By Kris Vance, Indiana NRCS State Public Affairs Specialist

When The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Upper White River-Muncie Creek watershed proposal was approved through USDA's National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI), the conservation dollars were ready to be spent. The challenge was to make sure farmers knew they existed. For Sarah Reilly, White River Project Director with TNC, that challenge became her mission.

"NWQI is a fantastic program because the funding goes directly to farmers to install conservation practices," Reilly said. "But NWQI is a little less fantastic because there's no funding built into the program for outreach. There is no extra time or resources for local offices to promote it. If people don't know the opportunity exists, they can't take advantage of it."

That gap is exactly where TNC stepped in. Using private funding, TNC supported Reilly's position and invested in a comprehensive outreach campaign designed to connect farmers with their local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) offices. 

"The first people farmers should meet are their local SWCD and NRCS staff. They're the ones writing conservation plans and helping producers through the [application] process,” Reilly said. “My job is to help get people through the door."

The Upper White River-Muncie Creek watershed was selected because of its importance to water quality. As one of the most impaired tributaries in the Wabash River basin, improvements made in the headwaters can benefit water quality and communities far downstream. The watershed also includes Prairie Creek Reservoir, a backup drinking water supply for the City of Muncie, making water quality improvements especially meaningful for local communities.

When the watershed received implementation funding in late 2023, the timing left only a few days before the first NRCS financial assistance application deadline.

"There just wasn't enough time to get people through the door to sign up" Reilly said. "Instead of trying to rush everyone into the office, we focused on building a long-term outreach plan so we'd be ready for the following sign-up."

That plan quickly evolved into something much more intentional rather than traditional. Instead of relying on a single mailing or newspaper article that often goes unnoticed, Reilly built a campaign that repeated the same message across several platforms. Billboards, postcards, digital advertisements, flyers and social media all carried the same image and nearly identical wording. Geo-targeted online advertisements appeared on mobile devices around local elevators during harvest season. Billboards went up before sign-up deadlines and remained visible through harvest, when farmers were most likely to notice them while hauling grain. Every detail from timing to graphics was planned around how producers actually move through their communities.

"I wanted people to recognize it no matter where they saw it," she said. "Maybe they drive past a billboard one day, then get a postcard a week later. Eventually they connect the dots."

The messaging itself was equally deliberate. Rather than leading with complicated program names like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) where farmers might already be hesitant about applying, Reilly kept the message simple.

"We were intentional in our promotion. We talked generically about funding available in the Upper White River watershed," she said. "Once they walked into the office, NRCS could explain the funding opportunity and why it was different."

That approach mattered because while NWQI utilizes EQIP funding, it offers more opportunities than traditional Farm Bill financial assistance programs. Since dollars are targeted within a smaller area, producers often face less competition than they would through statewide funding pools, making conservation practices more attainable for farms that may not have previously qualified. The project emphasizes three main conservation areas including infield practices, edge of field practices and livestock management. Producers don’t have to compete statewide against every possible resource concern; they were competing within a priority watershed focused on improving water quality. That focused funding provided a much greater chance that producers would be approved for financial assistance.

"We've already had a lot of interest in an area that historically hasn't had much participation in conservation programs," Reilly said. "I don't know whether someone came in because they saw the billboard, the postcard or the online ad. But I know something is working because people started coming into the office. That's been really exciting."

Reilly even found a way to extend the life of the outreach plan after the billboards came down. Rather than sending the vinyl signs to a landfill, TNC partnered with a company that transformed them into reusable zippered pouches. The pouches are free and used for programs like Randolph County Extension’s farmer care packages which were given as a token of appreciation to farmers during harvest. Each pouch takes outreach one step further and includes a tag with a QR code directing producers back to local conservation resources.

"It's another way to keep the conversation going," Reilly said. "The billboard keeps working even after it's been taken down."

This collaborative, unique approach has helped generate momentum well beyond expectations. Interest has remained strong through multiple funding sign-ups, and local conservation leaders are already discussing how to build on the success after the current five-year NWQI project concludes.  For Reilly, that's exactly what NWQI is meant to do. She doesn’t look at this NWQI project as the finish line but rather the starting point to build additional relationships, earn trust and get conservation on the ground. 

“I’m not going to say ‘oh well, we did this project and we’re done with the watershed.’ That’s not realistic,” Reilly said. “We know that it takes more than five years to make a difference and we are committed to building lasting partnerships that promote long-term success.”