SWCD 101: It’s all about soil and water
- Michelle Wood
- March 23, 2021
- 790
Holmes Soil and Water Conservation District has been in existence since 1947, and during that time, our county has changed drastically. Even though our programs and services have evolved alongside these changes, the core mission of our SWCD — healthy soils and clean water — has remained the same. You may read this column on occasion but still not really know what we’re all about. I’ll give you the short version, in a nod to the reality that another thing that has changed over the years is the length of folks’ attention spans.
Roughly 3,000 conservation districts exist in the U.S. Each was developed as a local “boots on the ground” partner to the USDA Soil Conservation Service (now Natural Resources Conservation Service) in response to the devastating farming practices that led to the Dust Bowls in the 1930s.
Ohio has a soil and water conservation district in every one of its 88 counties, and they are governed by five publicly elected county officials. Referred to as “supervisors,” these five county residents determine program priorities and oversee finances and staff. Our current supervisors are Harold Neuenschwander (chairman), Jason Shumaker (vice chairman), Brett Barton (fiscal agent), Jason Biltz (secretary and education chair) and Errick Flinner (treasurer).
SWCDs are unique in that their funding begins with the county commissioners and then is “matched” by the Ohio General Assembly through the Ohio Department of Agriculture at a percentage that is determined by each biennium budget. Without the support of our county commissioners and state legislators, we would not be able to function at a sustainable level, and we are grateful for their support.
Holmes SWCD is located in the Ag Service Center at 62 W. Clinton St. in Millersburg, along with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the USDA Farm Service Agency. The three agencies work together on many projects, even though each has a different funding source. USDA programs are guided by the Farm Bill, whereas the SWCD programs are determined by our local board. Some of the priorities overlap, of course. This allows the SWCD to respond to the needs of Holmes County at a local level.
So what are the priorities of the Holmes SWCD? In a nutshell, our goals are to improve water quality, improve soil health, improve forest management, restore and enhance riparian (streamside) corridors, improve storm water control, and improve wildlife habitat.
Well, those are fairly generic, you might be saying to yourself. We do, however, have specific projects under each of these broad categories as part of an annual plan of work too extensive to list here. We strive to work with everyone — from farmers, to homebuilders, to village residents — to implement conservation practices large and small.
As COVID-19 era public health restrictions ease, look for information about upcoming programs on our website at www.HolmesSWCD.com or call our office at 330-674-SWCD with your conservation questions. An important part of what SWCDs do is facilitate connections. If we cannot provide answers or technical advice, odds are we can connect you with someone who does. We are grateful for the support of our federal, state, local and private partnerships to further our mission and conserve the natural resources of our beautiful county.