The mission of the Crawford County Soil and Water Conservation District is provide guidance, coordination and technical assistance through an effective conservation program that educates and assists the public, land users and local units of government in sustaining our soil, water and related natural resources.

Each year the District attends Supervisors and Staff workshops.  We cooperated with the Crawford County Cattlemens Association, Orange County Cattlemens Association and the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District to host the annual fall beef cattle and conservation forage tour.  We provided 910 pounds of wildlife food plot seed to landowners.  Partnered with Purdue Extension, Crawford County, to do programs in local elementary schools and also with 4H members.  We also provide educational programs and poster contest material to local elementary and jr. high schools.  The District continued the implementation of the 2015 Clean Water Indiana Grant, which provided cost share for watering facilities and heavy use areas.  In 2015, 11 landowners benefited from this program.  We provided no-till drills to seed 424.8 acres of legumes, cover crops, soybeans, wheat and warm season grasses.

2015 marked another successful year for the implementation of conservation practices on agricultural land in Crawford County.  These practices address soil erosion and water quality concerns as well as enhance air quality and wildlife habitat.  The following practices were applied this past year through the various federal, state and county conservation programs.

Conservation Practices Applied on the Land:

            Fencing—4,784 Feet

            Prescribed Grazing—76 Acres

            Access Control—15 Feet

            No-till Drill Rental— 424.8 Acres

            Heavy Use Area Protection—2

            Forage and Biomass Planting—52 Acres

            Forest Stand Improvement—275 Acres

            Watering Facility—13

            Underground Outlet—320 Feet

            Access Road—100 Feet

            Brush Management—633 Acres

            Pumping Plant—1

            Integrated Pest Management—194 Acres

            Lined Waterway or Outlet—20 Feet

            Livestock Pipeline—5,850 Feet

            Nutrient Management—290 Acres

            Roof Runoff Structure—2

            Conservation Cover—1 Acre

            Cover Crop—275 Acres

            Critical Area Planting—1 Acre

            Grassed Waterway—1

            Mulching—1 Acre

            Subsurface Drain—1,675 Feet

            Water and Sediment Control Basin—5

            Trails and Walkways—350 Feet

            Water Well-1