Ripple Effect, presented by the Red River Basin Commission,  returned to the CFAM Radio 950 Morning Show Tuesday morning, with Chris Sumner spending time chatting with Joey Pankiw from the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District. The topic of conversation was the Alternative Land Use Systems programming available through the organization which will pay landowners to take unproductive agricultural lands out of production

"The Alternative Land Use Systems Programming at the SRRWD enables unproductive agricultural land to be used to establish, restore and enhance wetlands, floodplains and other water-retention areas, “Farm the best, Leave the rest," states the description of District's website "Our programming aims to improve water quality by reducing nutrient runoff reduce soil erosion, providing carbon sequestration and providing wildlife and pollinator habitat."

Pankiw noted they've seen successful results along the Marsh River.

"In that case, we've reestablished the floodplain," he explained. "When we have flood waters, usually in Spring time, what we see is we have a lot of erosion, even in these slow moving rivers, like we have tons of erosion that's happening. You can come back after the water has been high, and it looks completely different. So we want a living root in the ground to secure that soil. Also, these areas act as a buffer tor the water coming off the field, so they capture any nutrients or chemicals that kind of run off the field. They're also great for wildlife springtime."

Pankiw added a similar program is offered in the Pembina Valley Watershed District, and is called Growing Outcomes in Watersheds (GROW). He encourages producers and landowners in that region to check it out.

You can listen to the entire Ripple Effect conversation with Joey Pankiw, below.