Conservation INsight
September 1, 2021
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Last Call for Indiana State Conservation Award Nominations - due Sept 10
Nominate for Supervisor of the Year, Conservation Farmer of the Year and/or Friend of Conservation! All award information can be found on the IASWCD website. Awards will be presented during the 2022 Conservation Awards Luncheon on January 25 at The Westin Indianapolis.
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IASWCD Resolution Submission
Districts - if you would like to submit a resolution for consideration, please fill out this Google Form. Resolutions are due by Friday, September 17, 2021.
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NEXT VIRTUESDAY:
Training for Indiana District
Staff and Supervisors
(click on the date to register)
Previous VirTuesdays are recorded
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Urban Soil Health Program |
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Urban & Small Farm Soil Health 101
September 16
9-11:30 am (ET)
For ICP staff and growers
Statewide virtual training on small-farm soil health systems, conservation practices, challenges and considerations, equipment, resources, Q&A.
Registration required and information forthcoming.
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Urban Updates – Monthly Q&A Virtual Calls
Save the date on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for virtual call-in updates! This is a time for the Urban Soil Health team to give a quick update, ask your questions, and let us know what’s happening in your area. All are welcome.
Save The Date: September 14
(Calls will be in the afternoon this month)
1:00 - 1:45pm EDT Southeast Area
2:00 - 2:45pm EDT Northeast Area
3:00 - 3:45pm EDT Northwest Area
You must register in advance to receive the Zoom link:
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Special thanks to the 77 Indiana Soil & Water Conservation Districts who have paid their annual membership dues to IASWCD (as of 8/24/21)
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Adams
Allen
Bartholomew
Benton
Blackford
Boone
Brown
Clark
Clay
Clinton
Crawford
Daviess
Dearborn
Decatur
Delaware
Dubois
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Elkhart
Floyd
Fountain
Franklin
Fulton
Gibson
Grant
Greene
Hancock
Harrison
Hendricks
Howard
Huntington
Jackson
Jasper
Jay
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Jennings
Knox
Kosciusko
LaGrange
Lake
LaPorte
Lawrence
Madison
Marshall
Miami
Monroe
Montgomery
Morgan
Newton
Ohio
Owen
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Parke
Perry
Pike
Porter
Posey
Pulaski
Putnam
Randolph
Ripley
Scott
Shelby
Spencer
St. Joseph
Starke
Steuben
Sullivan
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Tippecanoe
Tipton
Vanderburgh
Vermillion
Vigo
Wabash
Warren
Warrick
Washington
Wayne
Wells
White
Whitley
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NACD Unveils New TA Grant Story Map Shortlist
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), in cooperation with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), funds technical assistance (TA) grants to local conservation districts and other district partners, including more than a dozen Native American Tribes, Tribal districts and other Tribal organizations.
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Click below to view NACD's archived webinars: |
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NACD Offering Free, Two-Part Video Workshop
NACD is proud to offer a free, two-part skills webinar series to guide conservation district staff and members on how to create compelling videos. Tell your story effectively using the equipment you already have: your mobile phone, webcam or camcorder.
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73 Indiana Farms Receive Historic Homestead Award
To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for more than 100 consecutive years, and consist of 20 acres or more, or produce more than $1,000 in agricultural products per year.
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Indiana Agriculture Insider |
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Upcoming Deadlines for Districts
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CWI Application Deadline – 2022 CWI Grant applications due date: September 9 @ 4pm EDT
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Election Committee Appointment – Due Date: November 1
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Recommendations for Supervisor Appointment – Due Date: November 1
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Nominees for Election – Due Date: December 1 (Note: Districts failing to submit the Nominees for Supervisor Election form by December 1 will be ineligible, by law, to hold an election at their Annual Meeting.)
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District Annual Meeting Information – Due Date: no later than January 1
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Any questions, please contact your District Support Specialist: |
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Election information and resources: |
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Restoring Indiana’s Waterways Through Local Partnerships
The IDEM Watershed Planning and Restoration Section developed an interactive story map to show how the different nonpoint source programs work together along with local watershed groups to improve water quality throughout Indiana.
