ConservationCloseUp
Hancock Soil & Water Conservation
Spring 2017
Supervisors Recognized
The Hancock County Agriculture Hall of Fame recently
inducted four new members into
the Hall of Fame. One of those
was the current Hancock SWCD
Board Chairman, Dave Reese,
and one was a past supervisor,
John Motter!
Dave Reese taught agriculture
business at Liberty-Benton High
School for over 35 years. Dave
is the founder of Kaleidoscope
Christmas Tree Farm and has
served on the Ohio Christmas
Tree Growers Association.
Dave has served on the Hancock
board of supervisors since 2006.
John Motter served
on the Hancock
SWCD board from
1996 to 2008. John
has been involved
with the Hancock County Fair
for over 55 years, he served as
chairman of the US Soybean
Board and chairman of the Ohio
State Soybean Council.
Recognized posthumously was
Donald Flanagan, longtime grain
and livestock farmer whose son,
Kevin Flanagan, served on the
Hancock SWCD board from
2000 to 2006.
Also recognized posthumously
was Mervin Alexander Sr. a top
cattle producer for many years in
Hancock County.
The Hancock SWCD is honored
to know that such hard-working
and deserving individuals
choose to volunteer to serve on
its board of supervisors.
These individuals constantly
work to educate and improve
farming in Hancock County and
to conserve the soil & water for
future generations.
Please take time to thank
them and their families for their
hard work and sacrifices. Congratulations to each of these
amazing farmers.
land and soil for future generations.
National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)
oversees the program. Stewardship Week is one of the largest
national annual programs to promote conservation. NACD represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts.
Help us celebrate Soil Stewardship Week APRIL 30 to
May 7, 2017! Contact Hancock
Soil & Water Conservation District for more Information at
419-422-6569 or visit the
NACD website at
www.nacdnet.org/.
2017 Stewardship Week
“Healthy Soils Are Full of
Life” is the theme for the 62ndNACD Stewardship Week, April
30-May 7, 2017.
The next time you sit down to
a meal, take time to think about
where your food really came
from and the farmers and ranchers who helped produce it! Farmers and ranchers are dedicated to
using responsible land management practices to ensure a sustainable food supply and healthy
Ohio Forestry & Wildlife Ohio Conservation
Conservation Camp
Farm Family Awards
The Ohio Forestry & Wildlife
Conservation Camp is held at FFA
Camp Muskingum in the rolling
hills of Carroll County. The camp is
June 11-16, 2017 with a camp fee
of $375.
Since the camp began in 1950,
about ten thousand high school students from all over Ohio have
attended the camp. Campers learn
through programs such as dendrology, forest ecology, silviculture, forest products, wildlife management,
and watershed health.
Each camper will learn to ID
trees and wildlife, learn about insects, timber harvesting and forest
ecology. Campers will conduct
stream sampling, hike through the
woods, monitor for wildlife and
much more! Free time activities include fishing, swimming, canoeing,
kayaking, volleyball and more!
Camp is open to students who
are at least fifteen years of age and
who have completed the eighth
grade. Forestry Camp is tobacco
free and all tobacco products are
strictly prohibited.
Deadline to apply for camp is
June 9, 2017. For more information
contact: Ohio Forestry Association
Foundation at 888-38-TREES or email: [email protected]. or you
may visit the website at:
www.ohioforest.org.
The Ohio Farm Family Awards
program recognizes farmers who
are doing an outstanding job of protecting and conserving soil, water
and related natural resources on the
land they farm. The program is cosponsored by Ohio Farmer Magazine and the Ohio Farm Bureau
Federation and coordinated by the
Ohio Department of Agriculture,
Division of Soil and Water Conservation.
This program emphasizes the
application of technically sound,
innovative and cost-effective conservation practices and encourages
the sharing of this information with
other farmers and the general public. For questions about the application contact, Division of Soil and
Water Conservation at 614-2656682 or [email protected].
Five area finalists are selected
from around Ohio. All five finalists
will be recognized as winners of the
Ohio Conservation Farm Family
Award at a ceremony during the
Farm Science Review in September
and will be featured in the September issue of Ohio Farmer magazine.
The winners will also receive a
$400 check courtesy of the Ohio
Farm Bureau Federation.
Entry Deadline is May 17, 2017.
Nominations are to be sent to: Conservation Farm Family Award, C/O
Ohio Department of Agriculture,
8995 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg,
OH 43608 or by email to:
[email protected]. You may
contact the Hancock SWCD for an
entry form or more information at
419-422-6569.
Grant Funds Available
Grant funds are available for the
Sediment and Phosphorus
Reduction in Brights Ditch Watershed.
The practices available for
cost-share are:
First & Third Year
1) Precision Nutrient Management
Plan - 3-year commitment includes: Grid Soil Testing-$10
per acre, Précised Fertilizer application-$20 per acre, Conservation No-till-$15 per acre and
Cover Crops-$30 per acre
Second Year
1) Précised Fertilizer application$20 per acre., Conservation NoTill-$15 per acre, Cover Crops$30 per acre.
