Don't be afraid to uset he NRCS. If worst comes to worst, you can tell them to take a hike and just do it yourself.
On both my ponds, they calculated drainage, surface acres, numbers of fish and advised on what to plant for cover crops. They also hooked me up with local Pheasants Forever chapter who paid for over half the native prairie grass seed.
It was free, and although it took a few years, they eventually found some money for both ponds, 3 years apart. First was a 10 year interest free loan and this latest is 50% cost share...they know where ALL the $$$ is hid away!
In a lifetime, the average driver will honk 15,250 times. My wife figures I'm due to die any day now...
