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Conservation INsight


News & Updates


January 8, 2025


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Countdown to Conference!

Registration is still open for the 82nd Conference of Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts at The Westin in downtown Indianapolis.


Monday, January 27 Highlights

  • Breakout Sessions
  • IDEA Silent Auction
  • Conservation Awards Dinner
  • Roundtables
  • Region Meetings
  • Resolutions Review
  • Welcome Reception


Tuesday, January 28 Highlights

  • Breakout Sessions
  • Legislator Statehouse Visits
  • IASWCD Business Meeting


Visit the registration site for all the details!

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District Delegate Registration due by January 18

SWCD Delegates must be registered to vote at the IASWCD Annual Business Meeting on January 28. One delegate and an alternate shall be selected by each District. Deadline to register is January 18.

Register

Sunday Session "Thinking Regionally about Our Water" with White River Alliance, 3 pm

Join presenters Jill Hoffmann and Bill Blomquist, White River Alliance, as they provide an update on the progress of regional water studies in Indiana, and how regional water planning can proceed from here. There will be opportunities for questions, feedback, and facilitated discussion.

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Delegate Notebooks Now Available!


The 2025 Delegate Notebook will be available to districts at the Statewide Conference (Jan 26-27). You can also view this document now online here.

IASWCD News

In the News

Endangered Species Act is changing weed control: What to know

by Tom Bechman, Midwest Crops Editor, Farm Progress


How important are the changes coming to herbicide labels related to the Endangered Species Act? Extension specialists at Michigan State University believe these changes are so critical that they led off the weekly MSU Extension crops newsletter by highlighting the upcoming change every week starting in late October.

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The Passing of a Conservation Friend, Edgar Corns


Edgar Corns dedicated 38 years to the Lake County SWCD, serving as both a Supervisor and an Associate Supervisor. He actively contributed to IASWCD by serving on various committees, including Legislative, District Operations, and Education and Outreach. Edgar was a steadfast advocate for conservation funding, lobbying at the Statehouse for "Clean Water Indiana" and even traveling to Washington, D.C., to champion conservation budgets at the federal level.

Mr. Corns passed away on January 3. You can read his obituary here.

CCSI News

Soil Health Newsletter

Latest Issue

USH News

Urban Soil Health Newsletter: The Dirt

Latest Issue

USH Feedback Survey



SWCDs - The Urban Soil Health program invites you to complete a five-minute anonymous feedback survey about the program.

Please take a few minutes (five minutes tops) to fill out our short feedback survey and share your thoughts, ideas, and genius insights. We welcome your feedback regardless of how much or how little interaction you have had with Urban Soil Health in the past.  


It’s easier than weeding carrots and faster than choosing the best cover crop mix. Plus, your feedback helps us be even more awesome in the coming year and beyond. Deadline Jan 10.

Survey

Annual Meeting is Just Around the Corner!

Have you heard the buzz? NACD wants you to join us at the 2025 Annual Meeting! Hosted in partnership with the Utah Association of Conservation Districts, this year's meeting will take place in Salt Lake City, UT, from February 8-12, 2025. Join us in the Beehive State to explore the theme "Bee the Change: Reaching New Summits in Conservation!" Register before January 17 to secure your spot.

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The NACD eResource

Latest Issue

National Conservation Planning Partnership Monthly Message

Latest Issue

Discount of Cover Crop Premium available for farmers in 50 Indiana counties

INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 2, 2025) - The Indiana State Department of Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy, Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliance and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency have joined forces to implement the Cover Crop Premium Discount Program for the fifth year in a row.


This program will reward farmers who plant cover crops by providing a reduced premium on their crop insurance. The discount program was designed to promote planting additional acres of cover crops that are not covered by other state or federal incentives. This program is eligible for 50 out of the 92 counties in Indiana.

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ISDA Newsletter: Agriculture Insider

Latest Issue

State Soil Conservation Board Meeting,

January 14



The State Soil Conservation Board will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, from 9 :30 a.m. to noon (Eastern) at the Indiana Soybean Alliance Building (8425 Keystone Crossing, Indianapolis, IN 46240).

