The Pulaski County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is a governmental subdivision of the state and a public body exercising public powers. The mission of the Pulaski County SWCD is to conserve, improve, and sustaing the appropriate use of our natural resources. Critical issues in Pulaski County are wind and water erosion, protecting water quality and quantity - surface and sub-surface, maintaing adequate and safe drainage, promoting wise land use, and promoting reasonable wildlife management.
Adult educational programming in 2013 covered subjects such as irrigation management, soil health, cover crops, water testing, earthworms, wild turkeys, and wildlife rehabilitation. Educational programming for children covered Indiana water facts, earthworms, soils, water testing, wetlands, Canada geese, landfills, agriculture, forestry, river otters, sandhill cranes, migration, compass orienteering, animal tracks and bones, birds, and native wildlife.
The Pulaski County SWCD offered a fall cost share cover crop program to area growers. Twenty-two Pulaski County farmers received $6,658.43 from Clean Water Indiana Grant funds and $6,611.67 from our district for a cost share total of $13,270. Cost assistance for the planting of the 1,327 acres of cover crops was distributed while a total of 3,039 acres of cover crops were actually planted by those growers participating in the cost share program. Many growers reported seeing the benefits of soil stabilization, increased organic matter, and increased soil health from this practice.
Additional district activities filled our year including a tree sale, county fair presentation, and cover crop plot tour. Pulaski County also participated in Indiana's On Farm Network and worked with area farmers enrolling and stalk sampling fields to monitor nitrogen rates to ensure water quality.
For more information on the Pulaski County Soil & Water Conservation District, please visit us at our website at http://www.pulaskiswcd.org/.