Many soil and water conservation districts that cover urban areas are seeing a growing demand for information on urban conservation, urban farming, and as a result, soil health questions. The Marion County SWCD recently hired an urban soils health specialist to address this burgeoning interest, as a part of the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI).

Kevin Allison began working in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas this month, and will provide technical assistance and training related to soil health and soil quality. He will encourage urban landowners and users to plan and apply natural resource conservation on their property.

 Kevin came to the Marion County SWCD from the Daviess County SWCD, where he worked with the ICP on a cover crop demonstration plot at the Washington service center. "It gave us the opportunity to learn first-hand about conservation cropping systems and to develop and share our thoughts on the science of soil health," he explained. He hopes to draw on this experience and his other work with Daviess County to spread the soil health message in Indianapolis.

Kevin is excited about the opportunities for educating the public about soil health will bring: "In Marion County, educating a diverse public on the principles of soil health will be a fun challenge, and I'm extremely excited about the interest our program has already received.   I look forward to working alongside everyone, and I hope that handfuls of clover seed bring opportunities to teach about a food system that acknowledges the productivity of life and the importance of healthy soils."

American Farmland Trust recently named John Larson as Executive Director For Programs.  Larson joined AFT after serving the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) as Chief Executive Officer since 2011.

AFT President Andrew McElwaine praised Larson's leadership and said, "American Farmland Trust is pleased to welcome our friend and colleague John Larson to our ranks. John partnered with us through numerous legislative and regulatory battles over these past several years, including securing the conservation provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill. We are fortunate that John agreed to lead our program department, where he will oversee more than 25 employees in six regional offices and will manage a budget of $5.5 million."

--American Farmland Trust