With conservation milestones set for the Ogallala aquifer not even close to being reached, the federal government needs to readjust its priorities to preserve our country’s farming economies.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the USDA is seeking new proposals for cutting-edge projects that will provide new conservation opportunities through its competitive Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program.

This video from the USDA explains how no-till planters work and how no-tilling results in a wide range of on- and off-farm benefits.

An online tool called the "Cover Crop Chart" is helping U.S. farmers decide which cover crops to plant and is generating interest from growers in other countries.

To be eligible to receive many USDA benefits, including loans and federal crop insurance premium subsidies, growers must comply with requirements for highly erodible lands and wetlands.

There isn’t much you can do to stop a drought. But you can create your own water to fight a drought by parking the plow, covering your soils and using low-disturbance drills, says Jerry Hatfield, lab director for the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa.