N a v i g a t i o n
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This Issue
Leaders in Ag Recognized
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 I A S W C D B l o g |
The Association has started a blog to share stories, announcements, and ideas relevant to SWCDs and the larger community.
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| W e ' r e S o c i a l! |
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| I A S W C D A w a r d e d |
 | | Left: Jim Droege, IASWCD South-SW Region Director, accepts congratulations from NACD President Gene Schmidt (from LaPorte County and past IASWCD president) recently for Indiana's financial support of the National Association of Conservation Districts. Indiana received a second place award, behind Ohio. The recognition was presented at NACD's recent national convention. |
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| U p c o m i n g D e a d l i n e s |
ICP training dates and registration deadlines:
Southeast: March 13; RSVP by March 1
Southwest: March 15; RSVP by March 7
Northwest: March 20; RSVP by March 13
Northeast: March 22; RSVP by March 15
Central: March 27; RSVP by March 20
Click here for the registration form.
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| E v e n t s C a l e n d a r |
Visit our Google Calendar for details about upcoming events!
You can submit events via
New Events:
- NISM (Northern IN Soil Management): Feb. 22
- Rain Garden Workshop: Feb. 28
- Tree Sale Order Deadline: March 2
- Conservation Happenings in Southern Indiana: March 6
- Mystery Dinner Theater/Silent Auction: March 10
- Cover Crop Workshop: March 13
- QuickBooks Training: March 13, 20
- Natural Lawn Care Workshop for Schools and Childcares: March 22
- 2nd Annual Tree and Plant Sale: Feb. 1 - March 23
- Brown Bag Luncheons--Timber Series: May 16, Aug. 15, Nov.14
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| Q u i c k L i n k s | |
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I A S W C D L e a d e r s h i p
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Officers
President: Ray McCormick
Secretary: Paul Cummings
Treasurer: Jamie Scott
Region Directors
Board Roster / Region Map
South-NW: Mike Starkey, Hendricks Co.
North-NE: Tom Crowe, Allen Co.
South-NE: Bobby Hettmansperger, Wabash Co.
North-SW: Les Zimmerman, Vermillino Co.
South-SW: Jim Droege, Posey Co.
North-SE: Mike Schwab, Franklin Co.
South-SE: Brad Ponsler, Jennings Co.
IASWCD Staff
Executive Director: Jennifer Boyle Warner, 317.692.7519
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A Report from the Executive Director
ICP Trainings for SWCD Supervisors/Staff
The Indiana Conservation Partnership has once again developed excellent training for SWCD Supervisors and Staff next month. Your ISDA District Support Specialists are coordinating these sessions to be held in five locations around Indiana. Dates are March 13, North Vernon; March 15, Washington; March 20, Morocco; March 22, Huntington; and March 27, Indianapolis.
Registration will be handled via a simple, quick, fillable PDF form. It can be completed online and submitted by clicking on the "Submit" button located at the top and bottom right of the form. You can also save the form to your computer and fill it out, attach it to an email and send it back to deedee-sigler@iaswcd.org. One form must be completed for each person who plans to attend each training. Checks may be mailed separately. Note there is a $5.00 late registration fee for forms emailed after the deadline RSVP date for each of the five trainings. You can pay at the door as long as you register ahead of time.
Dates and locations of the trainings are included on the web page. If you have specific questions about the trainings, please contact the District Support Specialist listed for that particular date/location.
Submitting dates/events for Conservation Calendar
Remember, if you have field days, tree sales, and other conservation events you want to share with Indiana's conservation community on our Conservation Events Calendar, please use this online form to submit events you would like us to post. Include any links to any relative PDFs. If you have specific questions, contact Liz Rice in our office at elizabeth-rice@iaswcd.org. Thank you!
Click here to access the Event Submission Form.
2013 Annual Conference Planning Committee
Supervisors, Staff, and ICP members are invited to serve on the 2013 Annual Conference Planning Committee. Committee members will be expected to attend a first meeting in-person in Indianapolis in early April (date TBD); subsequent planning sessions will take place monthly via teleconference. Watch for an email soon announcing the meeting.
ISDA Seeks District Support Specialist
District Support Specialists serve at the senior level in the Division of Soil Conservation as a regional program support specialist, providing direct assistance to soil and water conservation districts in program planning and development, leadership development, education and outreach. This position will serve the northwest region of the state.
To apply for this position, please visit the State's Job Bank here . All applications must be received through the State's job bank system by February 22, 2012.
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Have a good day,
Jennifer
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Leaders in Agriculture Recognized at Annual Fish Fry
Article Courtesy of the Purdue University News Service
The Purdue University Agricultural Alumni Association recognized eight leaders in agriculture with its highest award for the recipients' exemplary and longstanding service to their profession and communities. The association presented recipients with a Certificate of Distinction on Saturday February 4 during the annual Ag Alumni Fish Fry in Indianapolis.
Among those honored was our friend in conservation, Harold L. Thompson, Danville. Thompson's career spanned nearly 40 years with NRCS. He became known for his ability to coordinate NRCS resources with other state and local agencies to complete successful conservation projects in watershed protection and flood prevention and to protect the highly erodible soils of southwest Indiana. He continues to serve Indiana conservation as an Earth Team volunteer and a participant in the Plant a Million project.
