Indiana Ag Connection - 74th Soil and Water Conservation Districts Conference Jan. 23-24

Indiana Ag News Headlines

74th Soil and Water Conservation Districts Conference Jan. 23-24
Indiana Ag Connection - 01/20/2017

The Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts will be hosting the 2017 Annual Soil & Water Conservation Districts Conference on Jan. 23-24 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown focusing on "#VIP: Vision, Innovation and Partnerships." This conference will bring together over 450 members and leaders in the field of conservation to expand on their knowledge of the many ways to further partner and conserve Indiana's natural resources.

"Each year this conference welcomes many people from several different agencies, landowners, farmers, conservationists and district staff who desire to connect, collaborate and learn what each Indiana district is doing to further conservation in their counties. It gives the staff and supervisors of all 92 districts an opportunity to receive more training and knowledge to take back to their districts and to then use technically in the fields or to outreach and educate more in their communities," states Jamie Scott, Interim President of IASWCD board.

Jennifer Boyle Warner, executive director of the IASWCD, says, "This is a special year for our conference as the keynote speaker, Reverend Larry Rascoe, Sr., will open the conference on Monday morning sharing about his leadership in Evansville, Indiana and his vision to reach 'at risk' students. He uses agriculture as a learning tool and has empowered children at the Joshua Academy to envision a career path beyond their present circumstances. This year's conference will also feature over 20 speakers on a variety of breakout session subjects covering topics pertinent to outreach in districts, forestry training, pollinator projects, outdoor education, leadership, conservation needs on small farms and many other topics. We also look forward to our meet and greet time with our state legislators at the Legislative Breakfast on Tuesday morning."

Jane Hardisty, Indiana state conservationist, will emcee the closing of the conference at the Conservation Awards Luncheon on Tuesday. Bill and Mary Beth Comer, of Scott County, will be awarded the 2016 Indiana Conservation Farmer of the Year Award sponsored by Indiana Farm Bureau, Inc. Other awards given that day include Earth Team Volunteer, Friend of Conservation and the four winning Indiana Districts of the District Showcase Award sponsored by Indiana-NRCS, Brownfield Ag News and Indiana Prairie Farmer Magazine.

For more information on the conference, including the full brochure, and award winners, see the annual conference web page at: www.iaswcd.org

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