Submitted by: Mike
Johnson, ISDA Resource Specialist Team Leader, Laura Fribley, ISDA District
Support Specialist Team Leader, and Kayla Hubbard, Jefferson County Soil and
Water Conservation District (SWCD) District Coordinator.
Mike works from the Clark County
office and services several Southeastern counties. Mike has been with the
Division of Soil Conservation for nearly 25 years. He raises grain, hay
and beef cattle on 350 acres in Clark County.
Laura’s based out of Floyd County and works with 16 counties in southern
Indiana. She has worked with the
Division since 2006. Kayla works out of the Jefferson County office near the
Fairgrounds and is a resident of the county.
She graduated from St. Andrews Presbyterian College and has worked for
the SWCD since 2011. These three work together on Clean Water Indiana (CWI)
grants, and other initiatives throughout the year.
Each year, county SWCDs have the option of applying for
competitive CWI grants. The CWI fund is
administered by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture under the direction
of the State Soil Conservation Board.
Jefferson County SWCD, located in southern Indiana along the Ohio River,
actively participates in the grant program.
“CWI grants have
really made an impact for Jefferson County producers, because it gives them
more incentive to put conservation practices on the ground. Without the grants
our district would not have the funds to give the amount of incentive dollars
to the nearly as many producers as we have in the last couple of years.” –
Steve Riley, Jefferson Co SWCD Supervisor
Photo: Wheat field following no-till
soybeans. The producers participating in the grant are required to no-till
their row crops, have a soil test and apply a cover crop. Photo by Kayla.
How does this typically work locally? First, the SWCD and other local conservation
agencies determine what natural resource issues need to be addressed. Then, the SWCD applies for a grant outlining
their local needs and ways to address them.
Jefferson Co SWCD and surrounding counties have written great proposals
over the years and have secured multiple grants. Once they get the grant, the SWCD accepts
cost-share applications from landowners and awards the funds based on a variety
of criteria. The projects undergo a
“quality control” process too, meaning that it’s verified each project is
qualified, meets established specs, and is completed. Mike assists the SWCD a lot in this stage.
With these conservation grants, the SWCD has provided CWI
cost share to landowners who implement a variety of soil saving practices
including cover crops, forage and biomass planting, and residue and tillage
management. It’s a win-win for each, both
from an economic and water quality standpoint.
Photo: this picture
shows a cover crop seeded after soybeans on highly erodible ground in Jefferson
County. The main component is crimson
clover. The producer no-tilled into it
in the spring. Photo by Mike.
From spring 2013 to summer 2014, 28 practices were
implemented. This affects approximately
900 acres. Load reductions estimate
these practices have saved 3,736 tons of sediment from entering local water
bodies. For another perspective, that’s
about the same as filling:
- 10,645 bath tubs
- 85 Olympic size swimming pools, or
- 141 backyard 15’ diameter swimming pools
Wow! That’s
amazing. Each of these individual practices really makes a difference and
improves the local watershed, one place at a time.
Photo: this is a hay field that was in row
crops two years prior. To receive cost
share, producers were required to convert row crops to forage or pasture. Photo by Kayla.
For more information on CWI grants in your region of the
state, visit: http://www.in.gov/isda/2379.htm
For more information on the Jefferson County SWCD, visit
their website or FaceBook page:
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