Conservation Update  
 
November 6-20, 2013 
Executive Director's Report
 
In Remembrance of Bill Mann
Bill Mann passed away on November 8. He was a long-time State Soil Conservation Board member from Sullivan county.  Bill was still serving as a current board member when he passed. He served on the Sullivan Soil and Water Conservation District's Board of Supervisors for 32 years, many of them as Chairman. Bill had been a long time conservation advocate for soil and water conservation districts. His obituary can be read here.

Deadline Extended: Supervisor Scholarship for IASWCD Conference

Funding is available for approximately 10 supervisors to attend the 2014 Conference of Indiana SWCDs. Applications are due November 22! Read the instructions and submit an application soon to take advantage of this annual opportunity. 

 

Welcome to Jennifer Thum, New District Support Specialist!

From the Indiana State Department of Agriculture

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture would like to welcome a new District Support Specialist for the Northeast area of Indiana. This position was recently vacated by Jim Lake, who retired in 2013 after serving Indiana and its communities in conservation roles at local, state and federal levels for over 40 years. 

 

As a District Support Specialist, Jennifer Thum, jthum@isda.in.gov, will provide direct assistance in planning, leadership development, education and outreach to nearly twenty county SWCDs in Northeast Indiana. She will be based out of the Allen County USDA Service Center in Fort Wayne.

 

Jennifer joins the Division of Soil Conservation from the Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District. She has a Master's in public administration and a Bachelor's of Science in urban and regional planning and brings considerable experience and knowledge to our team from a background which includes watershed management, conservation program management, education & outreach as well as communications.

 

Basic Nutrient Management Training: Rescheduled

Due to the government shutdown, some of these trainings were cancelled. Happily, they have been rescheduled for December 3 and 5. You can learn more and sign up at www.icpbasicnmt.eventbrite.com.

 

Region Meetings

It's region meeting season for Soil and Water Conservation Districts! A region map is on the IASWCD website.

  • Tonight: N-NW Region Meeting, 6-7 p.m., Jasper Co. SWCD office, 211 East Drexel Parkway, Rensselaer
  • November 25: N-SE Region Meeting, 6-8 p.m., Batesville Middle School, 201 N. Mulberry Street, Batesville
Indiana State Wildlife Action Plan

The Department of Natural Resources requests assistance in the development and implementation of the Indiana State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) by completing this organization survey. The survey will help us determine how your organization and the issues you are working on can best be incorporated into the Action Plan. The survey can be found here.

 

Several Watershed Positions Available

Please view our job listings at the bottom of this newsletter's right column for several new positions.

  

Have a great week!
Jennifer Boyle Warner, IASWCD Executive Director
CCSI News 

Washington Post Reports: "No-till farming is on the rise. That's actually a big deal."

Last week, the Washington Post published a great article on no-till practices that speaks to a wide variety of audiences. Read it here, and consider commenting! 



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Annual Conference News: Sponsor Showcase
 
The Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) is showcasing our 2014 Conference sponsors as a prelude to the January 6-8 event set for the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. Join us in showing support and patronage to these companies and organizations that support and value Indiana conservation.

 

Bronze Sponsors 

The IASWCD welcomes back Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers / Responsible Nutrient Management Foundation as a conference sponsor. Agro-Culture leads the way in helping growers adopt Responsible Nutrient Management. The Michigan-based company focuses on greater fertilizer efficiency for environmentally friendly products. Imagine, sustainably producing more food and fiber for a growing world population with less applied fertilizer. Look for Agro-Culture on the web at www.agroliquid.com

 

The Association again welcomes long-time conference supporter ArborTerra Consulting. For more than 25 years, the company has helped landowners protect their investments in forest and land resources, while making those resources productive, profitable and sustainable. ArborTerra serves private property owners, businesses, property managers, government entities, and communities with a broad range of expertise that includes forestry consulting, sediment and erosion control planning and implementation, wetlands consulting, and urban forest management. Visit www.arborterra.com.

 

We are pleased to have DuPont Pioneer, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, as a Bronze Sponsor again this year. DuPont Pioneer is the world's leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. The company provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems. Visit their website at www.pioneer.com. 

Annual Conference News:
Technical Track
 

Making Climate Information Usable to the Ag

Community 
Presenters: Linda Prokopy, Otto Doering and Chad Hart, Purdue University

The Useful to Usable (U2U) project is developing climate-based decision tools allowing the agricultural community to examine the financial, production and environmental outcomes of different management options and climate scenarios. This session provides a first look at prototype tools examining climate risks for corn development, split nitrogen application decisions, the impact of ENSO on crop yields, and access to historical climate data. 

