The Press-Dispatch

January 12, 2022

The Press-Dispatch

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Winter 2022 VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1 Special section published by The Press-Dispatch Pike County Soil and Water Conservation District Newsletter Pike County Soil and Water Conservation District Newsletter Planter Planter UPCOMING EVENTS Purdue Extension Upcoming Events Jan. 11: Getting into the Farm Business: Session #2 Jan. 13: Clover Gaming SPARK Club Meeting #4 First 4-H Enrollments DUE: Jan. 15 Jan. 17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Office Closed Jan. 18: Extension Board/Pike County SWCD Annual Meeting Jan. 18: Getting into the Farm Business: Session #3 Jan. 25: Getting into the Farm Business: Session #4 Jan. 25: 4-H Scholarships Due Feb. 1-2: Professional Landscape Management School Feb. 2 – May 11: In-person Extension Master Garden- er Basic Training Course at Vanderburgh County Feb. 9: YQCA Training #1 Feb. 12: 4-H Pancake Round-Up Feb. 18: Area III Grain Marketing Day March 22-23: 4-H Spring Break Day Camp May 15: 4-H Enrollment deadline to participate in 2022 4-H Fair July 24-30 : Pike County Fair July 29 -Aug. 21: Indiana State Fair: 75th Annual Dinner and Meeting set for Jan. 18 Pike County SWCD's 75th Annual Din- ner and Meeting will be Tuesday Jan. 18 at the Otwell Community Center. Doors open at 6 p.m. and meal is served at 6:30 p.m. RSVP is required. The Pike County SWCD is gearing up for an evening full of good food and great fellowship as we celebrate our conserva- tion achievements from 2021 and gear up for an exciting new year of conserving out natural resources in 2022. The annual business meeting will pro- ceed the performance. This year, Pike County SWCD is part- nering with Pike County Purdue Exten- sion Office for the event. HAM IT UP, PIKE SWCD Scott Ham will share a high energy and entertaining look at soil and water conservation. We'll look at creative ways to motivate landowners and leadership to have a positive approach to best manage- ment practices and good relationships, within the Pike County Soil and Water Conservation District. Ham is the Manager of Silver Creek Water Corporation where he has worked for 32 years. He has served in the State of Indiana as a certified water operator since 1988 and is active in many local and industry organizations. He is a for- mer Chair of the Indiana State Soil Con- servation Board. He is also a professional entertainer and retired Command Sergeant Major with 27 years of experience in the US Ar- my and Indiana Army National Guard, with three overseas deployments to Bos- nia, A fghanistan and Iraq. Ham's hope is that through using peo- ple's experiences, we will initiate change where needed, and support those already doing outstanding works. REGISTRATION Late registration is still available with a cost of $10 . To reserve tickets, please visit https://bit.ly/34odgcA or call the Pike County SWCD at 812-354-6120 ext. 3 during office hours. Should inclement weather hit, updates on the event will be posted on the SWCD Facebook page and through an email no- tification via Eventbrite! Forestry Workshop series begins Jan. 29 Join Warrick SWCD and Purdue Extension in a three part series for For- est and Woodlot Manage- ment. Learn how to cre- ate your own Forest Man- agement Plans, control in- vasive plants, the benefits of wildlife management, DNR programs available, and the value of your stand for timber. SESSION 1 Saturday, Jan. 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Warrick County 4-H Fairgrounds. 9 a.m.–Introduction 9:30 a.m.–Forest Manage- ment Plans 10 :30 a.m.–Wildlife Habitat 11 a.m.–Invasives in a For- est 11:30 a.m.–Lunch 12:15 p.m.–DNR Programs 12:45 p.m.–Timber Value SESSION 2 Thursday, Feb. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Warrick Coun- ty 4-H Fairgrounds. Homemakers Stop by and have your FMP re- viewed by Purdue Exten- tion staff and have any questions answered. SESSION 3 Saturday, April 2 at Scales Lake Pavilion. Hands-on workshop for evaluating timber stands for improvement, con- trolling invasive plants, and more. REGISTER To register, call 812-897- 2840 ext. 3 or email susan. king@in.nacdnet.net If you are in need of ac- commodations to attend this program or have di- etary restrictions, contact Susan prior to the meeting by Jan. 17. Cost $10 per person. Ac- tual cost $20 per person with $10 matched by Clean Water Indiana. Got worms? Hands-on vermiculture workshop Learn about worm