. The McKnight Foundation provided a grant to the Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation Development (SWCD) in August 2010 to hire a feedlot technician to work within a 12-county area (Benton, Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Morrison, Pope, Stearns, Stevens, Swift and Todd).

The Foundation makes grants in support of children and youth, regions and communities, the environment, the arts, neuroscience research and select international efforts, with Minnesota as its primary focus.

This 12-county area, referred to as the West Central Technical Service Area, or WCTSA, has approximately 6,800 registered feedlots, about 2,300 of which have runoff problems.

Through a partnership agreement between the SWCD’s in the 12-county area and WCTSA, Luke Herkenhoff was hired as the feedlot technician. Herkenhoff works with county feedlot officers and provides one-to-one assistance to feedlot producers in the WCTSA area.

Delvin Durheim, a feedlot producer from Todd County, worked with Herkenhoff on his feedlot project to achieve compliance for his beef and sheep feedlot.

Within a two-year period, Herkenhoff has visited more than 120 feedlot sites. Nearly 50 feedlot runoff problems were solved, which prevented an estimated 1,000 pounds of phosphorus from entering our water supply each year.

People in Todd County who require technical assistance related to feedlot compliance can contact the local SWCD staff or Luke Herkenhoff at (320) 251-7800, extension 134.

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