TOWALIGA CONSERVATION DISTRICT
High Falls State Park, located in Monroe County, GA.
The Towaliga Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), founded in June 1944, has a rich history of innovation, education and community involvement. The District proudly serves Butts, Fayette, Monroe, Pike, Spalding and Upson Counties in central Georgia. With two supervisors serving each county, there are a total of 12 supervisors that comprise the Towaliga SWCD Board.
Simply put, conservation is an effort best achieved on the local level, in small steps and actions committed daily by caring citizens--this is why the Districts work so hard to serve, assist and advise the citizens of our conservation district. We strive to show our friends and neighbors the importance of preserving our local lands for future generations.
If you are interested in learning more about the Towaliga Conservation District or need technical assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
District Supervisors
Ricky Minter (Chair), represents Fayette County on the Towaliga SWCD Board of Supervisors and serves as the Towaliga SWCD Chair. He is a fifth-generation family farmer, and co-owner/operator of Inman Farms, located in Inman, Georgia. Mr. Minter works with Inman Farms and the Towaliga SWCD to host the annual “Heritage Farm Days” every September. This event has been hosted for nearly 20 years as of 2020.
Matthew Bottoms, is a representative and supervisor of Pike County on the western side of the Towaliga SWCD. Mr. Bottoms also serves on the Pike County and Georgia Farm Bureau Board. He is co-owner and operator of Bottoms Nursery in Concord, Georgia, and a very active citizen in the Pike County agricultural sector.
Douglas Cawthon, a Butts Co. District Supervisor, was raised in Butts County. He attended Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College. Douglas grew up raising hay and working with a cow-calf operation on his family farm. Later, he owned, operated and managed around three hundred acres of land which included a cattle production of around one-hundred breeding cows and seventy-eighty acres of hay along with some rental land. He joined the Towaliga Conservation District in 1989 and continues to be an active member. His appointment was from the sitting committee. During his twenty-nine years of service, he has served as chairman and vice chairman. He received the Towaliga Conservation District Recognition for protection of soil and water in the early 1980’s. Mr. Cawthon was a member of the Butts County Farm Bureau for many years serving on the local board, the young farmer board, serving as the chairman of the fifth district for several years.
Rodney Hilley of Molena, GA was recently elected to represent Pike County on the Towaliga Soil and Water Conservation District. Mr. Hilley is a 1976 graduate of Berry College with a BS in Animal Science. He is retired from the State of Georgia Department of Public Health where he served 34 years. He has operated a cattle business for the past 55 years. He is very involved in the local and state cattle industry and serves as President Elect of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association and has been a member of their Executive Committee, Bull Test Committee and Production and Marketing Committee, and also serves the Mid-Georgia Cattlemen’s Association as Secretary and previously held the position of President. In addition, he is the Vice- President for Pike County Farm Bureau and serves on Georgia Farm Bureau’s Beef Cattle Commodity Committee. He has held board member positions with USDA- Farm Service Agency, Pike County Board of Health, and Two Rivers RC&D Council. He will serve the Conservation District for a four-year term.
Tommy Presley, a Butts County District Supervisor, was born and raised in Butts County, Georgia. Mr. Presley is currently treasurer of the Towaliga Conservation District and has served the district for nearly 20 years. He has been committed to public service for years through his leadership, including 18 years of service as the Chairman and Vice chairman of the Butts County Board of Education and membership to Farm Bureau since 1965—some of those years including service on the Board of Directors. Presley is dedicated to dealing with issues concerning soil and water as rural areas continue to urbanize.
Kyle Penney, Upson County
Barry Peters, Monroe County
Howard Ayers, Spalding County
DISTRICT SERVICES
Feral Swine Control
No-Till Drill
District outreach video
A video demonstrating equipment for various conservation minded practices on the farm including a strip tiller and roller crimper.
Meeting Information
The district supervisors meet the first Wednesday of every calendar month, excluding July and December, at 11 a.m. in the USDA Barnesville Service Center.