NOTICE: Our next board meeting will take place January 19 at 9 a.m. in the Service Center conference room. If you plan to join the meeting via Zoom, please contact Katerina for the log in information.
For tree sale and fish sale information, either click on tree sale or fish sale above, click on the images below, or visit our Services tab in the navigation bar to visit the tree sale and fish sale pages on our website. Please call with questions: 740-477-1693. Thank you!
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850 Farm-to-Table Books Delivered to Schools & Libraries
"Right This Very Minute: a table-to-farm book about food and farming" Written by Lisl H. Detlefsen and illustrated by Renee Kurilla. Published by Feeding Minds Press.
This week, Pickaway SWCD delivered a farm-to-table children’s book to every 1st grade student across all of our Pickaway County Schools.
In addition to the books given to the 1st grade students, their teachers, and the school library, students also received a Snack Ag Mag publication to go along with the book and a face mask from one of our partners on the project. Interactive, online activities have been created and shared with teachers to go along with the lessons in the book. Books were also given to our county libraries and the Little Free Libraries.
Agriculture is one of the most important industries in our country and is extremely prevalent in Pickaway County. Everyone should know where their food comes from, and we believe this book is a wonderful way to help share this education with our students and their families.
We would like to recognize our partners on this project from around Pickaway County and Ohio who have helped to make this happen. They are the Circleville Sunrise Rotary, the Ohio Beef Council, the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, the Pickaway Competitive Network (initiative of the Pickaway County Community Foundation), and South Central Power Co. Foundation. THANK YOU!!!
If you are interested in taking a look at this book for yourself, you can always check it out from our Lending Library!
In addition to the books given to the 1st grade students, their teachers, and the school library, students also received a Snack Ag Mag publication to go along with the book and a face mask from one of our partners on the project. Interactive, online activities have been created and shared with teachers to go along with the lessons in the book. Books were also given to our county libraries and the Little Free Libraries.
Agriculture is one of the most important industries in our country and is extremely prevalent in Pickaway County. Everyone should know where their food comes from, and we believe this book is a wonderful way to help share this education with our students and their families.
We would like to recognize our partners on this project from around Pickaway County and Ohio who have helped to make this happen. They are the Circleville Sunrise Rotary, the Ohio Beef Council, the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, the Pickaway Competitive Network (initiative of the Pickaway County Community Foundation), and South Central Power Co. Foundation. THANK YOU!!!
If you are interested in taking a look at this book for yourself, you can always check it out from our Lending Library!
Ohio NRCS Announces New EQIP Application Deadline
December 7, 2020
Ohio NRCS Announces New EQIP Application Deadline
Application Deadline is January 15, 2021
COLUMBUS, OH, Dec. 7, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced Friday, January 15, 2021, as the deadline to submit applications for Ohio’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
EQIP is a voluntary conservation program which helps producers make conservation work for them. NRCS provides agricultural producers with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement improvements, or what NRCS calls conservation practices. Using these practices can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving agricultural operations. Through EQIP, you can voluntarily implement conservation practices, and NRCS co-invests in these practices with you. Together, NRCS and producers invest in solutions that conserve natural resources for the future while also improving agricultural operations.
Financial assistance is now available in a variety of agricultural categories such as cropland, pasture operations, and organic. Several special projects are also available which address water quality, forestry management, improving pollinator populations and wildlife habitat, pasture improvements and many more.
Applicants should be farmers, or farm or forest landowners and meet eligibility criteria. To participate in USDA conservation programs, contact your local NRCS conservationist as soon as possible. Be sure to check the status of your Service Center when you reach out to us. For offices with restrictions on in-person appointments, we are still available by phone, email, and through other digital tools. Your Service Center’s status is available at https://www.farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status.
Applications signed and submitted to NRCS by the January 15 deadline will be evaluated for fiscal year 2021 funding. Visit Ohio NRCS website under “EQIP Funding Categories” for more details. To learn more about EQIP or other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs, visit Get Started with NRCS or contact your local USDA Service Center.