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Moving to Hybrid Programs: A Discussion with Natural Resource Professionals
September 23 at 1:00 pm (ET)
Hear from presenters from around the country who will share their personal experiences and lessons learned in moving their natural resource programs to a hybrid platform. They will cover various types of hybrid events, including meetings, trainings, workshops and large-scale conferences, and how to ensure accessibility. This event is open to everyone, but is targeted for natural resources professionals who are considering organizing hybrid events in the future. (Sponsored by USDA-NRCS)
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Fridays on the Farm:
Restoring for the Future
Meet Mark Magura of Starke County, Indiana. Mark, and his wife, Amy, have worked hard over the last three years to restore more than 200 acres of former farmland back into a wetland and wildlife oasis. The Maguras originally bought the 272-acre plot in the early 2000s and leased 220 acres to a variety of farmers for the first decade.
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Photo: Beehive frame removal
(NRCS photo by Carly Whitmore)
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Photos Available
Indiana NRCS has photos available for public use on their Indiana NRCS Flickr account. If using a picture from this account, please credit Indiana NRCS (or other source if available).
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(August 25, 2021) Columbus, Ohio – The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has appointed Mark Smith as the agency’s Western Lake Erie Basin Coordinator. In this position, he will work with regional partners to leverage resources to provide landowners and communities with the tools that they need to apply innovative, climate-smart solutions to improve water quality and soil health in the basin. During his 34 years with NRCS, Smith has held numerous technical and leadership positions, and previously served as the state resource conservationist for Ohio.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is investing up to $50 million nationally in cooperative agreements to support historically underserved farmers with climate-smart agriculture and forestry. The Racial Justice and Equity Conservation Cooperative Agreements are available to entities and individuals for two-year projects that expand the delivery of conservation assistance to farmers who are beginning, limited resource, socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers.
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USDA Accepts 2.8 Million Acres for the Conservation Reserve Program
Expects to reverse the trend of declining enrollment
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers from agricultural producers and private landowners for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in 2021. This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment through the Continuous Signup. The Continuous Signup remains open and CRP Grasslands Signup closed last week, so USDA expects to enroll more acres into all of CRP than the 3 million acres that are expiring.
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Keep up to day on the latest news from your Indiana FSA Office. View state news releases, events, newsletters and more!
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Recognizing Hazards Around the Farm
September 22, 2021
12:00 PM EST
Free webinar presented by: Kurt Lanzone, Purdue Extension
For generations we have known farming is not just an occupation, but can also be a way of life. Seeking to pass on this way of life to the next generation is one of our most important goals. Passing on the ability to recognize hazards, and how to avoid them could be one of the most important pieces to pass on. Hopefully in the future farming will become less dangerous. Until then let’s all take time to recognize hazards, and
how to prevent accidents on the farming operation.
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River Rally Workshop Submissions Are OPEN!
River Rally 2022, gathering in Washington, DC, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Now's your chance to join this community as a workshop presenter.
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Forestry Education Grant Applications Open through Sept 12
The Indiana Forestry Educational Foundation (IFEF) is pleased to announce the availability of competitive grant funds to help educate and inform woodland owners and/or the public about forestry, woodland management and other Indiana forestry related topics, with a special interest in young forest projects. If you have an education product or event for 2022, please consider submitting an application. The opportunity for award of IFEF grants, which are available up to $500.00 grant awards, and up to $1000 awards for young forest projects, are available for application through September 12. Awards will be announced in November.
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Your Land & Legacy:
Resources for Agricultural Landowners
A free, one-hour webinar providing information for non-operating agricultural landowners to enable better planning and coordination with their farm operators to enhance soil health, soil and water conservation, and improved crop productivity.
PRESENTERS:
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Featured Pledge: Water Conservation |
The Algal Bloom Action Team, a collaboration of water professionals, researchers, and educators from 12 states in the North Central Region of the United States, invites you to submit an abstract to the 2nd Annual Virtual Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Symposium. The application deadline is now September 10, 2021 at 11:59PM CT.
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CCA Conservationist of the Year Award
The Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Conservationist of the Year Award is designed to annually recognize a certified crop adviser who delivers exceptional conservation advice and results, customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that they are a leader in conservation, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of conservation ideas and the transfer of conservation knowledge within the agriculture industry. Deadline: Sept 28
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Pollinator Action Team Update |
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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:
September 21 - VirTuesday: Records Retention
September 21 - State Soil Conservation Board Mtg
October 5-7 - IDEA Conference for Indiana SWCD Staff
October 19 - VirTuesday: Turning Data into Action
December 1 - State Board of Accounts Training
*As more events begin to take place in person, 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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