Madison County
Soil and Water Conservation District
SUBHEAD. SUBHEAD. SUBHEAD. SUBHEAD.
February 2012
We are pleased to announce that
Mr. Dick Crum from WRTV Channel 6
Dr. Dirt
Headlines the
2012
SWCD Annual
Meeting
“Doctor Dirt” program will be our
entertainment speaker for this year’s
annual meeting. Delicious dinner will
be provided by the Moreland’s from
Tipton, Indiana. There will be a $2
charge at the door. Please call our
office at 765-644-4249 ext 3 and place
your reservation.
Fun Door Prizes!
March 8, 2012
6 p.m.
Madison County
4H Fairgrounds
Alexandria, Indiana
Dr. Dirt has been called the Ann Landers of
horticulture. He has been answering lawn and
gardening questions here in Indiana for more than 50
years. He was formerly employed by the Marion
County Purdue Extension Service where he conducted
the Master Gardener Program. His column in the
Indianapolis Star, “Ask Dr. Dirt” a perennial favorite,
continues as a showcase for desirable garden plants.
He is a regular guest on the noon news program on
WRTV6 as well as provides video clips for the stations
websitetheindychannel.com.
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it
from our children. ~Native American Proverb
Conservation Corner
By Chanda Hiatt
I was raised right here in rural
Madison County and the older I get the
more I realize just how good I had it
while I was growing up. Most everyone I
knew was wearing parachute pants,
white gloves and making a sad attempt
at the moonwalk. I spent my time
outside getting dirty and always talking
my dad into letting me drag another
critter home to live with me on my little
piece of heaven. My mother preferred a
clean home so I wasn’t allowed to just
run in and out of the house all day long.
I learned pretty young that if I wanted
a quick drink, I better grab the hose
and take a swig. Over the years, I
learned to love that water. When I went
to college I really missed it. Mom used to
put it in jugs for me to take back to
school. Thanks MOM!
As a child, whether I was mowing
the yard, bailing straw or walking my
4H lambs, nothing quenched the thirst
like that well water on a hot summer
day. No glass required.
Now that I have been employed
in the conservation industry, I have
learned that the well water I drank
growing up could have contained things
that might have harmed me. I have
learned the only way to find that out is
to have your well water tested on a
regular basis.
The Madison County Soil and Water
Conservation District is proud to
announce the WELL WATER
INITIATIVE. According to the IDNR
website there are 10, 732 wells in
Madison County. If your drinking
water comes from a well you are
responsible for your water’s safety.
The government does not regulate
or test private wells. Well water
should be tested annually for
bacteria and nitrates. The well
water initiative is a program that is
designed to help Madison County
residents do just that at a
reasonable price.
Why Test?
When you pour a glass of water, you
expect it to be pure and safe. However,
pure water rarely exists in nature.
Water absorbs minerals, organic
materials, and organisms as it moves
through the air and soil into surface and
ground water supplies. So, while most
water appears clean and problem-free at
the tap, it may not be safe for drinking or
acceptable for household activities.
Taste and odor are not always indicators
of water quality. Contaminated water
can taste and smell fine, while
unpleasant-tasting or smelling water can
be safe to drink or use.
If you are one of the 1.7 million private
well owners in Indiana, you should know
that you are responsible for monitoring
the quality of your water. Testing will
help confirm if a problem exists, or give
you peace of mind when there are no
problems with your water. If necessary,
appropriate treatment will be
recommended.
Source: Purdue Extension Publication, WQ-4
What’s in your well water ?
Tests
Total coliform/E.coli - Bacteria often found in water and soil that indicate fecal
pollution. Symptoms such as diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, urinary tract
infections, flu-like abdominal pain, etc. may be spread through fecal contaminated
water.
(Requires 100 mL sterile bottle)
Nitrate – Common sources of nitrate contamination include fertilizers, animal
waste, septic tank run-off, and sewage run-off. Levels of nitrates exceeding 10 mg/L
as nitrogen have been shown to cause methemoglobinemia in infants. This results
in oxygen deprivation, which may be harmful to the developing nervous system of
young children or could cause death by suffocation. Symptoms include chocolate
colored blood, headache, flushing of the skin, vomiting, dizziness, marked fall of
blood pressure, collapse, coma, and respiratory paralysis.
(Requires 100 mL sterile bottle)
How does the Well Water Initiative work?
If you are interested in getting your well water tested then you need a test kit! Now until May 1st
2012 test kits can be purchased for only $25. Oh wait, I almost forgot! In January the SWCD won $1000,
from Environmental Labs Inc. worth of free water testing and we want to pass that on to you!
We are offering the first 100 people test kits for only $15!
Each test kit will test for both total choliform and nitrates.
