77th Annual Meeting and Election

The Guernsey SWCD will be hosting their annual meeting and election on Thursday October 24th from 6 PM until 8 PM. Voting for supervisors will begin at 6 PM until 7PM with dinner and a program to follow. Dinner will include a meal from Shirley Goodpaster. There will also be a presentation on NRCS' available programs and how they can help landowners. Cost for this event is $10 and tickets may be purchased ahead of time at the Guernsey SWCD office or from any Guernsey SWCD board member.

Supervisor Candidates

The Guernsey SWCD is seeking candidates to run for the board of supervisors. For more information please contact the district at 740-489-5276 or by email at larnold@guernseycounty.org

34th Annual Conservation Day Camp: BUGS R LIFE

Join us @ our 34th Annual Conservation Day Camp on Wednesday, July 31st & Thursday, August 1st from 9 a.m - 2 p.m. Registration deadline is Friday, July 19th by 4:30 p.m. The cost is $10 & is due with the registration form that is pictured below. Feel free to stop in and fill one out! Camp is for ages 8-11. Lunch will be provided both days. More details can be found in the camp brochure below. 

Canoe Float

Please join our staff for a fun & informative canoe float on Friday, June 14th from 6-8 p.m.

We will be meeting at the Park Office. This event is free, however, you must call to reserve your spot by Wednesday, June 12th. You can call our office @ (740) 489-5276 to hold your spot and for any questions you may have. Life jackets and paddles will be provided. We hope to see you there! 

Spring Pasture Walk

COUNTY LEADERS ATTEND STATEWIDE CONSERVATION MEETING

The Guernsey County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) supervisors and staff recently participated in the annual “Conservation Partnership Meeting” held in downtown Columbus.  Over 500 conservation leaders representing Ohio’s 88 SWCDs, partners from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Ohio Department Natural Resources (ODNR), Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, The Ohio State University, agriculture commodity groups and environmental organizations and more were on hand during the two-day event centered around the theme, “Conservation Crusade:  Inspiring Stewards for the Future.”   

                                                                                                                                

The meeting challenged attendees to identify and strengthen their commitment to conservation as each work to positively impact Ohio’s economy, environment, and future. Meeting participants networked, participated in thought-provoking workshops and breakout sessions, heard from Special Guest Speaker Jon Petz, key partners including USDA NRCS State Conservationist Terry Cosby, ODA Director Dorothy Pelanda, State Legislators and more. 

Employees and board members also attended a legislative meet and greet at the Ohio Statehouse on the 26^th where they got the chance to talk with elected officials who represent us in Columbus. The district would like to thank Senator Brian Hill for his time and always going to bat for conservation here in Guernsey County. Pictured below is Terry Cosby NRCS State Conservationist, Levi Arnold of the Guernsey SWCD, Tom Price chairman of the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission, and Dorothy Pelanda the Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

To learn more about the event and the great things Ohio’s 88 SWCDs are doing locally, contact the Guernsey SWCD at 740-489-5276 and/or contact the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts at (614) 784-1900 or at www.ofswcd.org.

Pictured L to R: Terry Cosby, Levi Arnold, Tom Price, Dorothy Pelanda

Photo Credit to Marta Farrell 2/26/2019 retrieved from https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOciyXU3RTtyphA8WtjkhGXaOJqUDivHFyorTf4ewX0Hm6kvxM6nrKiDel1oVLl4w?key=SG45cUdWMGVIMTBWSm1KendFZXpBZTV2SEt4OWRn on 3/1/2019

Camp Canopy Registration is Open for 2019

COLUMBUS, OH – Registration is now open for the popular Camp Canopy, which runs from June 9-14, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Coordinators for Camp Canopy are developing brand-new classes and new adventure-themed recreational activities, in addition to the traditional learning topics and fun activities from previous years, according to Jeremy Scherf, camp co-director and service forester with the ODNR Division of Forestry. Topics for Camp Canopy this year include tree identification, wildlife management, silviculture and invasive species.

“This year’s camp is going to be better than ever,” said Scherf. “We are excited to share new knowledge and outdoor skills with the students, focusing on the wonders of forests and wildlife in Ohio.”

Students who have completed the eighth grade through high school seniors graduating the year of camp are invited to attend Camp Canopy, which was previously known as the Ohio Forestry and Wildlife Conservation Camp. The camp will be held at FFA Camp Muskingum on Leesville Lake in Carroll County.

For more information about Camp Canopy, visit their website at campcanopy.com.

The ODNR Division of Forestry works to promote the wise use and sustainable management of Ohio’s public and private woodlands. To learn more about Ohio’s woodlands, visit forestry.ohiodnr.gov. Follow us on Instagram at @odnrforestry (instagram.com/odnrforestry).

ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.

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For more information, contact:
Stephanie Leis, ODNR Office of Communications
614-265-6860
Jeremy Scherf, ODNR Division of Forestry
614-212-3309

Cutline: Founded in 1950 and formerly known as Ohio Forestry and Wildlife Conservation Camp, Camp Canopy is an outdoors summer camp for high schoolers to discover forestry, wildlife and adventure.

