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Conservation INsight
July 3, 2019
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IASWCD News
ICP Annual Webinar for Indiana Conservation Partnership Employees
July 9
9 am - 10:30 am
Live webinar to brief all employees on several hot topics. Presentations will be short, and there will be some time for questions. Livestream the link below. If you have questions during the presentations, please email them to:  wsell@purdue.edu
 
Agenda:
  • ICP Accomplishments: Jordan Seger, ISDA
  • NRCS Staffing: Jerry Raynor, NRCS
  • ICP Training Survey: Laura Fribley, ISDA
  • IANA Update: Ben Wicker, IANA
  • CRP Update: Stephanie Alexander, FSA
  • Seed Vendor Guidance: Shannon Zezula, NRCS
Upcoming Training Sessions
for ICP Employees

Pollinator Training
July 16 - Knox County
August 22 - Allen County
Soil Testing
and Interpreting Results Training
This will be offered in Tipton County on September 17, Jennings County September 18, Whitley County September 19, LaPorte County September 24, Knox County September 25 and Hendricks County September 26.
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District Supervisor and Staff
Summer Training - August
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
ISDA and IASWCD are combining the past "region meetings" that took place in the spring and fall into one summer training for SWCD staff and supervisors. All four summer trainings will be identical and take place on four separate dates in four separate locations throughout the state. Feel free to attend the date and location that best fits your schedule. $20 per person with dinner included.
AGENDA:
4:30 pm  Registration
5:00-5:45 pm  IASWCD Presentation
6:00 pm  Dinner & Networking
6:30 pm  Partnership Updates (during dinner)
7:00 pm  Breakouts (Working with Local Officials/Cress Hizer; Planning Your Website: Do You Know What a Good Website Takes?/Purdue's Digital Ready program; Developing a Cost Share Program and Tracking It/DSS or RS)
8:00 pm  Adjourn
Special thanks to the 50 Indiana Soil & Water Conservation Districts who have paid their membership dues to IASWCD
Adams
Benton
Cass
Clay
Crawford
Daviess
Dearborn
DeKalb
Dubois
Elkhart
Fountain
Franklin
Hamilton
Harrison
Hendricks
Henry
Howard
Jasper
Knox
LaGrange
Lawrence
Marion
Martin
Monroe
Morgan
Newton
Owen
Perry
Pike
Porter
Posey
Pulaski
Putnam
Ripley
Shelby
Spencer
St Joseph
Starke
Steuben
Sullivan
Tippecanoe
Vanderburgh
Vermillion
Wabash
Warrick
Washington
Wayne
Wells
White
Whitley
IASWCD Resolution Submission
Districts - if you would like to submit a resolution for consideration, please fill out this  online form . Resolutions are  due to the IASWCD office by Friday, September 6, 2019 .
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District Showcase Award  - Applications now being Accepted!
Your team works hard and we want to hear about it. Nominate your District for the Indiana District Showcase Award so we can help you tell your story and share your successes. This award, sponsored by the Indiana Conservation Partnership, highlights the successes of up to four local Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). The winners will be recognized at the Annual Conference of Indiana SWCDs' Conservation Award Banquet on January 14, 2020.  Nominations due July 26, 2019.
NACD News
Conservation Clips
Conservation Clips is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides their members and partners with the latest news in what's driving conservation. 
NACD Testifies to Congress on Importance of Soil Health
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)  Secretary-Treasurer Ian Cunningham  testified before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry about the importance of soil health practices. Cunningham owns and operates a fifth-generation family farm with his son in southwest Minnesota, producing corn, soybeans and beef cattle.
Award Nominations for Pollinator Conservation Award due July 5
NACD and Pollinator Partnership are currently seeking nominations for the  2019  Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award. The award recognizes an individual or family in the farm and ranch community who has contributed significantly to pollinator species protection and conservation.
2019 NCDEA Leadership Conference
The National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) will be hosting the 2019 North Central and Northern Plains Regional Leadership Conference at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls, S.D., from  Aug. 13-14 .
NEW Pollinators Webpage
NACD has launched a new  Pollinators webpage , full of resources on how to implement pollinator conservation practices in your backyard, national recognition programs for producers who utilize pollinator conservation practices on their operations, as well as links to pollinator partner organizations and informative webinars. The Pollinators webpage also contains stories about conservation districts at the forefront of pollinator conservation.
ISDA News
Grant Writing and CWI Networking Sessions
July 18 - Bartholomew County
July 23 - Grant County
Register by July 12
State Soil Conservation Board Meeting
July 16, 2019
9:30 am
