The Campbell County Conservation District highlighted its community efforts, including how it helps landowners and supports education and conservation.
Campbell County Conservation District members presented to the Campbell County Fiscal Court on May 1 during soil and water stewardship week. The District has promoted the sustainability of natural resources in the county since 1945.
The conservation district works with landowners and other organizations in Campbell County to promote the sustainability of land, water and other natural resources by encouraging best practices. Campbell County has nearly 500 farms, but according to the district, 84 of them have gone out of production in the last six years due to people who stopped farming and land being sold for development.
Kirt Hill, with the conservation district, highlighted some of the new programs and services offered. Hill said they have begun 100% funding for the dead animal removal program for farmers in the county.
“It is a bad spot where an income-producing animal that is very large dies, and they are no longer able to support the farm,” Hill said.
The district also started a tree swap program. The conservation district will fund two new native trees in exchange for a landowner removing invasive bushes or trees.
“I know the tree swap program you mentioned highlighted as a new program,” Campbell County Commissioner Geoff Besecker said. “How has that gone? I know it’s been two years now, and we’re probably in the season of, and I know Guidugli Landscape (in Alexandria) is partnering with you all, or you’ve partnered with them as the supplier of the trees.”
The trees range from $200-$250 each and are seven-to-10-gallon trees.
“We’ve had great responses,” Campbell County Conservation District Manager Patti Dischar said. “We’ve got some returning users. We have a couple of residents that have in the back of their driveway put numerous trees, and now they’re trying to remove those and replace them with the non-invasives.”
They updated the County Agricultural Investment Program to run annually instead of every two years.
“This is a change that’s more work for us, but we feel like it’s better for our professional farmers because when they have a need for their farm, they can put it in motion rather than waiting for a slower every two-year cycle,” Hill said.
The district also has new education efforts through its Adult Continuing Education Scholarship and Teacher Education Scholarship.
“Staying up to date and learning what the new best practice is, what current research does often cost money to go to these classes and attend webinars,” Hill said. “We are now supporting that. We also want to help teachers of our students, Campbell County’s children. We have a small program that helps teachers who are using their own money to introduce concepts to natural resource conservation.”
Over the last two years, the conservation district introduced its spring and fall landowner expos, open to all citizens and landowners who want to take good care of their land.
The spring expo on May 4 has family-friendly activities, including a petting zoo, tractor races, learning to be a farmer for the day and general education. In the fall, they have an open house event where they gather organizations and resources to support the county’s landowners in one room so they can do a one-stop shop and learn about the different programs.
The district also rents out its farm equipment. It has a lime spreader, and, most recently, a no-till Kasco seeder was added.
The Campbell County Fiscal Court read a proclamation that deemed April 28 through May 5 soil and water stewardship week supported by the conservation district.
“Stewardship calls upon every individual to help conserve these precious resources to ensure their prosperity for generations to come,” the proclamation read.
