The Knox County SWCD has the privileged of working with Knox County’s farmers and landowners to insure the wise use of our natural resources. We undertake a variety of tasks in order to fulfill our mission, a few of which are listed below.
On-Farm Network – Seven SWCDs in SW Indiana received a Clean Water Indiana grant to start an On-Farm Network group geared to farmers with reclaimed mine lands. The project will provide farmers with data to help them fine-tune their nitrogen rates on the fragile reclaimed soils, and will provide funds for small scale trials of cover crops and gypsum.
Invasive Plant Species – The SWCD continues to work with the Southern Indiana Cooperative Weed Management Area to control the spread of invasive plant species in Knox County and throughout Southern Indiana. A county-wide roadside survey has been completed and the SWCD is cooperating with the Knox County Highway Department to make sure that invasive plants are controlled along county roads.
Cover Crops – The SWCD conducted its first cover crop transect and found that 12% of the surveyed fields had been planted to cover crops. This transect will be done for the next several years to determine the trend of cover crop use and to measure the effectiveness of the SWCD’s efforts to promote cover crops.
Technical Assistance – The SWCD was able to participate in a statewide contribution agreement with the NRCS to provide technical assistance for the Conservation Reserve Program. SWCD technicians performed field checks of CRP practices and, where necessary, redesigned practices to bring them up to specifications.