Ohio NRCS Announces New EQIP Application Deadline
Application Deadline is January 15, 2021
COLUMBUS, OH, Dec. 7, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced Friday, January 15, 2021, as the deadline to submit applications for Ohio’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
EQIP is a voluntary conservation program which helps producers make conservation work for them. NRCS provides agricultural producers with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement improvements, or what NRCS calls conservation practices. Using these practices can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving agricultural operations. Through EQIP, you can voluntarily implement conservation practices, and NRCS co-invests in these practices with you. Together, NRCS and producers invest in solutions that conserve natural resources for the future while also improving agricultural operations.
Financial assistance is now available in a variety of agricultural categories such as cropland, pasture operations, and organic. Several special projects are also available which address water quality, forestry management, improving pollinator populations and wildlife habitat, pasture improvements and many more.
Applicants should be farmers, or farm or forest landowners and meet eligibility criteria. To participate in USDA conservation programs, contact your local NRCS conservationist as soon as possible. Be sure to check the status of your Service Center when you reach out to us. For offices with restrictions on in-person appointments, we are still available by phone, email, and through other digital tools. Your Service Center’s status is available at https://www.farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status.
Applications signed and submitted to NRCS by the January 15 deadline will be evaluated for fiscal year 2021 funding. Visit Ohio NRCS website under “EQIP Funding Categories” for more details. To learn more about EQIP or other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs, visit Get Started with NRCS or contact your local USDA Service Center.
USDA to Open Signup for the Conservation Reserve Program and CRP Grasslands in Early 2021
November 12, 2020
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the signup periods for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the CRP Grasslands in 2021. Signup for general CRP will be open from Jan. 4, 2021, to Feb. 12, 2021, and signup for CRP Grasslands runs from March 15, 2021 to April 23, 2021. Both programs are competitive and provide annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes.
“The Conservation Reserve Program and the many focused programs that come under it, like CRP Grasslands, are some of our most critical tools we have to help producers better manage their operations while conserving natural resources,” said Richard Fordyce, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency. “As one of our nation’s largest conservation endeavors, CRP has proved to protect our valuable resources, and next year’s signup gives our farmers and ranchers an opportunity to enroll for the first time or continue their participation for another term.”
Enrollment Options
CRP―General Signup
Through CRP, farmers and ranchers establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. Farmers and ranchers who participate in CRP help provide numerous benefits to the nation’s environment and economy. CRP general signup is held annually. The competitive general signup includes increased opportunities for enrollment of wildlife habitat through the State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative.
Grasslands Signup
CRP Grasslands helps landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland, pastureland, and certain other lands while maintaining the areas as grazing lands. Protecting grasslands contributes positively to the economy of many regions, provides biodiversity of plant and animal populations, and improves environmental quality. A separate CRP Grasslands signup is offered each year following general signup.
Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest private-lands conservation programs in the United States. It was originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production. The program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits. The program marks its 35-year anniversary this December. Program successes include:
The successes of CRP contribute to USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda and its goal of reducing the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture by half by 2050. Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the department-wide initiative to align resources, programs and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands.
For more information on CRP, visit fsa.usda.gov or contact your local FSA county office.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the signup periods for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the CRP Grasslands in 2021. Signup for general CRP will be open from Jan. 4, 2021, to Feb. 12, 2021, and signup for CRP Grasslands runs from March 15, 2021 to April 23, 2021. Both programs are competitive and provide annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes.
“The Conservation Reserve Program and the many focused programs that come under it, like CRP Grasslands, are some of our most critical tools we have to help producers better manage their operations while conserving natural resources,” said Richard Fordyce, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency. “As one of our nation’s largest conservation endeavors, CRP has proved to protect our valuable resources, and next year’s signup gives our farmers and ranchers an opportunity to enroll for the first time or continue their participation for another term.”
Enrollment Options
CRP―General Signup
Through CRP, farmers and ranchers establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. Farmers and ranchers who participate in CRP help provide numerous benefits to the nation’s environment and economy. CRP general signup is held annually. The competitive general signup includes increased opportunities for enrollment of wildlife habitat through the State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative.
