News

FFA Section 3 Soil Judging Contest

FFA Section 3 held their Soil Judging Contest once again this year to help better educate our youth.  It was a beautiful day with over 140 students from 11 different schools to participate in a fun and interactive education experience.  Thanks again to everyone that helped to make the day a success.  A special thanks to Kewanee High School who hosted this year. 

Check out the rest of the PICTURES taken from the contest.

The school and individual rankings are listed below:

School teams:

  1. Sherrard
  2. Galva
  3. Alwood
  4. Bureau Valley
  5. Stark County
  6. Geneseo
  7. Orion
  8. Kewanee
  9. Cambridge
  10. Princeton
  11. Annawan 

Top 10 Individuals:

  1. Seth Strom  (Galva)
  2. Pedro Avila  (Sherrard)
  3. Dustin Jacobson  (Galva)
  4. Tyson Schulte  (Sherrard)
  5. Nolan Elsasser  (Stark County)
  6. Wyatt Flickinger  (Sherrard)
  7. Courtney Wilkens  (Sherrard)
  8. Devon Peterson  (Galva)
  9. Morgan Swarts  (Sherrard)
  10. Samantha Haney  (Bureau Valley)

  

Conservation Compliance and Highly Erodible Land 

In regards to Conservation Compliance and Highly Erodible Land requirements, please read the following news release... Change$ to Good Faith Provi$ion for HEL violation$.

 

 

Backyard Conservation Workshop

The Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District will be conducting a Backyard Conservation Workshop on Tuesday, November 30th starting at 6:00 p.m. The workshop will be held in the upstairs auditorium of the Henry County Farm Bureau. A session on Rain Gardens will be presented by Vicki Morrical of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and a session on Native Plants will  be given by Jeff Johnson from Sunnyfield Greenhouse and Nursery. Urban or rural, this workshop is for you. Start planning ahead for your backyard next spring!

Learning materials and refreshments will be provided at the workshop. For further details about the Backyard Conservation Workshop, call the office at 309-937-5263, extension 3. For planning purposes, please make reservations to Monica Stevens at the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District.

 

Snodgrass Recieves 20 Year Director Service Award

Jerry Snodgrass of rural Geneseo recieved a 20 Year Director Service Award at the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts Annual Meeting Springfield, July 26 through 28. Snodgrass is currently serving as Chairman of the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Area 1 Vice President on the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts Board of Directors.

Congratulations to Jerry Snodgrass!

 

Johnson and Brink Win Henry County Door Prizes

Each year during the Henry County Fair, the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District conducts a drawing for a door prize. This year, those attending the fair could sign up to win a rain barrel that was on display at the Henry County SWCD fair booth. Activities for the children coincided with the Soil and Water Stewardship theme, "Conservation Habits = Healthy Habitats". Children had the opportunity to go "fishing" for fish facts, eat "worms", learn facts about frogs and toads, and sign up to win a fishing tackle box. 

Congratulations to Carol Johnson of Kewanee and Logan Brink of Cambridge! Carol won the drawing for the rain barrel from the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District. Logan won the drawing for the fishing tackle box.  

   

Bob Rishel Memorial Prairie Walk

The Henry County Natural Area Guardians will hold the Bob Rishel Memorial Prairie Walk on Sunday, June 27th at 1:30 p.m. The tour will be held two miles north of Cambridge at the intersection of 1300 North and 1300 East at the Munson Township Cemetery. Tim Keller will be conducting the prairie walk tour. Refreshments will be served.

For more information about the Bob Rishel Memorial Prairie Walk, please call the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District at 309.937.5263, extension 3.

  

IDOA Schedules Clean Sweep Collection in Northwest Illinois

Program will safely dispose of unwanted agricultural pesticides

Springfield, Illinois - Residents of eight northwestern Illinois counties can dispose of unwanted agrichemicals for free this year through the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Pesticide Clean Sweep Program.

A Clean Sweep collection has been scheduled in late summer for Carroll, Henry, Jo Daviess, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island, Stephenson, and Whiteside counties. The collection, which rotates among Illinois counties, is open to farmers, retired farmers, nursery owners, private pesticide applicators and landowners who inherited unwanted agricultural pesticides with their property.