Howard Buffett, son of billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett, was the guest speaker at the Fish Fry. President of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, he also operates a 1,240-acre farm in central Illinois; manages a 400-acre, family-owned farm in eastern Nebraska; and oversees two research farms the foundation owns: a 1,300-acre farm in Decatur, Ill., and a 9,200-acre operation in South Africa. The foundation was started in 1999 with a mission to improve the standard of living for the world's most marginalized populations. It has funded projects in 74 countries; lately an increasing number have been in the United States.
Buffett's message at the Fish Fry centered on food insecurity in America and potential solutions focusing on soil health and conservation. His farming philosophy centers on a management system based on conservation tillage that he says, hands down, results in increased yields and better soil health, while ultimately preserving the environment and providing sustainable food resources.
Click here to read the full story.
Photo: Recipients of a Certificate of Distinction awarded during the annual Purdue Agricultural Alumni Association Fish Fry are, from left, Susan A. Hayhurst, J. William "Bill" Uhrig, George F. Patrick, Harold L. Thompson, S. Richard "Rick" Tolman (MO), Phillip E. Boring, and Hubert R. "Hub" Johnson. Not pictured is Rolf O. Peterson (MI). (Purdue Agricultural Communication photo/Tom Campbell)
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QuickBooks Training March 13 & 20
New to QuickBooks? Looking to computerize your record keeping for your farm or small business? This class will take you through the basics of setting up a company, paying bills, writing checks, paying payroll and payroll taxes, and reconciling bank statements.
The two-part workshop will take place from 1:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m. at the Purdue Extension Office in Kosciusko County at 202 W Main Street in Warsaw. The training is $50/person and registration costs go up after March 6.
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Federal Programs Digest
NRCS Pays Farmers to Stop Fighting Damaged, Wet Fields
NRCS announced that it has $5.4 million available for new enrollments into the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) for 2012. NRCS pays farmers for easements on fields that go into WRP, and pays to restore lands to wetlands too. WRP allows NRCS to provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands that have been degraded or converted for agricultural uses. Participation in WRP is completely voluntary. Learn more here.
45 Indiana Counties Eligible for USDA Disaster Assistance
The USDA designated 45 counties in Indiana as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought and excessive heat that occurred from July 1, 2011 through October 18, 2011. All qualified farm operators in the designated areas are eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA's FSA, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity. See which counties are eligible for assistance here.
USDA Announces Four-Week CRP Signup Period
The USDA will conduct a four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup. This CRP signup will begin on March 12, 2012 and end on April 6, 2012. CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them use environmentally sensitive land for conservation benefits. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and develop wildlife habitat. In return, USDA provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance. Contract duration is between 10 and 15 years. Producers with expiring contracts and producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP. Click here for more information.
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Watershed Academy (EPA) Webinar
Join EPA's Watershed Academy for a free webinar titled "Recovery Potential Screening: A Tool for Comparing Impaired Waters Restorability" on February 22, 2012 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST. This webinar will help states, watershed groups and others become acquainted with a new website and methodology for analyzing and comparing restorability differences among watersheds. The webinar will highlight the new recovery potential website. Interested parties can register here.
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District Support Specialist: ISDA
District Support Specialists serve at the senior level in the Division of Soil Conservation as a regional program support specialist, providing direct assistance to soil and water conservation districts in program planning and development, leadership development, education and outreach. This position will serve the northwest region of the state. To apply for this position, please visit the State's Job Bank here. All applications must be received through the State's job bank system by February 22, 2012.
Watershed Technician: Clark County SWCD
A Watershed Technician is needed to assist with the Silver Creek Watershed Implementation Grant Project in Clark County Indiana. Duties include advising and working with landowners in planning and implementing BMP's, water quality monitoring and activities that protect water quality. Assistance in the development of informational and educational materials and programs may be required. This is a part-time, temporary, grant-funded position, to begin in the Spring of 2012 and end on approximately January 18, 2014. Must be able to successfully pass an extensive background check.
This is considered a temporary part time position. Because of the nature of this position, the work schedule is irregular and may include some evening and weekend hours. Work will be divided between office and field work with emphasis on field work. The position will require work in all weather conditions and involve working in rough terrain, lifting, and exposure to livestock, heavy farm and construction equipment. Read the full job description here.
Habitat Programs Director: Indiana Wildlife Federation
This is a project management position that directs the management and operation of habitat and wildlife-related programs statewide. Work includes design and coordination of habitat improvement projects and conservation education programs. The position also provides technical assistance and professional input for issues regarding wildlife biology, management, conservation and ecology in Indiana. This is a full time seasonal position through September 1, 2012 with the potential to become full time based on funding.
This position requires a minimum of a Bachelor's degree in wildlife biology or a natural resources-related field, with a minimum of 2 years experience in field/technical operations or research preferred. Basic computer skills with knowledge of standard computer programs required. Experience in botany, forestry, and GIS mapping skills a plus. Read the full description here.
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