NRCS State Office, 6013 Lakeside Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46278
USDA-NRCS News
Questions About Cover Crops? We’ve Got You Covered.
Farmers who planted cover crops on prevented plant acres can hay, graze, or chop those fields earlier in 2019. USDA's Risk Management Agency adjusted the final haying and grazing date from November 1 to September 1 to help farmers who were prevented from planting or delayed in planting because of flooding and excess rainfall this spring. 
Prevented or Delayed in Planting?
USDA offers:
  • Prevented planting coverage through USDA-administered crop insurance policies;
  • Technical and financial assistance in planting cover crops, a practice common on lands unable to be planted to an insured crop.
Farm Conservation on the Rise in Indiana
According to a recent survey, Indiana farmers planted more than one million acres of cover crops in 2018, up 32,000 acres from the previous year. Cover crops are known for their environmental benefits and, with the exception of corn and soybeans, are planted on more acres than any other commodity crop in Indiana. They are typically planted in the fall after harvest and designed to keep roots in the ground throughout the winter, which improves soil health and helps filter water off of the farm. As a result of the cover crops planted last year, it is estimated that 1.3 million tons of sediment was kept out of Indiana’s waterways, along with 3.2 million pounds of nitrogen and 1.6 million pounds of phosphorus. That’s enough sediment to fill more than 350 Olympic-size swimming pools.
USDA - Farm Service Agency News
USDA Adds Flexibility for Cover Crop Management in Crop Year 2020
WASHINGTON DC, June 28, 2019 – The 2018 Farm Bill mandated changes to the treatment of cover crops for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, which add more flexibility to when cover crops must be terminated while remaining eligible for crop insurance. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) developed new guidelines and policy provisions to enact these changes, which will be available beginning with the 2020 crop year. With these changes, NRCS is now recognized as an agricultural expert resource for cover crop management systems. 
Purdue Extension News
Webinar: Weathering the Storm in Agriculture
July 17, 2019
12:00-1:00 PM EST
Presenters: Elysia Rodgers & Tonya Short, Purdue Extension
Agriculture is an inherently risky business subject to many uncontrollable factors. With poor weather this spring intensifying strains felt from consecutive years of record low prices, farmers are feeling the stress more intensely than in many years. In addition to the health impact on the farm family, this chronic stress affects the farm’s bottom line in other multiple ways. This webinar will help farmers and their families understand the signs and symptoms of chronic stress, build skills in recognizing and responding to mental health concerns in themselves and others, and know where to go for more help and resources. It includes resources about how to handle stress for a more productive mindset on the farm.
Webinar: Sweet on Bees  
August 20, 2019 at 12 Noon EST 
This webinar will take a look at Beekeeping for the Small Farm and the Bee-yond. Ashley Adair, Purdue Extension Educator for Ag & Natural Resources in Montgomery County, will be your guide through the wonderful world of beekeeping during this webinar. 
IDNR News
Other News
While we know the summer is a busy time for all of us, we hope you find time to read our newsletter, The Drop , for the latest water-related webinars, stories, news and events from across the region. 
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Job Postings  :
Current list of Conservation Job Opportunities now posted on the  IASWCD website.
  • Fayette & Union County District Coordinator, Fayette and Union County SWCDs
Note: Job Postings can be submitted to Amy Work at:  amy-work@iaswcd.org .  Please include job description and deadline to apply in a single PDF file or with a link.
HOUSE AG COMMITTEE-Managing for Soil Health: Securing the Conservation and Economic Benefits of Healthy Soils
Upcoming Conservation Events  :

July 9 - ICP Webinar
July 16 - ICP Pollinator Training
July 16 - Agronomy Field Day, DeKalb Co.
July 16 - State Soil Conservation Board meeting
July 18 - Grant Writing and CWI Networking Session
July 23 - Grant Writing and CWI Networking Session
July 25 - Woodlands Mgmt Workshop, Boone Co.
August 14 - River Friendly Farmer Awards event
August 20-21 - Conservation in Action Tour
August 20 - Supervisor and Staff Summer Training
August 22 - ICP Pollinator Training
August 22 - Supervisor and Staff Summer Training
August 27 - Supervisor and Staff Summer Training
August 27 - Cover Crop Workshop, Miami Co.
August 29 - Supervisor and Staff Summer Training
September 10 - Frank Gibbs, Wabash and Grant Co.
September 17 - State Soil Conservation Board meeting
October 1-3 - IDEA Fall Conference, Clifty Inn
October 10 - Women's Learning Circle, Lawrence Co.
October 29 - State Soil Conservation Board meeting

2020:
January 12-14 - Annual Indiana SWCD Conference, Indpls.

For a complete list of upcoming conservation events,  go to the Events Calendar on the IASWCD website .