Scott Donnellan, President Downtown Kiwanis, Johnny Head, Chairman MCSWCD, Carolyn Riggins, Hilldale Kiwanis receive Proclamation by Mayor Golden.

The Montgomery Co. Soil & Water Conservation District together with the Downtown Kiwanis and Hilldale Kiwanis Clubs of Clarksville, hosted their 67^th Annual Conservation Awards & Farm-City Banquet on November 14^th .  Each year the District, Downtown Kiwanis, Hilldale Kiwanis, Montgomery Co. Farm Bureau, Montgomery Co. Conservation Club, and the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce recognize those who have shown exceptional efforts in conservation and agriculture, conservation education, and agricultural educational contests for students in Montgomery County.

Montgomery County Conservation District Chairman, Johnny Head and Kiwanis Club Agriculture Committee Chair, Chris Lanier, opened the program welcoming a full crowd for the first time 2 years.

Boge Quinn and Tay Joslin

County Mayor Wes Golden issued a Proclamation for Nov. 14-21^st , as Conservation & Farm City Week.  The proclamation honors “those that have made outstanding contributions to conservation and agriculture in our community.” A special guest appearance and comments were made by John Womack, USDA-NRCS Acting State Conservationist. Entertainment was provided by Tay Joslin and Boge Quinn before the meal catered by Lisa Morrison Catering.

The 2022 Award Recipients in the following categories are:

MASTER CONSERVATIONIST AWARD

Doyle Moore, Jr and family

John Peck, F&M Bank presenting to Doyle Moore, Jr.

CONSERVATION PROGRESS AWARD

Steve Kemmer, Legends Bank presenting to Mark Luttrull

OUTSTANDING FARM FAMILY

Mike Rainey, Chamber of Commerce presenting to John R. Mimms (Juanita Mimms Family)

CONSERVATION EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

Carolyn Riggins, President, Hilldale Kiwanis Club presenting to Tommy Badon

1st PLACE FFA LAND JUDGING AWARD

MONTGOMERY CENTRAL HIGH FFA presented by Johnny Head, Chairman, Montgomery Farm Bureau

2nd PLACE FFA LAND JUDGING AWARD

CLARKSVILLE HIGH FFA presented by Cody Greene, Nutrien

HIGHEST SCORER LAND JUDGING

Johnny Head presenting to PAUL HERNDON

1st PLACE WILDLIFE PLOT CONTEST

Scott Donnellan, President, Downtown Kiwanis presenting to LISA WHITE, MONTGOMERY 4-H

NO-TILL AWARD

TIMOTHY HEAD, No-till tobacco award

LESTER SOLOMON CONSERVATION AWARD

MELISSA, JACE & TOMMY ROGERS sponsored by the Montgomery County Conservation Club

We are grateful to those that have continually supported this banquet, so that we may encourage and honor the efforts of our 4-H and FFA students and farmers in Montgomery County! Without you, this would not be possible!

Paul McKinney, Treasurer, MCSWCD – Will Sanders, Planters Bank – Steve Kemmer, Legends Bank – John Peck, F&M Bank – Daniel McCaslin, Cumberland Bank & Trust – Michael Lankford, Farm Credit – Chris Lanier, Kiwanis Ag Committee Chair presenting

For additional pictures please visit us on facebook @MCSCD.

The programs and services of the Conservation District are offered and are available on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national, origin, age, sex religion, marital status, or handicap.

Please visit the new NRCS Tennessee website here for more information about soil health, no till, and other conservation concerns.  For conservation practices that address soil health and water quality, please contact our office, 931-368-0252 x 3.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

Applicants who would like to implement conservation ‘smart’ practices on their farmland in Montgomery County have until Friday, November 18, 2022 to submit an application for funding.  The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is funded by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.  Applications received in our office by the deadline above will be considered for funding in 2023.  As Sheldon Hightower, Tennessee NRCS State Conservationist noted, “EQIP places a priority on water quality, water conservation, and promotes soil health practices, by offering financial and technical assistance to address these resource concerns on eligible agricultural land.”

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EQIP is an incentives-based program that provides technical and financial assistance for conservation systems such as animal waste management facilities, irrigation system efficiency improvements, fencing, and water supply development for improved grazing management, riparian protection, wildlife habitat enhancement, and cover crops for soil resource protection.

For more details on applying for this program, contact our office at 931-368-0252 x 3 or visit the office of the Montgomery County Soil & Water Conservation District, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Applications can also be found HERE.  RETURN ALL FORMS TO:  nancyl.holt@usda.gov

NASHVILLE, September 22, 2022 – Beginning this September, USDA has encouraged producers to practice SMART Nutrient Management Planning to save money on fertilizer costs – which have increased significantly in the past year – with the added benefit of healthier soils, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and cleaner water.

Producers could save an average of nearly $30 per acre on fertilizer costs if they implemented a nutrient management plan. A recent USDA report estimates that 28 percent of U.S. cropland (89 million acres) is currently receiving too many nutrients. This means these nutrients are lost to the environment, much of it ending up in the water supply; and it also means lost money for producers.

Nutrient management not only improves water quality, but also is an important part of climate-smart agriculture. Excess nutrients on the land can lead to nitrogen losses to the atmosphere. Nutrient management maximizes crop-nitrogen uptake and has a compelling and cost-effective role to play in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. The Inflation Reduction Act will deliver $19.5 billion in new conservation funding to support climate-smart agriculture, including for NRCS to improve opportunities for nutrient management.

USDA recently announced it is targeting funding, increasing program flexibilities, launching a new outreach campaign to promote nutrient management’s economic benefits, and expanding partnerships to develop nutrient management plans. In addition, USDA is increasing its technical assistance for nutrient management practices, including precision agriculture, helping farmers more efficiently use fertilizer and reduce costs. This includes streamlining the application process for certain NRCS conservation programs.

For more information on what USDA and NRCS are doing to help farmers address inflation and global food insecurity, see farmers.gov/global-food-insecurity.

SMART Nutrient Management Planning includes the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship – the right Source, right Method, right Rate and right Timing – and emphasizes smart activities to reduce nutrient loss by Assessment of comprehensive, site-specific conditions.

Each acre of land is unique and requires a tailored nutrient management plan to address the site-specific factors like local soil and climate conditions, the types of crops planted, and what conservation practices have been implemented, such as conservation tillage, no-till, or cover crops. Nutrient needs vary widely depending on these factors.

In addition, testing soil can help paint a clearer picture of what is currently happening on the land and better inform the path to healthier, more sustainable nutrient management. Soil may not need as much fertilizer as producers think, especially if practices such as conservation tillage, no-till, or cover crops are implemented. That’s because these practices naturally increase soil organic matter and soil biological processes. Testing can determine whether and how much fertilizer is needed.

And, for those practicing conservation tillage or no-till systems, it’s important to remember that specific sites may require nutrients to be incorporated into the soil, not just broadcast on the surface, for plants to adequately access them and to reduce the risk of nutrient loss in runoff events. Through these systems, nutrient placement with the planter or injection via a no-till, low disturbance application tool are effective methods for nutrient incorporation. If a broadcast method is utilized, some sites may benefit from a low intensity incorporation of manure or fertilizer following the application.

All types of operations, producers, and landowners can benefit from SMART Nutrient Management Planning, and many nutrient management practices are relatively inexpensive.

USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), a Technical Service Provider, or a Crop Consultant can help develop a SMART Nutrient Management Plan for producers and help them adopt practices that not only save money on fertilizer costs, but also improve their land’s soil health, climate resiliency and water quality.

Producers can contact NRCS at their local USDA Service Center for assistance in implementing nutrient management on their working land.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.