Montgomery County Soil & Water Conservation District

Johnny Head, Board Chairman

May is always a busy month for schools and weather, but we were proud to participate in “Farm Day” at Carmel Elementary this year, hosted by the Montgomery County Farm Bureau Ladies.  Strategically organized to allow approximately 700 kids to experience Agricultural hands-on studies and lessons! Stations ranged from a Farm animal petting area, Combine Virtual Simulator, full size farm equipment, Bee-keeping and Pollinators station and our ever popular Soil Tunnel.  The Soil Tunnel is designed to allow kids to crawl around underground, experiencing what lives beneath our surface and its importance in everyday life!

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced an application deadline for Tennessee eligible entities to apply for fiscal year 2019 funding for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program  (ACEP).  The deadline to apply is Friday, April 19, 2019 in the Soil Conservation District office – 2543-A Madison Street, Clarksville, TN.  You may also contact us to set an appointment time – 931-368-0252 x 3.

Under the Agricultural Land Easements component, NRCS helps Indian tribes, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations protect working agricultural lands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land.  NRCS may contribute up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement.  Where NRCS determines that grasslands of special environmental significance will be protected, NRCS may contribute up to 75 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement.  Tennessee will accept applications for ACEP on a continuous basis, but deadlines must be set to evaluate the applications. The full news release can be found on our TN website by clicking here.

We are now one month away from the application deadline for the David E. Hinton Scholarship! Applications must be turned in by April 1 to be considered for funding this fall.

This scholarship is available to qualifying High School Seniors in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.  The applicant must be a graduating senior who plans to attend Austin Peay State University and major in agriculture related field (Ag-Business, Ag-Science, Ag-Communications; ·Environmental Studies, Pre-Vet and Pre­-Forestry).

Applicants must complete and submit by APRIL 1 DEADLINE:

*Scholarship Application
*minimum of two recommendations letters
*minimum of two recommendation forms (see packet)
*essay
*official high school transcript

The David E. Hinton Scholarship is for $1,000 ($500 / semester) and is payable to Austin Peay State University.  The Montgomery County Soil Conservation District Board of Supervisors will review the applications and select the student(s) accordingly.

Applicants must complete this SCHOLARSHIP PACKET and return to our office along with the above listed information.  Contact Nancy Holt, 931-368-0252 x 3, for questions.

return applications to:

E:  nancyl.holt@tn.nacdnet.net

M: 2543-A Madison St., Clarksville, TN  37043

Fx:  855-575-2948

THIS CONFERENCE LOOKS TO BE FULL OF EXCELLENT RESOURCES AND INFORMATION FOR BEGINNING FARMERS!

The KY/TN Beginning Farmer Summit will take place at Battle Mountain Farm in College Grove, Tenn. on Feb. 20.

This is the day before the start of the Pick TN Conference, giving attendees the opportunity to attend two worthwhile events.

Registration is FREE, although it is limited to 100 participants.

The agenda will include:

*What to consider before starting a farm
*Resources available to beginning farmers
*Business planning
*Grant writing
*Managing risk
*Organization involvement and legislative issues
*Tennessee’s Farmer Veteran Coalition

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!