"There are two, big reasons to take advantage of this program." Warren Goetsch, Bureau Chief of Environmental Programs, said. "First, it is free. If individuals were to properly dispose of agrichemicals on their own, the cost would be expensive. But the department is able to provide the service free of charge thanks to a grant it obatined from the U.S. EPA. Second, the state of Illinois, not the program participant, will assume liability for the proper disposal of all materials collected."

Participants must register the products they plan to dispose of by June 25. Registration is required to give the waste disposal contractor time to prepare for the different kinds if materials that will need to be handled. Forms can be obtained either by calling the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Hotline at 1.800.641.3934 or visiting one of the program sponsors listed beloew.

Completed forms should be mailed or faxed to the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The mailing address is: Clean Sweep Program, Illinois Department of Agriculture, State Fairgrounds, P.O. Box 19281, Springfield, Illinois, 62794-9281. The fax number is 217.524.4882.

Participants then will be sent a reservation card indicating the date, time and location of their collection.

Henry County Farm Bureau        
114 North East Street                
Cambridge, Illinois 61238

Henry County SWCD
301 East North Street
Cambridge, Illinois 61238 

Henry County Extension Unit
26234 Black Hawk Road
Galva, Illinois 61434

Download and print the IDOA Clean Sweep Program registration form
  

Council 2 Envirothon

The Envirothon is a hands-on and interactive learning experience for high school students. Students gain knowledge of the environment and natural resources. Teams compete in five areas: aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a fifth category on an environmental issue. Teams test their knowledge of the environment and compete against other high school teams from Bureau, Marshall-Putnam, Mercer, Rock Island, and Stark counties. Thirty-nine teams from seven counties competed at the Envirothon.

Ten teams from Henry County competed at the Envirothon on April 13th at the Black Hawk Historical Site in Rock Island. The top team from Henry County for 2010 was Galva High School.  Team members included:  Dustin Jacobson, Matt Johnsonn, Karlee Rylander, Seth Strom and Ryan Werkheiser. The Galva High School FFA Advisor is Trisha Main.

Congratulations to Galva High School!

   

Henry County SWCD Sponosored 20th Annual Poster Contest

Every year, the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District sponsors a poster contest for kindergarten through twelfth grade students. 2010 celebrates the 20th year the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District has proudly sponsored this annual event. Students are encouraged to express their thoughts about soil, water, and other natural resources topics through art. The poster contest theme coincides with the annual Soil and Water Stewardship theme. 'Conservation Habits = Healthy Habitats' is the theme for 2010. With this exciting and adventurous theme, students had the opportunity to learn about the importance of soil, stewardship of the land, conservation of natural resources, and plant and animal habitats.

Winners of the kindergarten through sixth grade levels receive a bicycle. Contest winners of the seventh through twelfth grade levels receive a $100 U.S. Savings Bond. Prizes are donate by the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District. Poster contest winners advance to compete at the state level.
    2010 Henry County SWCD Poster Contest grade level winners are:
    Second-Third Grade - Emily Henson, Northside Elementary
    Fourth-Sixth Grade - Luke Poteat, Northside Elementary
    Seventh-Ninth Grade - Thomas VanIseghem, Orion Middle School
    Tenth-Twelfth Grade - Karlee Rylander, Galva High School

    Honorable Mentions:
    Kristen Litton, AlWood Middle School
    Emily Hansard, Galva High School

Congratulations to the 2010 Henry County Poster Contest Winners! There were many creative and imaginative posters designed by the students. Thank you to all of the studetns that participated!

  

Rasmussen wins Henry County SWCD door prize

Each year during the Henry County Fair, the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District conducts a drawing for a door prize. This year, those attending the fair could sign up to win a rain barrel that was on display at the Henry County SWCD fair booth. Soil activites for children coincided with the Soil and Water Stewardship theme, "Dig It! The Secrets of Soil." Children had the opportunity to make edible soil profiles and paint with soil.

A rain barrel is a system of collecting and storing water from roofs of homes, sheds, and barns. They play a vital role in water conservation. Rain barrels prevent water from attaching to soil or pollutants and being carried away and washed into storm drains. Reducing stormwater runoff reduces the amount of pesticides and fertilizer that impacts our water supply. For more information regarding rain barrels, call the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Congratulations to Karen Rasmussen! She won the drawing for the rain barrel from the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District.