com- posting from 10 a.m. to noon on March 12 at the Vanderburgh County Fair- grounds, 201 East Boon- ville-New Harmony Road. Participants will receive instruction, tips and ma- terials to build their own worm composting bin. There is no charge, but registration is required and materials are limited to the first 25 participants. Tickets can be reserved at https://bit.ly/3f6lCrE Instruction provided by Duncan Worm Farms. Questions? Call Carrie Parmenter 812-838 -4191 x 3 Sponsored by Promoting Urban Soil Health In Towns (PUSH-IT) Nutrient Management Breakfast is Feb. 10 Learn strategies to re- duce nutrient loss through new technology and appli- cation techniques and enjoy a hot breakfast on Thurs- day, Feb. 10 at Poseyville Community Center, 60 N. Church St, Poseyville. Registration is at 7:30 a.m. and the program will be 8 to 11:30 a.m. Speakers will include: • Ben Wicker—Indiana Nutrient Alliance • Michael Childress— Posey County Co-Op • Hans Schmitz—Pur- due Extension Ag and Natural Resources Ed- ucator Register by calling Posey County SWCD at 812-838 -4191 x 3 or on the Posey Soil and Water Face- book Page. CCA CEUs, CCHs, and PARP available. Full hot breakfast pro- vided by Pivot Bio. A wet harvest and its lasting effects By Alex Mahrenholz A wet harvest continues to cause prob- lems even in the new year. While farmers struggled to finish get- ting crops out of the field, some were forced to enter fields in less than ideal conditions. Wet ground and heavy farm equipment are not typically a desired combination and that coalition may have caused soil compaction in some fields. In preparing for the busy spring season, adding a plan to deal with the damage caused by less than ideal harvest condi- tions can save you more expense in the long run. Although rippers have been tradi- tionally used to alleviate soil compac- tion, they may not provide the best solu- tion if some of the predictions for a wet spring prove to be true. We know now that the soil compaction layer often goes deeper than a ripper has the ability to run. A potential solution to this issue is a deep-rooted cover crop that can begin the process of breaking down all of the soil compaction layers which could have built up over several years. Annual rye- grass and cereal rye are cover crops that grow continuously throughout the win- ter and can break compaction layers with roots extending deeper than two and a half feet. Radishes and rapeseed are cov- er crops that can be utilized effectively with acreage exhibiting less pervasive compaction layers. A fter the roots of these crops die and begin to decay, the channels they leave behind provide a quality environment for corn roots in the coming growing sea- son. If compaction symptoms are seen in preparation for this spring's planting sea- son, consider speaking with your SWCD, NRCS, or Purdue Extension ANR Educa- tor to make a plan by implementing cov- er crops and all the benefits they provide on your operation next year. 2021 Indiana NRCS Annual Report For more than 80 years, USDA's Nat- ural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has worked with farmers and landowners to help them manage natu- ral resource concerns on their land and improve the health of their communities. Despite the multitude of challenges 2021 presented, that work continued thanks to the extraordinary effort of our statewide staff. Even as our workforce was, again, forced to work remotely for most of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they continued to impact and help farmers and landowners throughout the state of In- diana. More than 1,000 contracts were signed for our technical and financial as- sistance programs putting more than $44 million of assistance into Indiana in order to protect and improve our soil, water, for- estry, energy and wildlife resources. I am pleased to provide this report of Indiana NRCS' investments and successes in fis- cal year 2021 to highlight what can be ac- complished no matter the circumstances. — Jerry Raynor, State Conservationist AT A GLANCE: Investments on Private Lands Environmental Quality Incentives Program Contracts 857 Acres 114,637 Dollars $23,665,117 Conservation Stewardship Program Contracts 137 Acres 101,244 Dollars $11,523,022 Regional Conservation Partnership Program Contracts 32 Acres 9,706 Dollars $ 972,179 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program Wetland Reserve Easements Contracts 24 Acres 1,705 Dollars $7,600,000

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