A Water Quality Initiative committed to improving three impaired waterways in Missouri was announced this week by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. State Conservationist J.R. Flores said his office will manage the initiative by making approximately $701,000 available to Missouri farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners in the priority areas which include parts of GRUNDY and SULLIVAN Counties.

Missouri's three approved watersheds include Kyle Creek-North Fork Spring River, the Lower Little Medicine Creek, and Upper Troublesome Creek. The three watersheds were selected based on sediment and nutrient resource concerns.

Eligible producers in portions of Barton, Dade, Grundy, Knox, Lewis, and Sullivan Counties will invest in voluntary conservation. Using funds from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), natural resources conservation will provide financial and technical assistance to producers for implementing conservation practices such as cover crops, filter strips, and nutrient management.

Applications for financial assistance can be made on a continuous basis. There will be two ranking periods for the Water Quality Initiative with the first ending on May 18th and the second on June 15th. At the end of a ranking period, the natural resources conservation will notify applicants of the results of the rankings and begin to develop contracts with selected applicants.