2016 Parke County Soil & Water Conservation District Highlights
INField Advantage Program – Indiana’s INField Advantage Program was developed to help Farmers to initiate innovative adaptive management programming, and works with growers to conduct outcome-based, farm-specific evaluations to optimize N management for corn. This is helping Indiana reduce nitrogen leaching and loss into our watersheds.
Clean Water Indiana Grant – Parke and Vermillion County SWCD’s applied for and were granted a CWI Grant. Beginning in January 2017 we will have a Conservation Technician available to help producers who utilize conservation cropping systems and also producers who would like more information on the benefits of a conservation system. The Conservation Technician will also reach out to absentee landowners and discuss the benefits of a soil health system to their overall operation. He can help with equipment modifications, cover crop challenges and weed pressures to improve soil health in our County. Clean Water Indiana funds help prevent sedimentation in our rivers and streams as well as reducing nutrients moving from the fields into the waterways.
Poster Contest for 4th Graders – The SWCD has sponsored a poster contest for 4th graders for many years. We go into the schools and present conservation information and provide poster boards and assistance to the classes. Posters are displayed during the Spring Art Fair and again during 4th Grade Ag Days at the Fairgrounds.
Conservation Day and Wonders of the Wetlands Days – Parke SWCD participates and helps sponsor the 5th Grade Conservation Day at Rockville Lake and also the Wonders of the Wetlands Days at the Cayuga Power Plant for 8th Graders. These are both wonderful areas to get the students out and learn about conservation.
NRCS – The SWCD works with the Natural Resources Conservation Service through a Contribution Agreement to help “Get Conservation on the Ground”.