Conservation INsight
August 17, 2022
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National Water Quality Month is dedicated to making the most of the fresh water we have, because having clean water is vital to our individual health, our collective agricultural needs,
and the needs of our environment.
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Indiana Conservation Awards - Now Open for Nominations!
Consider nominating someone as a Friend of Conservation, Conservation Farmer of the Year or Supervisor of the Year! Once the recipients for each of these awards are selected, they are invited to the Awards Luncheon during the 2023 Annual Conference of Indiana SWCDs in January in downtown Indianapolis.
More information, including the applications and guidelines, can be found at the links below.
All nomination forms and supporting material are due by September 16.
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IASWCD Resolution Submission
Districts - if you would like to submit a resolution for consideration, please fill out the online form or email the form to Joe Schmees. Links on the IASWCD website/Annual Conference page. Resolutions are due to the IASWCD office by Friday, September 16, 2022.
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Reminder: Summer District Meetings
in August for all 92 Indiana SWCDs
One meeting left with open registration!
Time for dinner and networking will be included.
Presentations:
Dan Griffith, Keynote Speaker,
will present on "Strategies for Addressing Difficult Conversations"
and
Jerry Raynor, NRCS, and Julia Wickard, FSA,
will present and lead discussion
on Farm Bill 2023
*
Meetings are from 5:30-8:30 pm
(with check-in at 5 pm) (ET)
*
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August 23 - White County Fairgrounds; Registration closed
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August 25 - City of Greensburg Gov't Building (Decatur County); Registration closed
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August 29 - Conservation Club (Daviess County); Registration closed
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July 28 Virtual Partnership Meeting: POST MEETING SURVEY
Please note: Even if you were unable to attend, your responses are still valuable (you may skip the meeting logistics and speaker questions).
This survey should only take a few minutes and would be helpful to us in providing future quality meetings and training sessions.
The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, August 19.
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Special thanks to these 73 Indiana SWCDs
who have paid annual dues to IASWCD (as of 8-9-22)
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Adams
Allen
Benton
Boone
Brown
Cass
Clark
Clay
Clinton
Crawford
Daviess
Dearborn
Decatur
DeKalb
Delaware
Dubois
Elkhart
Floyd
Franklin
Fulton
Gibson
Grant
Greene
Hamilton
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Hancock
Harrison
Hendricks
Howard
Huntington
Jackson
Jay
Jasper
Jennings
Knox
Kosciusko
LaGrange
Lake
LaPorte
Lawrence
Madison
Marion
Marshall
Miami
Monroe
Morgan
Newton
Orange
Owen
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Parke
Perry
Pike
Porter
Posey
Pulaski
Putnam
Randolph
Ripley
Rush
Shelby
Starke
St. Joseph
Steuben
Tipton
Vanderburgh
Vermillion
Vigo
Wabash
Warren
Warrick
Washington
Wayne
Wells
White
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Urban Soil Health Program News |
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Agenda for Urban/Small Farm 101:
Goal: provide consistent customer service for urban, small scale, and other non-traditional customers
- Definitions & Urban/Small Farm Systems Overview:
- Overview of NRCS resource concerns typical to these farms
- Overview of conservation planning on urban/small farms
- Typical practices and NRCS payment scenarios for urban/small farms
- Basic Program Eligibility / NRCS Sign Up Process / NRCS Program Timelines / NRCS Authorities:
- Other Opportunities - Partnerships, Data, Programs
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Indiana Urban/Small Farm Conservation Planning 101: Getting Customers Started
When: Monday, August 22, 2022 1:00 PM-4:00 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
Where: Microsoft Teams Meeting
Please join the Indiana NRCS/Partners Urban/Small Farm Training Team during this statewide, virtual event covering key topics for our conservation professionals to assist Indiana urban/small farm clients navigate the Indiana USDA NRCS conservation planning and programs processes (the agenda is below the Teams link). This will be the 1st of 3 state-level trainings on this topic. This training is open to everybody and will be recorded.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Meeting ID: 230 989 774 209
Passcode: 7skpkE
Or call in (audio only)
+1 202-650-0123,,400692455# United States, Washington DC
Phone Conference ID: 400 692 455#
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2023 STEWARDSHIP WEEK THEME: ONE WATER
Next year, NACD will celebrate its 68th Annual Stewardship Week from April 30-May 1, 2023, focusing on the theme, “One Water.”