Grasslands Signup
CRP Grasslands helps landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland, pastureland, and certain other lands while maintaining the areas as grazing lands. Protecting grasslands contributes positively to the economy of many regions, provides biodiversity of plant and animal populations, and improves environmental quality. A separate CRP Grasslands signup is offered each year following general signup.
Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest private-lands conservation programs in the United States. It was originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production. The program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits. The program marks its 35-year anniversary this December. Program successes include:
- Preventing more than 9 billion tons of soil from eroding, which is enough soil to fill 600 million dump trucks;
- Reducing nitrogen and phosphorous runoff relative to annually tilled cropland by 95 and 85 percent, respectively;
- Sequestering an annual average of 49 million tons of greenhouse gases, equal to taking 9 million cars off the road;
- Creating more than 3 million acres of restored wetlands while protecting more than 175,000 stream miles with riparian forest and grass buffers, which is enough to go around the world seven times; and
- Benefiting bees and other pollinators and increasing populations of ducks, pheasants, turkey, bobwhite quail, prairie chickens, grasshopper sparrows and many other birds.
The successes of CRP contribute to USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda and its goal of reducing the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture by half by 2050. Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the department-wide initiative to align resources, programs and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands.
For more information on CRP, visit fsa.usda.gov or contact your local FSA county office.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
2020 Conservationist of the Year
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The Pickaway Soil and Water Conservation District would like to offer a huge congratulations to Musselman Farms LLC for being chosen as the Pickaway SWCD 2020 Conservationist of the Year!
Over the past several years, Bennett and Tom Musselman have installed various methods of conservation including widening filter strips to reduce sediment in surface water, utilizing conservation crop rotation, and practicing integrated pest management and nutrient management through the latest technology. Bennett has embraced good soil health practices through no-till and planting cover crops. He has also implemented wildlife and pollinator habitats on his farm through the Conservation Stewardship Program, which includes using cover crops to provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects, and leaving grain unharvested to benefit wildlife cover and shelter.
The Pickaway Soil and Water Conservation District has enjoyed working with the Musselman family and we are excited to continue working with them to conserve our natural resources here in Pickaway County.
Congratulations to Musselman Farms LLC for being awarded the Pickaway SWCD 2020 Conservationist of the Year!
Over the past several years, Bennett and Tom Musselman have installed various methods of conservation including widening filter strips to reduce sediment in surface water, utilizing conservation crop rotation, and practicing integrated pest management and nutrient management through the latest technology. Bennett has embraced good soil health practices through no-till and planting cover crops. He has also implemented wildlife and pollinator habitats on his farm through the Conservation Stewardship Program, which includes using cover crops to provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects, and leaving grain unharvested to benefit wildlife cover and shelter.
The Pickaway Soil and Water Conservation District has enjoyed working with the Musselman family and we are excited to continue working with them to conserve our natural resources here in Pickaway County.
Congratulations to Musselman Farms LLC for being awarded the Pickaway SWCD 2020 Conservationist of the Year!
Rain Barrels for Sale
50-gallon barrel with a rain barrel kit for sale for $35
Upcoming Events
*Click on the image to view the flyer and/or documents!
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Composting Workshop - May 3
Pickaway SWCD, Park District, and RPHF Solid Waste District are partnering to offer a Beginners Guide to Composting Workshop! All skill levels are welcome to attend, including beginners. A special youth program will take place at the same time for kids 12 & under! Food & drinks will be provided. *Due to health and safety concerns and to low registration numbers, this workshop has been moved to spring 2021. |
Pickaway SWCD celebrated its 75 Year Anniversary in 2019!
Click on the image to learn about our history, how we came to be, and the changes we've made over the years.
Follow us on Facebook to keep up with the latest news and events, see what our staff is working on, and for conservation facts! @PickawaySoilandWater
Pickaway SWCD, 110 Island Rd., Suite D, Circleville, Ohio 43113, T: 740-477-1693 F: 740-477-3327