Meet Dorothy Pelanda, Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture

Come Meet Dorothy Pelanda at Cassell Station Fire House on April 5th at 1PM.

Cover Crop Meeting

Hunter Education Course Offered!

Interested in getting your hunter education certification? Here's your chance! The Guernsey SWCD along with Noble SWCD are hosting a hunter education class at the Guernsey SWCD office on Saturday March 30th from 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday March 31st from 12 PM to 5 PM. To register for this class, please call 1-800-WILDLIFE or click on the attached link at https://oh-web.s3licensing.com/Event/Index.

Raised Garden Bed Workshop!

Raised Garden Bed Workshop coming in March! Please call and RSVP by Monday, March 11 @ (740) 489-5276.

Winter Newsletter

Guernsey SWCD is starting a quarterly newsletter! This Winter quarter's issue highlights key events from 2018, our tree seedling sale, and upcoming events from OSU Extension and other agencies/organizations! We will be sending it out in the mail at a later date to anybody who is on our mailing list. It will be posted on our website and Facebook every quarter as well! If you would like to be added to our mailing list for the newsletter and future announcements please call our office at (740) 489-5276.

USDA to Reopen FSA Offices for Additional Services During Government Shutdown

USDA to Reopen FSA Offices for Additional Services During Government Shutdown

(Washington, D.C., January 22, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that all Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices nationwide will soon reopen to provide additional administrative services to farmers and ranchers during the lapse in federal funding.  Certain FSA offices have been providing limited services for existing loans and tax documents since January 17, and will continue to do so through January 23.  Beginning January 24, however, all FSA offices will open and offer a longer list of transactions they will accommodate.    

Additionally, Secretary Perdue announced that the deadline to apply for the Market Facilitation Program, which aids farmers harmed by unjustified retaliatory tariffs, has been extended to February 14.  The original deadline had been January 15.  Other program deadlines may be modified and will be announced as they are addressed.

“At President Trump’s direction, we have been working to alleviate the effects of the lapse in federal funding as best we can, and we are happy to announce the reopening of FSA offices for certain services,” Perdue said.  “The FSA provides vital support for farmers and ranchers and they count on those services being available.  We want to offer as much assistance as possible until the partial government shutdown is resolved.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has temporarily recalled all of the more than 9,700 FSA employees to keep offices open from 8 am to 4:30 pm weekdays beginning January 24.  President Trump has already signed legislation that guarantees employees will receive all backpay missed during the lapse in funding.

For the first two full weeks under this operating plan (January 28 through February 1 and February 4 through February 8), FSA offices will be open Mondays through Fridays.  In subsequent weeks, offices will be open three days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, if needed to provide the additional administrative services. 

Agricultural producers who have business with the agency can contact their FSA service center to make an appointment. 

FSA can provide these administrative services, which are critical for farmers and ranchers, because failure to perform these services would harm funded programs.  FSA staff will work on the following transactions:

• Market Facilitation Program.
• Marketing Assistance Loans.
• Release of collateral warehouse receipts.
• Direct and Guaranteed Farm Operating Loans, and Emergency Loans.
• Service existing Conservation Reserve Program contracts.
• Sugar Price Support Loans.
• Dairy Margin Protection Program.
• Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage.
• Livestock Forage Disaster.
• Emergency Assistance Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program.
• Livestock Indemnity Program.
• Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.
• Tree Assistance Program.
• Remaining Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program payments for applications already processed.

Transactions that will not be available include, but are not limited to:

• New Conservation Reserve Program contracts.
• New Direct and Guaranteed Farm Ownership Loans.
• Farm Storage Facility Loan Program.
• New or in-process Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program applications.
• Emergency Conservation Program.
• Emergency Forest Rehabilitation Program.
• Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
• Grassroots Source Water Protection Program.

With the Office of Management and Budget, USDA reviewed all of its funding accounts that are not impacted by the lapse in appropriation. We further refined this list to include programs where the suspension of the activity associated with these accounts would significantly damage or prevent the execution of the terms of the underling statutory provision. As a result of this review, USDA was able to except more employees. Those accounts that are not impacted by the lapse in appropriation include mandatory, multiyear and no year discretionary funding including FY 2018 Farm Bill activities.

Updates to available services and offices will be made during the lapse in federal funding on the FSA shutdown webpage (https://www.fsa.usda.gov/help/shutdowninfo).  Programs managed by FSA that were re-authorized by the 2018 farm bill will be available at a later date yet to be determined.

2019 Wildlife Symposium

Check out this great event happening in Muskingum County. Here is a wonderful opportunity to shake off some of those winter blues and learn from a vast array of topics and speakers!

2019 Tree Seedling Sale

The 2019 Guernsey SWCD tree seedling sale is here. Attached is a sale flyer for you to print, fill out, and mail back with payment. For any questions, please contact the district at 740-489-5276.