NACD Stewardship Week is one of the largest national programs to promote natural resource conservation. Celebrated annually since 1955 between the last Sunday in April and the first Sunday in May, NACD Stewardship Week reminds us of our individual responsibilities to care for natural resources.
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2022 Indiana District Employee Association Conference
Oct. 25-27
Abe Martin Lodge, Nashville, IN
Registration Deadline: September 5
for more information
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Red Gold tomato growers awarded for conservation efforts
Elwood, Ind. (Aug. 10, 2022) – The Indiana State Department of Agriculture and Red Gold recently announced the winners of the 2022 Red Gold Stewardship award. Nick Totzke Farms of Stevensville, Mich., was selected as the first-place winner, and Wischmeyer Farms LLC of Ottawa, Ohio received second place.
“This award is a wonderful way to recognize producers for the conservation efforts they are implementing on their farms,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. “The State of Indiana is so fortunate that Red Gold is rooted here in the Hoosier State. I commend each of Red Gold’s tomato growers for their efforts in producing exceptional tomatoes while also advancing soil conservation efforts both here in Indiana and across the Midwest.”
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Distinguished leaders awarded state's
highest agricultural honor
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 4, 2022) — Today at the Indiana State Fair, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch presented Dr. Karen Plaut, Dean of Agriculture at Purdue University, and Gary Truitt, Chairman of Hoosier Ag Today and the Indiana Farm Equipment & Technology Expo, with the state’s highest agricultural honor, the AgriVision Award.
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(August 4, 2022) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $20 million nationwide to help conservation partners protect and restore critical wetlands through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP). USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is prioritizing proposals that support efforts to mitigate climate change by restoring wetlands while also prioritizing assistance to underserved communities. Proposals from partners are due Sept. 23, 2022.
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(August 11, 2022) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $12 million nationwide in partnerships that expand access to conservation technical assistance for livestock producers and increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting proposals through its Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) until September 22, 2022.
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Check out the Indiana NRCS
"Ask the Expert" page.
You have questions - they have answers!
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USDA to Invest $15 Million in Innovative Projects for Climate-Smart Agriculture, Urban Agriculture and Addressing Invasive Species
(August 11, 2022) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will invest $15 million nationwide for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) Classic program. Through CIG, grantees work to address our nation's water quality, water quantity, air quality, soil health and wildlife habitat challenges, all while supporting agricultural production. This year’s funding priorities are climate-smart agriculture, addressing invasive species and conservation in urban agricultural systems. This is a separate funding pool from the previously announced CIG On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials.
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Ask the Expert: A Q&A on Voluntary Edge-of-Field Water Quality Monitoring with Karma Anderson
By Amy Overstreet, Natural Resources Inventory and Assessment·Aug 11, 2022
In celebration of National Water Quality Month, USDA is highlighting the voluntary programs and services that are available to farmers to help protect and improve water quality. In this Ask the Expert, Karma Anderson answers questions about how USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works with farmers in target watersheds across the country to quantify the water quality impacts of voluntary conservation through edge-of-field monitoring.
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USDA Invests $14.5 Million in Taxpayer Education, Program Outreach Efforts for Farmers and Ranchers
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing in two outreach and education efforts for farmers and ranchers, including those who are new to farming or who have been historically underserved by USDA programs. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is investing $10 million for agriculture-oriented taxpayer education as well as $4.5 million in outreach for the Conservation Reserve Program’s Transition Incentives Program (CRP TIP), which helps with access to land for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Both efforts help advance equity and access to USDA programs and agriculture.
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DNR wins two national conservation communications awards
The Indiana DNR received two national communications awards for work done in 2021 during the Association for Conservation Information (ACI) awards program last week in Nashville, Tennessee. Outdoor Indiana magazine’s 2022 calendar, which was included in the DNR magazine’s November/December 2021 issue, received first place in the calendar category.
