https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $30 million to help North Dakota producers address salinity challenges across the Prairie Pothole Region — one of the largest wetland landscapes in the nation, containing 1.6 million wetland basins across 39 counties. This targeted investment from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service will support conservation practices that improve soil health, protect water quality, strengthen agricultural resilience, and enhance long‑term wildlife habitat through the new Prairie Revitalization and Agricultural Improvement for Resilient, Integrated Ecosystems (PRAIRIE) effort.
“Producers in North Dakota are facing real challenges from salinity, especially in areas shaped by prairie potholes and seasonal wetlands,” said NRCS Chief Colton L. Buckley. “This investment gives us an opportunity to support local leadership and expand conservation practices that strengthen both agricultural production and the broader landscape.”
Local working groups have all identified salinity and chemical concentrations as a top resource concern in the state for fiscal year 2027. Saline-related issues often develop in and around wetland basins, reducing crop performance, limiting soil function, and complicating field operations across the Prairie Pothole landscape.
Through the PRAIRIE effort, NRCS will work with producers to apply a suite of proven conservation practices by expanding the list of primary practices available under NRCS’s Regenerative Pilot Program (RPP). This expanded list — which now includes vegetative buffers, filter strips, grassed waterways, salinity‑management techniques, annual forages and wildlife‑habitat improvements — will allow producers to address salinity in both upland and wetland‑influenced areas.
“Producers have been asking for more tools to deal with salinity, and this investment answers that call,” said NRCS North Dakota State Conservationist Dan Hovland. “By supporting practices that reduce salinity and improve soil function, we’re helping producers maintain productive ground while protecting a landscape that is vital for agriculture, wildlife, and water quality within the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota.”
The PRAIRIE effort began this fall. Producers interested in voluntary, conservation‑driven approaches to managing salinity are encouraged to contact their local NRCS office.
USDA NRCS news release
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