2012 Accomplishments and Activities of the Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District
March 7th was a beautiful early spring day with temperatures near 70 degrees. It was difficult to stay indoors as Fulton and Marshall County Soil and Water Conservation District’s (SWCDs) held our “Healthy Soils Winter Meeting” at the Rochester Meat and Deli Banquet Hall. The meeting was attended by approximately 35 area producers. Hans Kok and Dan Coffin were guest speakers. At the noon break and after the meeting, several producers stayed to chat with the experts about their particular practices. In mid-March the Envirothon was held at Camp Buffalo. Fulton County SWCD assists the RC&D Education Committee each year to bring this educational contest to area students.
In April we began a multi-county well water testing program headed by Fulton County. Purdue Extension donated the meeting room for our kick-off meeting. Extension and the Health Department assisted in selling sample kits and collecting them during the 4-H fair in June. Newton, Jasper, White, Pulaski, and Fulton County SWCDs participated in offering the well water tests to private well owners.
Our booth at the 4-H fair once again concentrated on cover crops. We played DVD’s on various cover crop scenarios while three of the cover crop display boxes drew a lot of attention as people could see and touch actual cover crop plants and see how deep the roots had developed in just two weeks. Supervisors donated their time in the evenings to visit with fairgoers and answer questions on cover crops.
The SWCD continued with a CWI Watershed Grant in partnership with Kosciusko & Marshall Counties to bring technical assistance to two Fulton County farms.
In 2011 we applied for a 3-year CWI grant to facilitate a Cover Crop Cost Share Incentive Program and to promote the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program within our watershed. At first our proposal was not funded, but in 2012 we resubmitted the proposal and were awarded $40,000 for Fulton, White and Pulaski Counties to partner in the project. Thirty-six producers participated in the project!
September brought the annual Arrow Head Country River Expedition and Academic Competition, commonly known as River Rafting. The event runs for five days in early September. Students, and the bravest of teachers, spend all day in and out of rafts on the Tippecanoe River for classes in soils, river otters, history of the area, mussels, forestry, water quality and land use. We registered up to 100 students per day, and there is always a waiting list as the five days fill up fast. It’s a fun filled day of hands on education that the students are sure to remember for years to come.