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IDNR: Division of Fish & Wildlife News |
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Report turkey brood observations this August
One month into the annual turkey brood survey, we would still love your help recording your sightings of wild turkeys with their poults, or wild turkey hens without poults. Doing so helps Indiana DNR biologists calculate the annual wild turkey Production Index, which helps guide future species management.
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Drainage Water Management Certification Course
Hendricks County Fairgrounds
August 23 and 24
Online and In-person options
The first day is the certification course for drainage water management designs and the second day is aimed to help people with the NRCS TSP program.
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Webinar: Advancing Water Stewardship in the Great Lakes
- Take a close look at the principles of water stewardship
- Discuss corporate responsibility with respect to water practices
- Explore the value of a verified water stewardship program
- Learn what companies can do to understand their water use and assess their associated water risks
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USDA RISK MANAGEMENT AGENCY:
USDA Invests $2.2 Million in Risk Management Education for Farmers, Including Historically Underserved and Small-scale
PINE BLUFF, Arkansas, Aug.11, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it is awarding $2.2 million to 16 organizations to educate historically underserved producers, small-scale farmers and others on farm risk management and climate-smart farm practices. The funding from USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) provides the resources for organizations, such as nonprofits and universities, to develop training and resources for producers on risk management options.
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INPS Biodiversity Grants
Indiana Native Plant Society supports well-conceived grant projects that are in line with our mission: To promote the appreciation, preservation, scientific study, and use of plants native to Indiana. To teach people about their beauty, diversity, and importance to our environment.
INPS Biodiversity Grants are awarded in three categories:
- Research
- Demonstration Garden
- Land Management and Conservation
Grants must be submitted September 1, 2022 through October 1, 2022 for project completion in 2023.
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Sept 7 & 8
The Athenaeum, Downtown Indy
9:00-3:30 each day
- Learning opportunities
- Networking opportunities
- Collaboration opportunities
Be part of these important conversations about our most critical shared resource, WATER!
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SWCS Annual Conference Virtual Resources Platform Opportunity
Did you miss out on attending the 77th SWCS International Annual Conference last week in Denver, Colorado? To ensure that conservation professionals near and far are able to continue to participate in the SWCS International Annual Conference in some capacity, we are excited to offer a virtual resources platform starting the week of August 22.
This platform will include recordings of all general and symposia sessions, select oral presentations, select poster presentations, sponsor pages, and more! You will not have access to networking events or all in-person agenda items. Register by August 19.
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2022 Drainage School
Drainage School promotes an understanding of the laws and regulations impacting drainage decisions in Indiana. Seminar attendees will gain a greater understanding of drainage law and dispute resolution. Farmers, public officials, agency personnel, attorneys and members of the general public are invited. The event will be offered in person and virtually.
Deadline to register for in-person: Aug 25
Deadline to register for virtual: Aug 29
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Save the Date!
New Discussion Leader Training
October 20
Hendricks Co Fairgrounds
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Job Postings :
Current list of Conservation Job Opportunities now posted on the IASWCD website.
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.
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Upcoming Conservation Events:
August 17 - CISMA Conference, in-person
August 18-20 - CISMA Conf Field Days
Aug 18 - Grazing & Livestock Mgmt Wkshp, Morgan Co
August 23 - Summer District Meeting
August 24 - Upper Wabash River....field day
August 25 - Summer District Meeting
August 29 - Summer District Meeting
August 31 - Summer District Meeting
Sept 1 - Soil Health Field Day, Clay Co
Sept 7 - New Cover Crops & Old Eqpmnt, Porter Co
Sept 7-8 - Indiana Water Summit
Sept 9 -Conservation Connection Field Day, Monroe Co
Sept 20 - Urban and Small Farms, Adams Co
Oct 20 - New Discussion Leader Training, W4L
*As events sometimes have to pivot from in-person to virtual, we encourage you to please check the individual hosting organization's website and/or Facebook page for the latest information on locations, guidelines and details. Thank you.
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