Arbor Day is the last Friday in April and in 2025 it falls on April 25th.  It is considered a National Holiday that recognizes the importance of planting trees.  Many organizations take advantage of this holiday to teach others the importance of having trees in each of our communities.  J. Sterling Morton said, “Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future.”  

Each year since 2021, the Warren County SWCD has reestablished a tree program for the Third-grade classes at the county grade schools.  We are doing it again in 2025.  We will come into your child’s classroom and talk to them of the importance of trees and what fun it can be to have trees around.  We will talk to on how trees have multiple purposes including how much trees help our environment and atmosphere, how they provide cleaner air and water, and how they are treasured like all of God’s creatures. They will be allowed to bring home a bare root 2–3-year-old tree for planting.  If you do not have a place to plant the tree on or near your residence, please feel free to contact your county park board or town park board to ask permission to plant the tree in the parks.

We provide information about Soil & Water Conservation in the County. Every county in the state of Indiana has a SWCD. We strive to help educate residents and landowners and their families about soil, water, and other natural resource conservation.

We have a lot of information available to share concerning conservation including but not limited to gardening info, forester contacts, seed companies, and mixes on cover crop, waterways, watersheds, no-till farming, and pasture management information.  We have books available to borrow as well. 

If you need a book or some information or volunteer, please feel free to contact the office at 765-764-8047 or email at julie-clark@iaswcd.org

A little story to share with you.

There once was a little agency that sat on the side lines and got by with the bare minimum of doing things.  Only being opened a couple hours a day and just a few days a week.               

Then one day, something changed, the business started being opened every day of the work week with normal business hours.  There was someone in the office every day that person could be in there pending any meetings or events scheduled to happen.  This business slowly started to grow and grow and then it was realized this business had been around for 80 years! Best of all, there were other businesses that supported this business for the entire 80 years.  Why did they support each other you may ask, because it takes community to support each other in order to survive and thrive.  We recently recognized Stewart Grain Co. INC., Pine Village Service Center, and Warren County REMC for their continuous 80 years of support at our 80th Annual Meeting.

This is what is so wonderful about Warren County.  We all pull together to help each other survive.  The Warren County SWCD is proud to present three of the businesses that have helped us to survive so we may pass it on to others in education outreach and free information available to whomever requests it.

Warren County SWCD recently celebrated 80 years since established in 1945.  There are many along the way that have helped to keep it going.  A few names that came up as supervisors are as follows.  We wish to convey our heart felt appreciation to all who have helped in past years and ask those looking for something to help with to consider helping where you can.  But remember, for free, for fun, and with love.

Victor Shelton is a retired Agronomist/Grazing Specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). He continues to write Grazing Bites in his spare time from his property in southwest Indiana. 

We are continuing with the FLASH Group for gardens and orchards education outreach!  This means if you have a garden, you are going to be putting in a garden or orchard that is going to produce fruits and vegetables for human consumption, we can provide you with a free-soil sample. 

The benefits of having a soil test in your potential or already established plots would be to know what is in your soil and what is going to help your produce for growth.  The soil test would tell you how much nitrogen, magnesium, potash, potassium, calcium, saturation, pH and organic matter you have in your soil.  It will also give you recommendations of what fertilizers are needed to amend your soil for garden plants, according to A&L Greatlakes Laboratories. 

We, as SWCD can offer technical advice on the common names, easier methods to amend your soil, as well as what to plant and where.  We offer resources such as rain barrel system information, irrigation system information, high & low tunnel information, rain gardens, beehives, bee keeping information, native species listings, as well as a variety of other information available, all upon request. 

Schedule your free garden or orchard soil test sample with either Lori Jordan at the Covington USDA Service Center at 765-793-2764 Ext 3 or Julie Clark at the Williamsport USDA Service Center at 765-764-8047

Do you know a farmer that is trying to conserve their soil and water resources?  We are looking for recommendations for River Friendly Farmer nominations. If you know a landowner and farmer that is trying to improve and conserve the soil and water, feel free to submit a nomination for them using the link below.

We are allowed to nominate 2 per year for state recognition at the Indiana State Fair. Feel free to click on the link above for the google form to submit nominations. Your nominations will be reviewed by the board of supervisors in the May 14 board meeting.

Calling all groups that require volunteer hours!

Parks Programs, FFA, NHS, FCA, 4-H, Junior Leaders, Master Gardeners and anyone else

Do you need volunteer hours for any of your organizations you belong to?  Volunteering looks great on college applications.  Some even require it for acceptance into college.  There are always places and people who need some assistance of various kinds and can’t afford to pay labor costs.  Most churches, park programs, concession stands, various businesses, non-profit organizations are a huge one that needs a lot of volunteers.

There are several churches in our small county as well as non-profit organizations like A Better Way Co-Op which is connected to Bundles of Blessings-a diaper program for parents in Warren, Benton, and Fountain Counties.  Businesses like the SWCD can use volunteers as well, if not here, then for the Benton County SWCD as well.  There are health benefits to volunteering as well.  The more social a person can be, the longer they can live, or at least your quality of life will improve.   

To be kind to one another, to do for others instead of ourselves, to enjoy each day as it was our last.  Volunteering helps with all those attitudes in this life. 

August 1-17, 2025

Make sure to visit the Pathway to Water Quality exhibit and get a fresh glass of water from a well.

March 31- Final Date to Obtain Loans or Loan Deficiency Payments (LDP’s) on 2024 Harvested Small Grains

April 1-August 1- Nesting Season for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Practices

April 15- Deadline to sign up for the 2025 Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Programs

August 15- Deadline to sign up for the 2025 Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP)

Ongoing

Submit an Application for a Farm Storage Facility Loan Continuous 

Submit an Application for FSA Farm Loans Continuous

Signup for Local County Office FSA Text Alerts - Text Your Service Center Keyword INWarren to FSANOW (372-669)

Continuous

Sign up for GovDelivery Newsletters, Bulletins and Indiana Press Releases (Subscribe to USDA Emails for Farmers | Farmers.gov)

April 7- Jon Charlesworth and Emily Ade will be presenting in Williamsport Grade School and the Williamsport Day School to the 2nd grade class to hatch chicks out in an incubator for the kids to take home after they hatch.

April 21- Jon Charlesworth and Emily Ade will be presenting in Pine Village Grade School to the 2nd grade class to hatch chicks out in an incubator for the kids to take home after the chicks hatch out.

April 28-Jon Charlesworth and Emily Ade will be presenting in Warren Central Grade School to the 2nd Grade class to hatch chicks out in an incubator for the kids to take home after they hatch.

April 28- Covington Community Garden Meeting at 6 pm at the Community Center, RSVP link provided.

April 29-Herbicide 101 Vermillion Co. Extension and SWCD at Vermillion County Library from 6-8 pm. RSVP not required but appreciated to vermillion@iaswcd.org or call 765-492-3705

May 3- Fountain & Warren County Master Gardeners are having a plant sale at Warren County Fairgrounds

May 10- Fountain & Warren County Master Gardeners plant sale Fountain County Fair Grounds

April 7- Probationary period employees that were dismissed in February will have the option to come back to work for the USDA/NRCS