 Karen Rasmussen is shown with her rain barrel

Articles

Dairy Farmers: Save Money & Natural Resources

2011-10-26 11:25

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy is helping dairy farmers save money and conserve many of our natural resources.  Dave White, Chief of NRCS, stated that, “By helping farmers conserve energy, we’re helping to reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint; helping to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels; and saving farmers money – improving their bottom lines”.

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has launched of a new web resource that will help dairy farmers find and implement proven energy conservation techniques. You can visit the website at: www.usdairy.com/saveenergy

Conservation Notes: More Than You Can Imagine

2011-03-17 13:38

'Forests for People - More Than You Can Imagine' is the Soil and Water Stewardship theme for 2011. Take this opportunity to learn about forests, tree identification, tree structure, management, conservation, and wildlife habitat. Forests cover 30% of the land area on Earth. Forests grow in many different parts of the world. With 302 millions hectares, the United States ranks 4th in the world for the amount of forest land area. Forests are not just trees. A forest is a diverse ecosystem. Forests provide habitat for a large amount of living organisms including shrubs, ferns, mosses, bacteria, fungi, mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians. A healthy ecosystem, like a forest, is represented by its biodiversity.

Why are trees important?
    Remove and sequester carbon dioxide from the air
    Produce oxygen
    Provide shelter and food for wildlife
    Reduce heating and cooling costs  by 20-50%
    Provide shade from the sun
    Increase home value by 15-20%
    Create a visually eye appealing environment
    Improve water and air quality
    Keep soil  in place and prevent soil erosion
    Create a windbreak for livestock, fields and homes
    Produce nuts, fruits and syrups
    Provide thousands of products used every day

Arbor Day is April 29, 2011. In observance, plant a tree. Let's GROW an appreciation for trees!! In the words of Frank Lloyd Wright, 'The best friend on Earth of man is the tree. When we use trees respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources on Earth.'

- Monica Stevens, Resource Conservationist

Conservation Notes: Promote Water Conservation

2011-02-14 10:37

Water is essential to life. Promote water conservation through the use of rain barrels.

What is a rain barrel? A rain barrel is a system of collecting and storing water from the roofs of homes, barns and sheds. Rain barrels prevent water from attaching to soil or pollutants and being carried away and washed into storm drains. Reducing stormwater runoff reduces the amount of pesticides and fertilizer that impacts our water supply. Rain barrels protect and conserve an important natural resource, water. Depending on the amount of rainfall and size of roof, a large amount of water can be collected and stored. For every inch of rainfall on a 1000 square foot area, equals an accumulation of 600 gallons of water with the use of a rain barrel. Imagine how much water can be conserved! Collecting rainwater saves water for a future use. Rain barrels store and provide pure, natural water that is perfect for watering landscaping, gardens and washing cars and windows. For those living in town, the use of a rain barrel would have a great affect on the water bill.

The rain barrels are 100% recycled, as they are constructed from used food grade barrels. The barrels are cleaned and rinsed with rainwater, and then fittings and screens are added. Shapes of barrels may vary depending on the availability at the time. Rain barrels are black, blue, brown, grey or terra cotta in color. Rain barrels are available in 30, 50, 55 and 60 gallons. Depending on the size, barrels are $55, $60, or $65 each. Each rain barrel contains a perforated top with mesh screen, top overflow, plastic spigot, and a bottom drain. A 4' black linking hose may be purchased for $12. Linking hoses connect rain barrels together for additional water storage capabilities. Two sizes of flex elbows are offered. A 2"x3" flex elbow is $8, and a 3"x4" flex elbow is $12. Flex elbows direct water from the downspout into the rain barrel.

Information about rain barrels and a printable order form are available on the website at www.henrycountyilswcd.com. Order forms are also available at the Henry County SWCD office at 301 East North Street, in Cambridge. For more information regarding rain barrels, please call the office at 309.937.5263, extension 3 or e-mail Monica.Stevens@il.nacdnet.net. Stop in and check out the rain barrel on display for viewing at the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District!

- Monica Stevens, Resource Conservationist