785.266.9053
State Cost Share Program –Cropland
The Shawnee County Conservation District offers financial assistance through the State Cost Share Program to help landowners and operators implement conservation practices that reduce erosion, improve soil health, and protect water quality on cropland.

Eligible Cropland Practices
The following State Cost Share practices are approved for erosion and sediment control on cropland:
  • Conservation Crop Rotation
  • Residue & Tillage Management
    (No‑Till, Strip‑Till, Reduced Tillage)
  • Contour Buffer Strips
  • Critical Area Planting
  • Diversions
  • Filter Strips
  • Grade Stabilization Structures
  • Grassed Waterways
  • Sediment Basins
  • Terraces
  • Underground Outlets
  • Water & Sediment Control Basins
  • Windbreak / Shelterbelt Establishment
* Pure stands of legumes or interseeding legumes alone are not eligible.

Program Regulations & Requirements (K.A.R.)The State Cost Share Program follows Kansas Administrative Regulations (K.A.R.) for the Water Resources Cost Share Program (WRCSP) and the Nonpoint Source (NPS) Program.
  • Project Approval & Maintenance
  • Projects must be approved and under contract before work begins
  • Practices must be maintained for a minimum of 10 years or for the life of the practice
  • Prorated repayment may be required if maintenance obligations are not met
  • Maintenance responsibility must be transferred when land changes ownership
  • Financial Assistance
  • Cost share is limited to 70% of the actual cost or countywide average cost, whichever is lower
  • Funding levels cannot change mid‑year unless authorized by the Kansas State Conservation Commission
  • Maximum cost‑share amounts:
  • $10,000 per practice, or
  • $20,000 for livestock waste or irrigation systems in high‑priority areas
  • Inspection & Certification
A district technician or qualified representative will:
  • Inspect practices during installation
  • Verify compliance with specifications
  • Certify proper installation to the Kansas State Conservation Commission

Average Cost Share- Most Popular 
How to Apply
  • Applications are processed through the Shawnee County Conservation District.
    Required Application Items
  • Landowner name
    (Operator of record required for cover crops)
  • W‑9 forms for all owners
    (Trusts must include W‑9s for all members)
  • FSA Form 156
  • Project map with clearly marked details
  • Original signatures
  • Completed ranking criteria form
  • Additional Application Information
  • Applicants may be asked to provide:
  • Cost share participation within the previous two years
  • Current and planned crops
  • Fertilizer application with cover crop seeding (Yes / No)
  • Desired grass type (cool‑season or warm‑season)
  • Planned cover crop termination method
Contracting & Deadlines
  • No work may begin prior to contract approval
  • Work generally may not begin before July 1 of the program year
  • Contract work window: July 1 – April 15
  • Contracts typically include a 60‑day expiration, unless modified
  • Extensions may be granted within the contract year
Maintenance & Repayment Schedule If a practice is not maintained for the full required lifespan, repayment may be required based on the schedule below:
  • Year After Installation-Repayment Required
  • Within 5 years-100%
  • Year 6-80%
  • Year 7-60%
  • Year 8-40%
  • Year 9-20%
  • Year 10-10%

Crop / Crop Varieties

  • Use herbicide resistant varieties.
  • Plant population should be keyed to the variety.
  • In a field not protected with terraces, starting with a wheat crop may be the best way to begin a no-till system of planting. Rainfall events are of less intensity in the fall.
  • A wheat crop produces abundant residue. Soybeans can be double-cropped into the stubble. The land is not left susceptible to erosion.

Sprayers

  • Use flat fan nozzles to reduce drift hazard.
  • Use larger orifice size, not more pressure, to increase spray volume.
  • Water Volume is critical. More is not always best.
  • When using low water volumes, a twin jet tip provides better leaf coverage.
  • The faster you travel, the larger the orifice needed.
  • Flat fan tips: Instead of using 20" tip spacing and 80 degree nozzles, try 30" spacing and 110 degree nozzles. That will be more forgiving and you'll have less test strips.
  • You want 100% overlap spray coverage.
  • It's better to have spray boom too high than too low.
  • Spray boom will be about 34" to 36" above target (30" tip spacing.)
  • Twin jet nozzles used for contact herbicide application, if set properly, spray both the front and the back of weeds.
  • Except for the individual strainer for each nozzle, use only one main strainer past the metering system to prevent misreads, not a strainer for each boom.
  • Double plumb spray boom with a valve so you can go from flood tips to twin jet without having to change tips since these two types of nozzles normally are on two different spacings.
  • If you are using foam markers and having trouble with the foam pieces falling through the foliage so you cannot see your spacing, try taking a rubber glove with fingers cut out and attach it to the foamer.
  • Use 2# anti-drip caps instead of 10# to stop on/off problems.

Planters / Planting

  • A planter must: have good depth control, provide good see/soil contact, not slick/compact seed furrow, and cut/handle residue.​
  • Do not plant faster than 4 1/2 mph or seed placement will suffer.
  • Use seed firmer/placement attachments to improve seed placement.
  • The yield penalty for planting late is greater than the penalty for planting early.
  • Corn is often planted too thin, soybeans too thick. Follow recommendations for each variety.
  • Residue row cleaners should only be used to move the residue and not till the soil.
  • Be careful using residue row cleaners while planting up and down a hill as erosion can be quite severe.
  • One of the problems with corn after corn in no-till is cold, wet soil conditions. A slight delay in planting and/or the use of row cleaners will help. Grain sorghum and soybeans planted later will have warmer, drier conditions.
  • Corn needs a planting depth of 1 1/2" for proper root development.
  • Spoked wheel closure may help break seed furrow sidewall compaction.
  • Give yourself planter options on the go. The planter could have coulters, row cleaners, spoked wheel closures, all so you can raise and lower them as needed.
  • On a John Deere planter, keep the disk blades touching all of the time.
  • For some planters, drills, and sprayers, adding fluid to the drive wheel insures better traction with the ground.
📞 Call: (785) 266-9053 ext. 3                                                     Visit: 3231 SW VanBuren Street Ste: 2 Topeka, Kansas 66611                                        📧 Email: [email protected]