GEORGIA AGENCIES PARTNER TO HOST STATEWIDE FERAL SWINE EDUCATION EVENTS

Feral swine have become increasingly detrimental in Georgia, causing significant damage to agricultural crops and natural resources throughout the state. The economic impact of damage caused by feral swine in Georgia last year is estimated at $150 million. A group of agricultural and natural resource organizations are partnering together to bring Georgia’s top experts on feral swine together in a series of educational workshops for farmers and landowners. The partnering agencies will host eight workshops and trapping demonstrations throughout the state. Four of these workshops will be held in Southeast Georgia and four in Northeast Georgia.

We are pleased to announce our first workshop of the series to be held January 30,2020 from 9am to 1pm at University of Georgia Extension, 162 W. Thigpen Avenue, Lakeland, GA 31635.

Topics will include disease issues, swine biology, water quality issues, effective control techniques, transport issues, public health and regulations to be followed by a question and answer panel of experts. Each workshop will also include a feral swine trapping demonstration.

 Partnering agencies for this effort include the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Wildlife Services, Georgia Association of Conservation Districts, Georgia Department of Natural Resources - Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Agriculture, University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, Alapaha Conservation District and Southern Georgia Regional Commission.

 There is no cost to attend the workshops, but space is limited. Pre-registration is required. More details and registration information is available at www.GACD.us/events.

Gwinnett County Conservation District Opens Funding Opportunity for Educators

Educators across metro Atlanta have shown a rapidly growing interest in connecting agriculture and academics, reflecting the fact that school gardens are a well-documented teaching tool and introduce students to critical environmental science concepts. The Gwinnett Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is empowering development of agriculture-based programs through the “Urban Conservation Tool Box.” Funded through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The Tool Box offers opportunities to integrate raised beds, micro-irrigation, high tunnels and aquaponics systems into agriculture-based education. These materials are supplemented with educational resources that support Kindergarten-12th grade learning and enhance the sustainability of these programs in metro settings. This financial assistance is available to schools, churches and senior centers within Gwinnett, DeKalb and Rockdale counties. Applications are reviewed monthly by an Awards Committee that includes members of Gwinnett’s SWCD, the Upper Ocmulgee River Resource Conservation & Development council (UORRC&D) and NRCS.

For more program information and to secure an application packet, please contact District Program Assistant Tixie Fowler at tixie.fowler@gacd.us.

Applications will be reviewed monthly beginning December 1, 2019 and funding will be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis through December 31, 2020.

GACD Now Accepting Applications for 2020 Scholarship

More information available at www.gacd.us/scholarships

Lamar County Beef Cattle Series Update

The Lamar County Soil & Water Conservation District continued its Beef Cattle 101 Educational Series in September and October 2019, presenting topics related to grazing system options and optimal soil health solutions for beginning farmers in the Piedmont soils area. The USDA—Natural Resources Conservation Service has partnered with the Conservation District in order to provide technical and financial assistance for the series. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service in Lamar/Upson Counties has also served as a project partner and technical guide throughout the 10 programs.

The September 19, 2019, program was presented in Thomaston, Georgia, with topics related to grazing systems for cattle (Carmen Westerfield, USDA-NRCS District Conservationist), basic forages (Steve Morgan, UGA Extension Coordinator for Harris and Talbot Counties), and successfully interpreting your own soils report for your farm (Hailey Robinson, UGA Extension Coordinator for Lamar and Upson Counties). 

The October 17, 2019, program was presented at the Barnesville-Lamar County Library, with topics presented related to the impacts of management on grazing systems and soil health (Philip Brown, USDA-NRCS Grazing Specialist) and components of a successful grazing system (Carmen Westerfield, USDA-NRCS District Conservationist). The program ended with a presentation of NRCS’ rainfall simulator, which Mr. Brown used to show the effects of a proper grazing and foraging system for farmers in the long-range planning of a farm’s grazing system. Attached are pictures from each of the programs that highlight the effectiveness of hands-on demonstrations and engaging the guests in a more impactful way. 

