Burleigh County Soil Conservation District
The Burleigh County Soil Conservation District (BCSCD) is located in central North Dakota. Serving rural and urban clients alike. Providing conservation planning assistance with emphasis on cropping systems, grazing systems, water quality and quantity, cover crops, shelterbelt tree plantings, and compost. In addition, the Menoken Farm is an educational site consisting of 150 acres of cropland owned and operated by the BCSCD. Offering a hands-on look at conservation practice application and increasing natural resource information and education transfer.
Menoken Farm
Menoken Farm is a combination of natural resource education and systems approach conservation. This 150-acre demonstration farm, located just east of Bismarck, N.D. was established in 2009 and draws people from all over the United States and beyond.
The farm is owned and operated by Burleigh County Soil Conservation District, which has offices in Bismarck, N.D. Additional financial and technical support is provided by:
- Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program through the North Dakota Department of Health/Water Quality Division
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
After identifying a number of resource concerns across the Menoken Farm landscape, work focused on providing these basic building blocks to improve soil health:
- Soil armor
- Minimal soil disturbance
- Plant diversity
- Continual live plant/root
- Livestock integration
The systems approach management at Menoken Farm enhances erosion protection, sunlight harvest, plant diversity, carbon, pollinators, beneficial insects, wildlife, salinity control, livestock forage and more.