New Delhi, Oct. 18 -- A family farm in southern Indiana is restoring degraded farmland through conservation practices that improve soil health, reduce agricultural runoff and help protect the habitat of the Eastern Hellbender, an aquatic salamander that depends on clean, oxygen-rich water.

According to the US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Shireman family's experience highlights how targeted conservation programmes can help farmers address persistent environmental challenges while supporting wildlife and sustainable agriculture.

The farm, managed by Ben Shireman and his family, had suffered years of severe erosion under continuous row cropping by a previous owner. Deep gullies cut through ...