The District recently received the Conservation Innovation Grant from NRCS with the goal of effectively educating citizens in topics related to soil health principles, herd health—which is important in developing an overall grazing system—as well as conservation and technical assistance available to farmers and producers. Please contact District Program Coordinator Wesley Doyle for more information related to (or to register for) the Beef Cattle 101 Educational Series, which continues monthly—excluding December 2019—until June 2020.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. If you need any accommodations for this event, please contact Wesley Doyle at wesley.doyle@ga.usda.gov or (770) 358-0787 ex. 3 at least 14 days prior to the event.

*This material is based upon work supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Conservation Innovation Grant number NR194310XXXXC018. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Towaliga Conservation District Announces 'Conservation Education Initiative'

The Towaliga Soil and Water Conservation District has announced their new Conservation Education Initiative. This initiative was created to address the growing agricultural and environmental education funding issues that face citizens today. With the funding provided through this opportunity, educators, individuals and students alike will be able to learn more about soil health, irrigation and fresh food options, all while being involved in their own communities. The Towaliga SWCD, in partnership with local community organizations and school systems, hopes to inspire agricultural and environmental education through interactive approaches. Funding for this initiative is only available to organizations within the Towaliga SWCD geographical area (Butts, Fayette, Monroe, Pike, Spalding and Upson Counties).

All applications for 2020 project funding must be completed and submitted by 5 p.m. on January 14, 2020 . Partially completed applications will not be accepted. For more information on this initiative, please contact Towaliga SWCD Program Coordinator Wesley Doyle at (770) 358-0787 ex. 3 or wesley.doyle@gacd.us.

A fillable pdf application can be found here.

For more information on the Towaliga Soil and Water Conservation District please visit their Facebook page or website.

Lincoln County Conservation District Cooperator Wins National Award

 The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign’s (NAPPC) 19th annual conference in Washington D.C. culminated with the recognition of the U.S. Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award, which was awarded to Brian and Becky Tankersley of Lincolnton, GA.

Abhishek Kashinath, District Program Assistant for Lincoln County Conservation District, with Becky and Brian Tankersley and Jason Wheatley, District Conservationist for the Washington, GA USDA- NRCS office

The Tankersleys own and operate Double Branches Farm, a garden and u-pick operation that grows fruits and veggies but particularly offers berries such as strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. The farm is also available for educational opportunities and the farmers utilize their local partnerships to provide these events. Earlier this year, Double Branches Farm together with the Lincoln County Conservation District, was the host site for a high school field day where students toured the farm and received lessons from Brian Tankersley himself. The Tankersleys are known for advocating for conservation, pollinators and agriculture education. As pollination is vital to the success of the farm and to the success of agriculture everywhere, the Tankersleys have included pollinator friendly habitat throughout their farmland.

Congratulations to Brian and Becky Tankersley on their award and congratulations to the Lincoln County Conservation District for their winning nomination!

The Lincoln County Conservation District promotes soil and water stewardship throughout local schools and to farmers and landowners in Lincoln County, Georgia. For more information about the District, please contact District Program Assistant Abhishek Kashinath at abhishek.kashinath@gacd.us.

GACD Announces Chy Kellogg as Pollinator Coordinator

Georgia Association of Conservation Districts (GACD) is pleased to announce the selection of Chy Kellogg to serve as Pollinator Coordinator. 

Chy Kellogg

Chy will be working with partner agencies to implement GACD's Pollinator Initiative which includes the installation of pollinator demonstration gardens and habitat sites throughout the state. Chy will also be developing an educational curriculum for classroom use that will accompany the demonstration gardens.

Chy serves as a Board Member on the Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority and the Georgia Farmer's Market Association. She also serves as the 3rd District Women’s Committee Chair for Georgia Farm Bureau and the Educational Leadership Chair for Cobb County Farm Bureau.

