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USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service
National Agricultural Statistics Service provides timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U. S. agriculture.
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  • USDA Forecasts Robust Corn and Soybean Crops, Despite Flooding
    Despite June's severe flooding in the Midwest, U.S. farmers are on pace to produce the second largest corn crop and fourth largest soybean crop in history, according to the Crop Production report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
  • Farm Production Expenditures Hit Record High in 2007, USDA Reports
    The rising cost of fuel and other products helped drive U.S. farm production expenditures to a record $260 billion in 2007, according to the Farm Production Expenditures 2007 summary released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Total U.S. farm production expenditures rose 9.3 percent from 2006 and nearly 30 percent from 5 years ago.
  • USDA Report Assesses 2008 Corn and Soybean Acreage
    Despite the recent flooding in the Midwest, U.S. farmers expect to harvest nearly 79 million acres of corn and more than 72 million acres of soybeans in 2008, according to the Acreage report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
Rain Garden Manual for Homeowners PDF Print E-mail

Click here to view the Rain Garden Manual for Homeowners

Rain gardens are attractive landscaped areas planted with perennial native plants that do not mind getting "wet feet." Build in a saucer shape, rain gardens allow water to percolate into the ground. The benefits of rain gardens are multiple. Rain gardens:

  • Help keep water clean by filtering storm water runoff before it enters local waterways
  • Help alleviate problems with flooding and drainage
  • Enhance the beauty of yards and communities
  • Provide habitat and food for wildlife like birds and butterflies

Recent studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency have shown that a substantial amount of the pollution in our streams, rivers and lakes is carried there by runoff from practices we carry out in our own yards and gardens! Some of the common "non-point source pollutants" from our yards end up in our local waterways include soil, fertilizers, pesticides, pet wastes, grass clippings and other yard debris.

Planting rain gardens is a great way to help our communities "bloom," making them more attractive places to live while maintaining watershed health!

 
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