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Lake and River Enhancement Grant Deadline January 15

The deadline for submitting grant applications for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) grant is January 15. 

 

The LARE program strives to protect and enhance aquatic habitat for fish and wildlife while ensuring continued accessibility of Indiana’s public lakes, rivers, and streams. The program provides technical and financial assistance to qualifying local projects that reduce nonpoint sediment and nutrient pollution.

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Division of Fish & Wildlife News Bulletin

Latest Issue

Nongame Wildlife Fund News

Latest Issue

Pollutant Load Modeling and Reduction Tools

Alyssa Henthorn, Tim Neher, and Zoey Benton in our Nonpoint Source and Total Maximum Daily Load programs have finished putting together some new and improved pollutant load modeling tools that they began working on during their time in the Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy. The tools are live on the IDEM website and can be found at either of the following web locations:


We would greatly appreciate feedback on these tools! Please, fill out the following survey if you try out either of the load modeling tools: Load Duration Curve and Load Reduction Modeling Tools.


USDA Announces Final $300 Million in Automatic Assistance for Distressed Farm Loan Borrowers

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the final approximately $300 million in assistance to distressed direct and guaranteed farm loan borrowers under Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act. Over the past two years, USDA acted swiftly to assist distressed borrowers in retaining their land and continuing their agricultural operations. Since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in August 2022, USDA has provided approximately $2.5 billion in assistance to more than 47,800 distressed borrowers.  

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USDA Provides More Than $8 Million in Second Round of Payments to Help Organic Dairy Producers Cover Increased Costs

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec 23, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing a second round of payments for dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP) 2024, providing an additional $8.7 million to help dairy producers mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already paid out $23 million in the first round of payments for eligible producers, bringing total ODMAP 2024 payments to more than $31 million.   

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Indiana FSA State News Bulletin

Latest Issue

Webinar: Boosting Climate-Smart Agriculture Implementation

January 8 at 3 pm (Eastern)

The term climate-smart agriculture was first coined in 2010, but has gotten more attention over the last several years. In this webinar we will feature 3 climate-smart agriculture projects that are working to expand climate-smart ag practice implementation across the North Central Region - The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Ag Program, the Climate-Ready Farm Assessment Tool, and the Satellite-Driven Data for Climate-Smart Ag Inventory.

Register

IWF's Annual Conference

Please join us at the Indiana Wildlife Federation's Annual Conference on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at the Wyndham Indianapolis West, 2544 Executive Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46241.

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Webinar: Writing High Impact Newspaper, Digital Articles, and Blog Posts for the General Public

January 13 at 1 pm (Eastern)

During this webinar, the speaker will share helpful tips, information, and best practices for writing various types of articles – both print and electronic – for the general public.

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Other News

Call for Presentations



The SWCS invites submissions for oral presentations, posters, symposia an workshop for the 80th SWCD International Annual Conference taking place in Costa Mesa, CA on Aug 3-6, 2025.

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Conservation Voices: Strategies for Professionals Shaping the Future


SWCS is launching a new webinar series in 2025, “Conservation Voices: Strategies for Professionals Shaping the Future.” This series is designed to equip those working in conservation with practical tools to tackle challenges in the field. Each session will take a problem-solving approach, exploring a pressing issue to deliver actionable insights for overcoming obstacles, achieving conservation goals, and advancing your work—all while staying connected to a supportive community!

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Pollinator Steward Certification (PSC)


The 2025 program will run from February to April, 2025.

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FY26 ISA and ICMC Request for Concept Solicitation

The Indiana Soybean Alliance, Inc. (ISA) and Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) are seeking Requests for Concepts for FY26 research and other projects fitting the Strategic Focus Areas approved by the Board of Directors. These focus areas include: Market Development, Sustainability, Value Creation, and Producer Engagement. After Board and staff review of the Requests for Concepts, email invitations for full proposals (or rejections) will be emailed no later than April 7, 2025 from the pool of submitted concepts. Inclusion on the strategic priority list does not imply that ISA/ICMC will fund all projects or areas; decisions will be based on affordability, impact, and alignment with ISA/ICMC Strategic Focus Areas.

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