New Indiana State Conservationist Named

Indianapolis, IN, July 25, 2018 ‒ The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Indiana welcomes new state conservationist, Jerry Raynor. Jerry will oversee 80 local service centers, four area offices, and eight conservation delivery teams across the state and over 200 employees who work directly with farmers and landowners.

Read more ...

SWCD to Host Soil Health Meeting

The Daviess County SWCD will host an educational meeting focusing on improving soil health. Featured speaker will be John Kempf. See the flyer below for more information.

Indiana Farmers See Relief on DUNS and SAM Requirements

Indianapolis, May 25, 2018 – Thanks to a change in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, farmers in Indiana who apply for financial assistance programs through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will no longer need a Dun and Bradstreet Universal Number System (DUNS) number, or to register in the System for Award Management (SAM).

“This change streamlines the process for both farmers and staff because it greatly simplifies the contracting and payment process for current and new participants,” said Gerald Roach, Acting State Conservationist in Indiana. “Participants that are currently enrolled in any of our conservation programs will soon receive letters from NRCS with more details.”

DUNS/SAM registration is still required for:

• Federal agreements with partners under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (Agricultural Land Easements and Wetland Reserve Easements).
• Watershed operations agreements with project sponsors.
• Emergency Watershed Protection Program agreements with project sponsors, including recovery and floodplain easements.
• All cooperative, contribution, interagency, or partnership agreements used by NRCS to procure goods or services, including the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
• Other nonexempt landowners and producers.

Roach advises participants in NRCS programs to ignore any emails, phone calls or other communications from third-party vendors offering assistance for registering in SAMS or applying for a DUNS number.

To learn more about NRCS financial and technical assistance, go to www.nrcs.usda.gov.

Contacts:

Gerald Roach, Acting State Conservationist, 317-295-5801 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Adam Heichelbech, Acting Assistant State Conservationist, Programs, 317-295-5857 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Becky Fletcher, State Public Affairs Specialist, 317-295-5825 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

What's Blooming in the Rain Garden?

 The plants in the Eastside Park rain garden are thriving! In May, City of Washington employees prepared the top part of the garden for planting, and re-set the repaired educational sign. Employees from the city of Washington Stormwater Dept. and the SWCD worked through light rain and steamy heat to give the rain garden a fresh layer of mulch, and plant a variety of new native plants to fill in some blank areas.The rain garden is alive with color - plants currently blooming (as of June 28) include: Bergamot (Bee Balm), Culver's Root, Black-Eyed Susan, Marsh Milkweed, and Sage.