1 CEU; Crop Management

  

The Economics of Woodlands for Landowners

Presenter: John Seifert, IDNR

The session will discuss historical and current trends in hardwood market demand, species price differentiation, quality issues and how to manage your woodlands to provide environmental and monetary rewards. A number of case studies will be presented from small to large woodland owners. 

 

Indiana Stream Types

Presenter: Bob Barr, IUPUI

As a result of ongoing research in support of the Indiana Fluvial Erosion Hazard Mitigation Program, we continue to learn more about the variability of Indiana streams. This session will review recent work and studies, and also look at new LiDAR imagery for the state, and discuss how this provides an ideal introduction to Indiana stream types.

1 CEU; Soil and Water Management

 

Your Role in Replicated Nitrogen Strip Trials

Jordan Seger, ISDA, and Ben Reinhart, Clinton County SWCD 

Learn how to set up a strip trial, what a farmer needs to do, what pieces of information are needed, consideration of equipment lengths, data collection forms, GPS equipment, how to organize this information using ArcMap, and how information is reported back to the farmer. 

1 CEU; Crop Management 
Annual Conference:  
January 6-8, 2014
 

Registration is Open!

Register online here. 

 

Deadline Extended to Nov. 22: Supervisor Scholarship

The IASWCD has funding for approximately 10 supervisors to attend Conference. Apply by November 22!

Legislative Breakfast

Invite your legislators to this annual event, which takes place at 7:30am on January 8. Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann will be our speaker. The breakfast conversations are important to securing future funding and good relationships with our legislators! For more information, or to receive another copy of the of the invitation letter template, send an email to  info@iaswcd.org.

 

Conference Brochure

Includes sessions, keynote speakers, and sponsors. View it here.

 

Delegate Registration

Who will represent
your District at the Annual Business Meeting this year? Register your delegate online.

Submitted Resolutions
Get In Touch

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Upcoming Events

View the full calendar

   

November 21:

USDA Hangout on Local and Regional Food Systems and #MyFarmBill 

 

November 25:

North-Southeast Region Meeting

 

November 26:

Webinar: Getting More For Less From The Fertilizer You Apply

 

December 3 & 5:

Basic Nutrient Management Training

 

December 3:

State Board of Accounts Training for SWCDs (register)

 

December 5:

Putnam County PARP Workshop

 

January 6-8

Annual Conference of Indiana SWCDs

 

See all events, or Contribute an event


CCSI Events
 
January 29:
Slug Control in Cropping Systems (save the date!)
Other News

National Wetlands Awards

The National Wetlands Awards are presented annually to individuals who have excelled in wetlands protection, restoration, and education. Learn more at  nationalwetlandsawards.org 

 

USDA to host Google+ Hangout on Farm Bill

Tomorrow at 2pm Eastern the USDA will host a Google+ Hangout on "Local and Regional Food Systems and #MyFarmBill." This is a good opportunity to learn how Hangouts work as well as get involved in the Farm Bill conversation.

 

FSA Advises Producers to Anticipate Payment Reductions Due to Mandated Sequester

Read the full news release here. Please be advised that Conservation Reserve Program payments are specifically exempt by statute from sequestration, thus these payments will not be reduced.


National Drought Resilience Partnership

As part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, the Obama Administration announced an interagency National Drought Resilience Partnership to help communities better prepare for future droughts and reduce the impact of drought events on livelihoods and the economy. Read the full news release here.

Upcoming Grants: 
 

 

December 31, 2013:

Celebrate Urban Birds mini-grants are open to organizations, educators, and youth. Proposals should integrate the arts, greening, birds and community involvement. All mini-grant applicants are offered materials and training to support their events (even if their proposals are not funded). Organizations working with underserved communities are strongly encouraged to apply. No experience with birding needed. Mini-grants average $100 to $500. 

 

January 14, 2014

The National Forest Foundation's Matching Awards Program provides support to engage in on-the-ground conservation and citizen-based monitoring projects benefiting National Forests and Grasslands. Funded projects must address one or more of the following program areas of emphasis: Wildlife Habitat Improvement, Recreation, Watershed Health and Restoration, or Community-Based Forestry. All grants require at least a one-to-one cash match through non-federal donations.


2014 annual conference
Positions Open
Stewardship Director, Division of Fish and Wildlife

 The position will work with staff throughout the division, and potentially collaborate with other agencies, to develop programs involving public stewardship and citizen science. View the full job description here.

 
Jay SWCD Watershed Coordinator
For a complete job description, send an email to  bettie.jacobs@in.nacdnet.net

Clark SWCD Watershed Coordinator
For a complete job description, send an email to tami.kruer@in.nacdnet.net

Dearborn SWCD Watershed Coordinator

For a complete job description, send an email to rita.cutter@in.nacdnet.net

 

Orange SWCD Watershed Coordinator
For a complete job description, send an email to 
orangeswcd@gmail.com