After the first 100 people take advantage of this offer the price is still only $25.
Once you purchase your test kit you will then be required to drop off your water samples to
our office on
Wednesday May 3rd from 8a-7p
Results are confidential and will be sent directly to you from Environmental Laboratories, Inc.
There are lots of ways to purchase a test kit. We will have them available at our office or they
will be available at our annual meeting, earth day and garden school. We accept cash or
check. If you have questions please call our office at 765-644-4249 ext 3.
Scholarship Money Available
Shadyside Memorial Park
The Madison County Agricultural
Education Committee is proud to announce
that they are now taking applications for two
$500 grants that will be given out in 2012.
This money can be used for tuition, books,
supplies and other school related expenses
including room and board at school operated
facilities. This money is designed to provide
financial assistance to a high school senior,
graduate, or a student of education beyond
high school. Permanent residence must be
located in Madison County and has declared
the intent to study agriculture or a related
subject. To get a copy of the application
please call John Orick at 765-641-9514 or
email him at [email protected].
Applications can also be picked up at the Soil
and Water Conservation office or the County
Extension office.
INDIANA GARDEN SCHOOL
Saturday March 24, 2012
9a-3:30p
On the Green by the ball fields
Saturday, April 28th, 2012
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Earth Day – ArborFest is an annual celebration of the
earth and all the trees around us. It is an opportunity
for all to gather and share ideas and fellowship.
2012 marks the 2nd Annual Earth Day Biathlon (and
5K Run/Walk) to help experience the environment
that we are trying to improve while also improving our
personal health.
Activities for the Day:
7:30 a.m. - Biathlon Registration begins
8:30 a.m. - Biathlon begins
9:30 a.m. - 5K Run/Walk begins
11:00 a.m. - Earth Day-ArborFest begins
11:10 a.m. - Arbor Day Proclamation
Anderson Tree City Award, IDNR
11:20 a.m. - Entertainment begins, Kid’s Tent Opens,
Exhibit Area Opens;
Silent Auction Opens
Volunteer Planting Begins
1:00 p.m. - Biathlon winners announced
2:45 p.m. - Silent Auction Closes
3:00 p.m. - Top Bidders Announced
3:00 p.m. - Event closes; Exhibit Area Closes
A variety of exhibitors will be available
offering some of the following activities:
Madison Park COG
Join us for expert speakers, workshops, lunch,
door prizes and vendors! This event is
sponsored by the Madison County Master
Gardeners. For detailed information call
Steve Doty at 317-485-5593 or go to
www.madisoncountymastergardener.org
 Tree Info – Proper selection, planting
demos, pruning demos
 Kids Corner – make your own crafts
 Enter to win special Door Prizes
 Bid on various Silent Auction Items
 Walk the 5k or compete in the Biathlon
 Many crafts for sale
 FOOD!!!!
 MUSIC!!!!
 Learn about several local
environmental groups
What can CRP do for you?
By Josh Jenkins
As a community where hard work, determination, and civic responsibility are values
recognized as a path to success, it is satisfying that a notable parallel exists in the pride
we share with our agricultural producers in Madison County. Likewise, that pride is
reflected in the relationship that your USDA Service Center and the Soil and Water
Conservation District has with the landowners, farmers, and citizens of this area. There can
be exacted no greater degree of stewardship with the land than that of those who own,
work, and enjoy the soil and water resources of our hometown.
In the economic climate of yesterday & today, there is a universal push for
increasingly more efficient production, especially in an area so intensively cultivated as
Madison County, Indiana. Rising commodity prices, a concurrent rise in input costs, and a
reinvigorated investment market for farmland have pushed maximizing the output of
every tillable acre into overdrive. It is inspiring that, given this heightened production
intensity, so many in our farming community continue to place conservation, sound
agricultural practices, and concern for soil, air, and water resources as priorities in their
trade.
Madison County remains a fertile example of one of the most highly specialized
cash crop regions of the country, the Midwest Corn Belt. Often overlooked in this region is
a resource concern with an important role in the championing of conservation: wildlife
habitat. A literal patchwork of small woodlots, fencerows, and river bottoms surrounded
by a sea of cleared productive farmland, Madison County is not an area that would be
considered by many to be a haven for flora and fauna.
The intrinsic value and various benefits of establishing and maintaining a wildlife
cover are prompting landowners to inquire about participating in the Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) and other programs available through their USDA Service Center.
When Lance Rosencrans of Alexandria came to
the FSA office to discuss his farm, he didn’t know what
to expect – what did we offer? How could the USDA
Service Center assist him? As a devoted outdoorsman,
hunter, and conservationist, the vision of his Madison
County property was to make it attractive to wildlife.