Cost share is also available for:
1) Water Control Structures-No
Main - $1,500 Flat Rate with
$500 per unit
2) Water Control Structure - with
main - $4,000 Flat Rate with
$1,000 per unit.
The purpose of this grant is to
reduce sediment and phosphorus
loading and runoff volume from the
Bright's Ditch watershed from
reaching the Blanchard River and
ultimately Lake Erie.
If you have questions, contact
the Hancock SWCD at 419-4226569, the Wyandot SWCD at 419294-2312 or Phil Martin, BRWP, at
419-422-6487.
Bluegill are deep slab-sided fish with a small mouth and a long pectoral fin. Colors vary, but the ear flap is always black and bluegills often have a black blotch near the back of the soft dorsal fin. Bluegill are nest spawners and typically build nests in large groups, or beds, sometime between May and August. Peak spawning, in
Ohio, usually occurs in June.
The largemouth bass is a popular sport fish. It is native to Ohio and can be found in every county in the state.
Largemouth bass are moderately compressed with a deep body. The back of the mouth, when closed, extends
past the eye. This characteristic distinguishes it from the smallmouth bass where the back of the mouth does not
extend past the eye. The largemouth also has a black band that extends down the side of the body. They prefer
ponds, lakes and slow, sluggish streams. Large mouth bass usually spawn between mid-April and mid-June..
The yellow perch is native to Ohio and is found in lakes, impoundments, ponds, and slow moving rivers. Sides
are golden yellow to brassy green with six to eight dark vertical saddles with a white to yellow belly. Yellow
perch have many small teeth, but no large canines. It prefers clear water with moderate vegetation and lots of
sand or gravel bottoms. Yellow perch spawn from mid-April to early May by depositing their eggs over vegetation or the water bottom, with no care given.
The channel catfish is a popular sport and food fish. It is active during the night, moving around and finding
food after dusk. During the day it will most likely be found in deep water with little activity. The channel catfish has a slender body with a deeply forked tail. The upper jaw is longer than the lower jaw and there are barbels around the mouth. The dorsal and pectoral spines are sharp and deeply serrated, and the anal fin is curved
and has between 24 and 30 rays. The body is bluish silver on the sides and generally has dark spots. Channel catfish are native to Ohio and
can be found in most large streams, lakes, and many farm ponds. Channel catfish prefer areas with deep water, clean gravel boulder substrates and low to moderate current. However, they are tolerant of a wide range of conditions
The fathead minnow is commonly sold as bait for fishing. Fathead minnows have short bodies with a triangular
shaped head. Coloration ranges from olive to olive-yellow on the back tinged with copper or purple in larger
fish. Historically the fathead minnow widely populated only in the western part of Ohio. They prefer muddy
brooks and creeks, as well as ponds and small lakes. However, fatheads can tolerate a wide range of water conditions. Fathead minnows spawn in the spring and may continue into August.
The grass carp is not native to Ohio, but was introduced from China as a biological way to control aquatic vegetation. The grass carp is a
long slender member of the minnow family. Grass carp differ from the common carp with the lack of a suckerlike mouth, and the absence of barbels on the mouth. Furthermore, grass carp are usually silvery-white, rather
than the brownish-yellow of the common carp. Grass carp spawn in flowing water and do not reproduce in
lakes and ponds. The grass carp grows very rapidly, and young fish stocked in the spring at 8 inches will reach
over 18 inches by fall, and adults often attain nearly 4 feet in length and over 70-90 pounds in weight. They grow 10 pounds a year at
least. They eat up to 3 times their own body weight daily.
Redear sunfish are a deep, slab-sided fish similar to the bluegill sunfish, except the ear flap (opercle) is black
with a red or orange spot at the rear edge. Redear sunfish do not have distinct vertical bars like bluegill sunfish, when they are present they are broken and blotchy. Redear Sunfish also lack the black blotches at the rear
base of the dorsal and anal fins that bluegill sunfish have. Redear sunfish prefer clear waters with more rooted aquatic vegetation than that
of the bluegill sunfish. Spawning normally occurs in May or June.
The Hybrid Bluegill is a cross between a Male Bluegill and a Female Green Sunfish. As a result of the cross
the Hybrid Bluegill is 80-90% male, giving it a reduced reproductive potential and making it an ideal choice
for those ponds prone to Bluegill stunting. This slows down fast reproduction by keeping the female population to a minimum. Do to their hybrid nature, they can also be slightly larger and have a bit more coloration than regular bluegill.
Japanese Koi are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp. Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation Koi are an omnivorous fish, and will eat a wide variety of foods, including peas,
lettuce, and watermelon. Naturally koi are bottom feeders with a mouth configuration that is adapted for that.
Some koi will have a tendency to eat mostly from the bottom and will eat duckweed.
**Information by Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. Visit www.ohiodnr.com for more information.