Healthy soil is the foundation of organic and sustainable farming, yet successful farming and land stewardship depend on the health of all natural resources on the farm and its surroundings. Soil, water, plant diversity, wildlife, pollinators and human actions are all critical elements in thoughtful land conservation planning. OAK’s Conservation Outreach program provides one-on-one assistance for Kentuckians interested in adding conservation practices to their land or farm management.
This program is supported by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Farmer and Landowner Resources
One-on-One Conservation Support
Schedule a time with Mad Marchal, OAK's Conservation Outreach Coordinator. to explore conservation planning, financial resources and technical assistance.
Cover Crops, Perennials and Diversified Plantings: Sustainable Practices for Long-Term Farming - On-Farm Field Day
Seedleaf's Headwater Farm, Lexington KY -- April 24, 2025, 9am - 12pm ET
Along the headwaters of the Elkhorn Creek in Northeastern Fayette County, Headwater Farm cultivates nutrient-dense produce for community partners and supports small local agribusinesses in Lexington. On this 30-acre parcel of leased land, Lexington nonprofit Seedleaf provides acreage to small-scale growers, cultivates culturally significant seeds for organic markets and offers community education on organic agriculture and agroforestry.
Join us for this Field Day at Headwater Farm to learn more about Seedleaf’s community farming practices during seasonal crop transitions and the coordinated efforts of growing food and supporting local ecosystems. Learn about Seedleaf’s partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to support healthy soil-building, improve Elkhorn Creek’s water quality and enhance pollinator habitat. Discover Seedleaf’s cooperative approach with multiple community gardeners on shared land to ensure clarity and coordination in a community space. Experience their techniques for sowing and terminating cover crops (crimping, tarping and mowing) with multiple scales of equipment. Tour Headwater Farm’s garden production to explore seasonal crop choices and management in the field and high tunnel, and learn more about their agroforestry practices and perennial orchards.
This event is supported by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF). Registration fees are waived for this event; registration is required.
OAK Conservation Chats are open, virtual gatherings where Kentucky farmers, growers and landowners connect with peers and OAK conservation staff to share experiences and ask questions about on-the-ground conservation.
Participants explore the basics of conservation practices and how to engage with technical and financial assistance through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Tailored to the needs and goals of registered participants, topics include connecting with NRCS field staff, applying for NRCS cost-share programs, identifying appropriate conservation practices to meet farm/land goals and interpreting NRCS payment timelines and scenarios. These events are not recorded, to promote participant engagement and open conversation.
Reach out to Mad Marchal for one-on-one conservation support or to offer preferred topics for the 2025 Conservation Chat.
Exploring the Ecosystems of Community and Conservation
Seedleaf's Headwater Farm, Lexington KY -- September 12, 2024
Farms come in all shapes and sizes and involve one farmer or a team of farmers - and sometimes, they’re managed in community. Along the headwaters of the Elkhorn Creek in Northeastern Fayette County, Headwater Farm is growing its work to cultivate nutrient-dense produce for community partners and support small local agribusinesses in Lexington. On this 30-acre parcel of leased land, Lexington nonprofit Seedleaf provides acreage to small-scale growers, cultivates culturally significant seeds for organic markets and offers community education on organic agriculture and agroforestry.
Join this OAK Farmer Field Day to learn about Headwater Farm’s integration of whole-farm planning and management built on an ethic of community engagement, land stewardship and a long-term vision. Hear from Headwater Farm’s multiple market and subsistence growers using different small-scale production systems on individual plots while maintaining the integrity of the whole farm’s transition to organic certification. Learn more about Headwater’s collaboration with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in adopting conservation practices that protect the natural resources of Headwater Farm and its local ecosystems - and how OAK and NRCS can help any Kentucky farm to do the same. Thanks to a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), registration fees are waived for this event.
Growing on Principles: Soil Health, Farmer Health and Community Health
Apostles Garden, Bowling Green, KY -- October 10, 2024
Farming, fellowship and fungi are interconnected at Apostles Garden. On this ½-acre of vegetable production in Bowling Green, Jackson Rolett and his family are creating a collaborative market farm based on soil health, farm and family work-life balance and mission-driven work on their church’s land. Join this OAK Farmer Field Day to learn from Jackson the realities of part-time farming and co-farming, leasing community land, transitioning acreage to organic certification and balancing crop management with time management in year-round farming.
