Spotlight Series
A Trusted Adviser Supports Farmers in Conserving Indiana’s Key Watersheds
“It takes a lot to figure out how to adopt conservation practices and really get them to work,” explains Leslie Fisher, a Resource Conservation Specialist with Indiana’s Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District. “Our whole purpose in the Big Pine Creek watershed was to bring in farmers, who might even be a little bit curious, and show them: this is how you do it". Through her efforts in the watershed, Fisher has established herself as a trusted adviser for Indiana farmers and landowners by showing them exactly how they can move the needle on advancing water quality.
In Leslie’s more than half a decade as a conservation adviser, she has successfully engaged with over 50 farmers and landowners, generating 26,000 acres of cover crops and preventing more than 34,000 lbs of nitrogen from entering the Big Pine Creek and downstream waterways. “Since working with farmers in Indiana, I’ve seen changes in the levels of acceptance and interest in conservation practices taking place across the landscape and across the industry,” Fisher reflects.
Fisher works directly with producers, along with agronomists and crop advisers, to engage farmers in soil health and nutrient management practices and connect them to resources which support growers in advancing watershed restoration efforts.
“We are able to assist farmers with funding and technical assistance for a range of practices including cover crops, grass water waterways, filter strips, field borders and more,” explains Fisher. “We’re really trying give these farmers and landowners access to any practices that in turn can benefit and improve water quality downstream from their field.”
Leslie Fisher
Resource Conservation Specialist
Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District
“The farmers are more and more excited about adding conservation into their farming operation when they understand the bigger picture of how that connects to the supply chain. By using the Fieldprint Platform, farmers in the project are also able to quantify their environmental outcomes and see economic components behind the conservation that they hadn’t thought about before.”
Leslie Fisher
Resource Conservation Specialist
Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District
Through her leadership as the coordinator for the Big Pine Creek Watershed Project and now supporting farmers engaged in the Tate and Lyle Continuous Improvement Project, Fisher collaborates with Field to Market members to bring together multi-stakeholder resources and accelerate the implementation of conservation practices across Indiana and beyond.
"Ms. Fisher has proven herself to be an exceptional leader by assembling a diverse array of conservation and agricultural organizations to focus on a common goal– protecting and enhancing the health of the Big Pine Creek Watershed,” says Jason Weller, Vice President of Truterra, LLC. “She is a trusted adviser not only to farmers, but also to agricultural companies.”
“Leslie understands the urgency of conservation and how it relates to the Big Pine Creek Watershed and the surrounding community,” agrees Rick Clark, fifth-generation Indiana farmer. “This watershed should be used as a model to represent large acres with such a wide variety of players that care about the future of clean water and a clean planet.”
Leslie strives to meet the projects’ goals of reducing nitrate and sediment runoff and improving water quality by engaging with farmers and landowners about soil management systems, and by introducing them to a key sustainability measurement tool in the Fieldprint® Platform.
“The farmers are more and more excited about adding conservation into their farming operation when they understand the bigger picture of how that connects to the supply chain,” says Fisher. “By using the Platform, farmers in the project are also able to quantify their environmental outcomes and see economic components behind the conservation that they hadn’t thought about before.”
Leslie strives to meet the projects’ goals of reducing nitrate and sediment runoff and improving water quality by engaging with farmers and landowners about soil management systems, and by introducing them to a key sustainability measurement tool in the Fieldprint® Platform.
“I am always impressed with Leslie’s energy and passion for conservation,” reflects Clark on her ability to connect to Indiana farmers. “She is the best person for the job.”
Fisher continues to leverage her trusted Indiana farmer networks to advance water quality outcomes, leading a recent pilot project with Field to Market to explore the parameters needed to bring an enhanced water quality metric to scale across the nation. Rooted in her passion for supporting her local farmer network, Fisher will continue to work to maximize productivity for farmers in the Indiana while restoring local watersheds and ecosystems.
"Leslie understands the urgency of conservation and how it relates to the Big Pine Creek Watershed and the surrounding community."
Rick Clark
5th Generation Farmer
Williamsport, Indiana
