Armstrong Rolls Out Statewide Program to Improve North Dakota’s Soil Health And Wildlife Habitat

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(KNOX) – Governor Kelly Armstrong rolled out the Governor’s Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program, a cooperative effort to improve soil health and wildlife habitat on marginally productive cropland across North Dakota’s rural landscape.

Joining Armstrong at the Capitol were Doug Goehring, Game and Fish Director Jeb Williams and North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts Executive Director Rhonda Kelsch, along with roughly 50 partners and supporters of the pilot project.

The goal of the voluntary working lands program is to help North Dakota farmers strengthen cropland productivity and resilience with perennial grass cover, while improving soil health and water retention and creating much-needed wildlife habitat and access for hunters.

The Game and Fish Department partnered with the Association of Soil Conservation Districts to secure $4.3 million from the state’s Outdoor Heritage Fund, along with $2.2 million in matching contributions from partners, for the two-year, $6.5 million pilot project.