Tour their Warren County gardens to see Jackson’s efficient practices of cover cropping, crop rotations and field and tunnel vegetable production - yielding healthy crops and benefiting the natural resources of soil, water and pollinators. Learn how OAK programs can assist growers and farmers in on-farm conservation, organic production and organic transition, and hear from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on financial and technical assistance available for conservation efforts. Thanks to a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), registration fees were waived for this event.
Conservation, Connection and Capital: Bringing EQIP Support to Your Farm
Webinar Recording and Resources -- April 24, 2024
This webinar guided farmers through all they need to know to apply for and implement Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) support and funding. This free online event provided participants with sure-footed next steps and connections with people who can help, from identifying conservation concerns to completing a successful contract. Click below to access a summary, follow-up resources and the event recording. Learn from OAK staff members, a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) specialist and experienced farmers Cortney Moses and Paul Dengel. Cortney and Paul shared their farm's story of the EQIP application and funding process and its on-farm benefits for GoodThymes Organic Farm in Williamsburg, KY.
Small Spaces, Whole Ecosystems: Conservation on Small-Scale and Urban Farms
Webinar Recording and Resources -- November 12, 2024
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has worked since 1932 to provide farmers with technical and financial support for protecting natural resources on agricultural land. As the culture and landscape of agriculture and working farms evolve, NRCS has adapted with increased programs designed for smaller and urban working lands.
With no acreage minimum to qualify and increased payment rates for small acreage, more NRCS technical assistance and financial incentives are now suitable for small-scale and urban growers interested in practicing conservation through cover crops, rainwater harvesting, tree and shrub establishment, windbreaks, pollinator plantings and more!
Join this free one-hour webinar to learn details of conservation practices and support available with NRCS. Urban grower Velvet Welch will share her story of working with NRCS to support her small-scale Louisville farm. Conservation and Education Coordinators from the Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) and Kentucky NRCS Urban Conservationist Nathan Lind will provide details on technical assistance and financial incentives and recommend next steps in working with OAK and NRCS for conservation support. This event is supported by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Conservation Assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
OAK assists farmers in understanding the programs, processes, and applications of NRCS assistance and offers assistance to farmers who are fulfilling NRCS contracts and program requirements. Click below to explore these programs directly on NRCS websites.
By using conservation practices, farmers and gardeners can benefit the environment and improve soil health, while also decreasing their dependence on fertilizers purchased off-farm, reducing pest management troubles and costs, maintaining reliable sources of clean water, increasing drought resiliency and achieving better pollination. Land and forest managers can reduce erosion of topsoil, support thriving ecosystems and create long-term stewardship of healthy habitats for wildlife, pollinators and people.
From urban gardens to rural farmscapes, woodland owners to tenant farmers, OAK’s Conservation Outreach Coordinator can assist Kentuckians in creating an individualized conservation plan and navigating the process for technical or financial assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Already established with on-farm conservation practices? Interested in taking a commercial operation to the next level with a dialed-in conservation plan and further financial assistance? Check out OAK’s Soil Health Project, which supports farmers who want to implement conservation practices (e.g., cover cropping, perennial planting, rotational grazing), collect data on outcomes, and engage with emerging markets seeking positive environmental impacts.
This work is supported by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender in accordance with USDA Departmental Regulation 4300-3, Equal Opportunity (EO) Public Notification Policy, and Section 7.
Along the headwaters of the Elkhorn Creek in Northeastern Fayette County, Headwater Farm cultivates nutrient-dense produce for community partners and supports small local agribusinesses in Lexington. On this 30-acre parcel of leased land, Lexington nonprofit Seedleaf provides acreage to small-scale growers, cultivates culturally significant seeds for organic markets and offers community education on organic agriculture and agroforestry.
Farms come in all shapes and sizes and involve one farmer or a team of farmers - and sometimes, they’re managed in community. 
