Living on the Land: Stewardship for Small Acreages

Throughout the West, population dynamics are changing. As communities grow, the land at urban fringes is being rezoned from large agricultural enterprises to smaller, one to 40+ acre parcels that maintain some agricultural uses while attracting a more diverse ownership. More than half of Nevada’s farms comprise less than 10 acres. Local and regional impacts on soil and water resources often increase as larger parcels are rezoned into small acreage parcels. This is due to increased densities of wells and septic systems, a rise in amounts of impervious surface, and the owners’ lack of knowledge and experience with integrated pest management and forage and grazing management techniques. Changes in land management may also result in accelerated rates of soil erosion and increases in nutrient loads, pesticides and total dissolved solids in surface and groundwater supplies. The challenge is how to reach this audience and teach them the importance of land stewardship. 

Under the leadership of University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE), a team from eight western states spent 18 months developing a curriculum-Living on the Land: Stewardship for Small Acreages-designed to teach small acreage owners how to attain their property goals while protecting soil, water, plant, animal and other natural resources. The manual contains lesson plans, hands-on activities and 15 visual presentations. The team trained nearly 80 Cooperative Extension and natural resource agency professionals from western states, who in turn implemented the program in their respective states. 

In Nevada, the curriculum was used to educate landowners in the Carson Valley to help improve water quality in the Carson River, which is on the Environmental Protection Agency’s 303(d) Impaired Waters List because of its turbidity, temperature and phosphorus levels. 

Since the successful training of western participants, more than 1,200 copies of the Living on the Land curriculum have been distributed to 42 states and four foreign countries. The curriculum has been used for three years in the Boise, Idaho area; two years in Clark County, Washington; as well as by the Carson Valley Living on the Land (CVLOL) program in Nevada. Local partners are the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection, Carson Valley Conservation District and Western Nevada Resource Conservation and Development. 

A CVLOL program evaluation showed participants improved their water quality knowledge based on pre- and post-test results. Of those who attended three or more workshops, 100 percent installed best management practices (BMPs) on their properties. The Washington program evaluation found that 113 BMPs were installed by class participants. More than 90 percent of respondents agreed the Living on the Land course provided the level of information desired. Close to 50 percent tested their well water and had their septic systems inspected, nearly two-thirds tested their soils and 84 percent of respondents shared part of what they learned with others.