The mission of the Adams County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is to assist and educate our citizens in the conservation and wise use of our soil, water and other natural resources.
Each year our District holds multiple educational events for both adults and youth in our community. For adults there are monthly pasture walks in the spring, summer and early fall months to educate producers on topics such as soil health, fencing and rotational grazing, to name a few. Other larger field day events also are held to promote practices such as cover crops, strip-till/no-till farming, GPS, equipment modifications, soil sampling, nutrient management, forestry and many other areas. Cost share opportunities, such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) are promoted during every event.
The District educator takes various conservation programs into the area schools to the youth of Adams County. Some popular topics are animals, trees, the water cycle and planting seeds. The largest event is the annual SPLASH Day event. It is a two-day experience and every 6th grader in the county is invited to participate. Average yearly attendance is around 425 students with 15-20 adult volunteers. Students move through stations that deal with the SPLASH areas included in the acronym that represents for soil, plants, people, air, animals and H20.
Everyone that participates is also treated to a free t-shirt courtesy of area businesses that sponsored the event. A design contest is held each year for the sixth graders and the winning design is put on the back of the shirt.
The Adams County SWCD is able to offer some events and assistance to area producers through grant funding. Each year we apply for grants through various sources like Clean Water Indiana (CWI) and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC). These funds allow our District to promote programs, offer cost-share incentives on specific practices, hire technical assistance and even purchase equipment that we can rent to area producers at a discounted rate. We currently offer a grass seeder and two no-till drills for rent. We also work with an area dealer to offer a special package allowing producers to rent a tractor and strip-till unit with GPS.
In 2010, the District received a GLC grant for $448,115. The goal of this grant is to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation. It has allowed us to hire a technician to go out and meet with producers in the area (including members of our large Amish community) and explain the programs currently offered and their benefits. Through this grant we also were able to purchase an Amish compatible no-till drill that can be used with horses if desired.
The Adams County SWCD works closely with many other organizations to promote conservation. Some of our partners include the Allen, Huntington, Jay and Wells SWCDs; the St. Mary's Watershed Group, Upper Wabash River Basin Commission and Purdue Extension.
Each year our District holds multiple educational events for both adults and youth in our community. For adults there are monthly pasture walks in the spring, summer and early fall months to educate producers on topics such as soil health, fencing and rotational grazing, to name a few. Other larger field day events also are held to promote practices such as cover crops, strip-till/no-till farming, GPS, equipment modifications, soil sampling, nutrient management, forestry and many other areas. Cost share opportunities, such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) are promoted during every event.
The District educator takes various conservation programs into the area schools to the youth of Adams County. Some popular topics are animals, trees, the water cycle and planting seeds. The largest event is the annual SPLASH Day event. It is a two-day experience and every 6th grader in the county is invited to participate. Average yearly attendance is around 425 students with 15-20 adult volunteers. Students move through stations that deal with the SPLASH areas included in the acronym that represents for soil, plants, people, air, animals and H20.
Everyone that participates is also treated to a free t-shirt courtesy of area businesses that sponsored the event. A design contest is held each year for the sixth graders and the winning design is put on the back of the shirt.
The Adams County SWCD is able to offer some events and assistance to area producers through grant funding. Each year we apply for grants through various sources like Clean Water Indiana (CWI) and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC). These funds allow our District to promote programs, offer cost-share incentives on specific practices, hire technical assistance and even purchase equipment that we can rent to area producers at a discounted rate. We currently offer a grass seeder and two no-till drills for rent. We also work with an area dealer to offer a special package allowing producers to rent a tractor and strip-till unit with GPS.
In 2010, the District received a GLC grant for $448,115. The goal of this grant is to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation. It has allowed us to hire a technician to go out and meet with producers in the area (including members of our large Amish community) and explain the programs currently offered and their benefits. Through this grant we also were able to purchase an Amish compatible no-till drill that can be used with horses if desired.
The Adams County SWCD works closely with many other organizations to promote conservation. Some of our partners include the Allen, Huntington, Jay and Wells SWCDs; the St. Mary's Watershed Group, Upper Wabash River Basin Commission and Purdue Extension.