Cross Lake Watershed Phase II Grant Completed

The Friends of Cross Lake (FOCL), partnering with the County of Aroostook, the St. John Valley Soil & Water Conservation District, Northern Tilth, and watershed farmers, completed a grant in December 2025 providing $105,344 to farmers in the Cross Lake, Daigle and Dickey Brook watersheds for implementing cover crop practices that protect water quality. These practices reduced the load to Cross Lake by an estimated 41 tons of sediment, 248 pounds of phosphorus, and 3,565 pounds of nitrogen.

Seven farmers in those watersheds planted cover crops on 1,368 acres in 2025 at reimbursement rates of $92.51/acre for multispecies cover and $74/acre for single or winter cover. Not only do these practices protect water quality, but they also improve soil health and reduce soil loss from cultivated cropland.

You can read more about this grant here.