SD Conservation.org

Conservation for Today, Tomorrow and the Future


McPherson County Conservation District
Ag. Service Center, PO Box 60 — Leola, SD 57456-0146 Phone: 605-439-3336 — FAX: 605-439-3127

The McPherson County Conservation District was established in 1954. There are 727,689 acres of land in McPherson County. Approximately 536,730 acres are currently in agriculture production by 413 McPherson County farms. The remaining acres are controlled outside of McPherson County or are wetland, wildlife habitat and municipal holdings. McPherson County is located along the North Dakota border. The northwest part of the county drains west through Spring Creek into the Missouri River and the east and southwest parts drain southeast into the James River, Snake Creek and several other creeks, Long term average rainfall is 18.82 inches with nearly 80% falling during the growing season of April - September. Agriculture is the basis industry in the County. In the latest census 84% of the income is from livestock and 16% is from cash grain. Seventy four percent of the land in the county is locally owned and/or operated. The early settlers found a land covered with an abundant growth of good grasses, a dark fertile soil that when plowed produced big yields of grains, particularly wheat. This induced extensive wheat production on large acreage. Eventually, with wide spread continuous cropping the fertility of the soil was reduced. The soil lost organic matter, and the granular structure broke down to the point where wind and water erosion were prevalent resulting in lower crop yields. A few shelterbelts were planted and some conservation practices were tried under the AAA program, but not enough of this work was done to make a good showing. The primary goal of the McPherson County Conservation District is to encourage and assist all land users with balancing short-term demands for production with long-term resource sustainability.
To contact McPherson County Conservation District, click here
Conservation District Board of Supervisors and Staff

Lee Kindelspire Chairman Forbes , ND	John Weisser Vice Chairman Leola , SD	Robert Gab Supervisor Eureka, SD
Mark Gruebele Supervisor Eureka, SD	Ken Kunz Supervisor Eureka, SD	Nancy Kallas District Secretary Leola, SD


Photos courtesy USDA NRCS and SDACD Photo Contest
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