GACD is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advocate for the conservation of Georgia’s natural resources by providing organization, leadership and a unified strategic direction to the Conservation Districts of the State. To learn more about GACD's Pollinator Initiative, please visit www.gacd.us/pollinators.

LAMAR COUNTY SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT AWARDED ‘CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANT’

Barnesville, GA (October 10, 2019)—The Lamar County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) was recently awarded the ‘Conservation Innovation Grant,’ a partnership opportunity provided by the USDA—Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)*. Funding from this grant will go toward the newly-announced ‘Beef Cattle 101 Educational Series,’ an innovative, ongoing series for beginning farmers or cattlemen who are interested in “refreshers” of the basics that focuses on soil health, water quality, grazing system options and beef cattle animal science. The technical and financial assistance from the partnership will allow the Lamar County SWCD to provide quality educational materials and the most up-to-date research from professionals on these topics.

The District received this partnership opportunity with NRCS in order to effectively educate citizens in topics related to soil health principles, conservation and technical assistance available to farmers and producers. Much of the topics and ideas covered in the Beef Cattle 101 Educational Series are related to grazing systems and soil health principles, but they also cover animal science topics as well. The USDA—Natural Resources Conservation Service-Barnesville Field Office and the Lamar County UGA Cooperative Extension Service have partnered with the District in order to present updated research findings and practical techniques for farmer and producers to utilize with their cattle herds. Technical advisors and coordinators for the series include USDA—NRCS District Conservationist Carmen Westerfield and Lamar/Upson Counties’ Extension Agent Hailey Robinson. Please contact Lamar County SWCD Program Coordinator Wesley Doyle for more information related to (or to register for) the Beef Cattle 101 Educational Series, which continues monthly—excluding December 2019—until June 2020.

The mission of the Lamar County Soil & Water Conservation District is to promote the wise use of our soil, water and related natural resources through education, public information, leadership, technical assistance and development of innovative programs.

2020 Poster Contest

GACD is thrilled to announce the upcoming 2020 Stewardship Theme for next year's poster contest: Where Would We BEE Without Pollinators? Pollinators form the foundations of a healthy and sustainable future for food and the environment, but in recent years, they have shown concerning signs of decline. It’s important that we work to help them prosper by enhancing native pollinator habitats and protecting against pollinator declines.

The annual NACD and NACD Auxiliary Poster Contest provides students from kindergarten through 12th grade the chance to have their art displayed as part of a national conservation outreach initiative and is promoted by GACD and Georgia's Conservation Districts. Each year, the winning posters reflect NACD’s annual Stewardship theme and highlight the work of conservation districts and their state conservation associations, auxiliaries and agencies to protect and enhance natural resources. The contest starts at the district level; winners advance to the state level, and then to the national level, where they receive recognition at NACD’s annual meeting.

Alapaha Conservation District to Offer Feral Swine Control Services

The Alapaha Conservation District is excited to announce their participation in Georgia Association of Conservation District(GACD)’s Feral Swine District Initiative. Landowners in Berrien, Clinch, Cook, Echols, Lanier and Lowndes Counties are invited to participate in the District’s feral swine control services.

Supervisors in picture Left to Right: Derry Bennett/Cook, Jake Ford/Berrien, Carlos Vickers/ Berrien, Owen Prince/ Echols, David Fields/ Lowndes, Bill Darsey/ Lanier, Marshall Locher/ Hog Control Custodian, Jake Atkison/ Hog Control Custodian

Several Conservation Districts in Georgia have partnered with GACD for funding to acquire feral swine control equipment. Conservation Districts then contract with local Hog Control Custodians who perform eradication services within the District.

Landowners and producers across the state report that GACD’s Feral Swine District Initiative has made a tremendous difference in reducing feral swine damage. Farmers who have been forced to make a decision not to plant peanuts, corn, or soybeans in some of their best soils due to feral swine damage are now considering planting these crops.

For more information about feral swine control within the Alapaha Conservation District visit www.gacd.us/feralswine or call Hog Control Custodian Marshall Locher at (229) 444-8616.