When he expressed interest in bird watching,
enhancing pollinator habitat for his beehives, and
taking his family hunting, I knew that there was a
program and a local conservation team that was
excited and ready to help him achieve his goals.
With a single 12 acre field that is relatively difficult to farm, Mr. Rosencrans has
decided to participate in the CRP “State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement” or SAFE
program. Through cooperation between FSA, NRCS, ISDA, SWCD, and IDNR, the
Rosencrans farm will be planted to native grasses/wildflowers and select hardwood
trees. Though the allocated acres of this SAFE program are specifically aimed at
providing habitat for Northern Bobwhite (grasses) and for the Indiana bat (trees), many
species will thrive in the developing cover. Utilizing a planting scheme custom designed
by the IDNR Wildlife Biologist, the farm layout will feature legume firebreaks and a tree
planting plan aimed at providing wildlife travel corridors and restoring forest
connectivity on the farm.
After establishment, the warm season grasses and wildflower plantings will be
managed for maximum wildlife benefits. Accordingly, Lance has expressed interest in
conducting prescribed burns at certain times during his contract to reinvigorate the
cover. Along with cost sharing the establishment of both practices, USDA will also assist
Lance with the cost of mid contract management on the native grasses, and for
second year weed control of the tree planting.
Lance Rosencrans is excited about his enrollment, and has allowed us to use his
enrollment, practice establishment, and story as an outreach tool to showcase the
conservation program options available to Madison County landowners. Follow along
with us as we document the transformation of this small tract into an amazing wildlife
utopia.
Many producers consider CRP acreage to be specifically “set aside” or a buffertype practice addressing a specific resource concern; it is not widely known that
programs exist to help landowners make their farm more attractive to wildlife species.
Come to your USDA Service Center if you’re interested in seeing what is available for
you through the Conservation Reserve Program – America’s Conservation Program.
We are here to help address your
wildlife and higher quality habitat objectives
– the Indiana Conservation Partnership!
In order to meet basic eligibility
requirements for CRP enrollment, you must
have owned or operated the land for 12
months prior to submitting an offer; further,
the land must be considered cropland and
have been cropped 4 out of 6 years
between 2002 and 2007.
Depending on the practice, CRP
program participants can receive incentive
payments, cost share assistance, and
annual rental payments. The producer
retains control of their land and there are
many permissive uses for the land under
contract.
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Leslie White is bringing
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backyard conservation
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Madison County.
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Our everyday actions have an impact on watershed health
and newsletter
water quality,
which affects everyone. There are a number of ways that you can make a difference
in the health of your watershed and water quality. The Backyard
Conservation
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the Hamilton,
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Hancock, Madison and Marion Counties’ Soil and Water Conservation Districts) will
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help you do just that by addressing common interests and concerns
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management practices that meet your particular urban and suburban
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This month, the Partnership welcomed Leslie White as the
here.Backyard
Conservation Coordinator. As a central Indiana native, she shares a passion for
environmental conservation in the Heartland. Leslie previously served in related roles
with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, IDEM, and most
recently has led a National Heritage Area designation effort in northeast Florida to
preserve and celebrate the Nation’s Oldest Port region’s unique maritime landscape
and heritage. In the future, she will be reaching out to residents and communities in
the four-county region with educational opportunities through workshops,
demonstrations sites and printed literature. Additional offerings will include technical
assistance through sites visits, individual conservation plans and implementation
projects.
Whether you would like to enhance your backyard or acres of neighborhood
common area, the Backyard Conservation Program can help you make simple
changes that can make a big difference in the quality of our environment. Contact
Leslie at 317-773-2181 or [email protected] to help you meet individual or
neighborhood objectives while improving the environmental quality of the Upper and
Lower Fall Creek Watersheds’ communities. Also visit the Soil and Water
Conservation Districts at http://www.hancockswcd.org/Fall-Creek-WatershedPartnership/ . The Backyard Conservation Program has been made possible by a
Clean Water Indiana Watershed grant from the Indiana Department of
Agriculture/Division of Soil Conservation.
Important announcement: Be looking for your 2012 FALL TREE SALE brochures in the next
few months! We are working hard to bring you the best sale ever!
Madison County Soil and Water Conservation
182 W 300 N
Anderson, IN 46012
Return Service Requested
www.madisonswcd.org
Find us on facebook
Dr. Dirt is coming to Madison
County
See all the details inside this issue of our newsletter! The Madison County Soil and
Water Conservation proudly welcome’s WRTV personality Dick Crum “Dr. Dirt” as
our main speaker for this year’s annual meeting!
Place your reservation today!
Standard Mail
U.S. Postage
Paid
Permit No 20
Anderson, IN