Tuesday, April 8, 2025
The Dirt on Conservation

The Dirt on Conservation

As I near my 10th anniversary with the Columbiana Soil & Water Conservation District, I reflect on one of the questions I hear the...

As I stare out my window, desperately searching for that first sign of spring, all I see is rain, again.Normally, I look forward to...

Bats are hard at work around the world, fulfilling tasks that are vital to healthy ecosystems and human economies. Many of the more than 1,200 bat species are insectivorous.

With all the attention that is being given to the oil and gas play in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, have you thought what the local soil and water conservation district could do to assist you as a landowner?

As beneficial as soil is, even we conservationists have a hard time extolling its virtues when spring rains turn farms to mud and the cows are standing in it up to their knees.

As 2011 ends and we look ahead at what might be the big issue for agriculture in 2012, I think the big issue will be on farm nutrient management.

2011 will certainly be remembered for a long time as one of the wettest on record. I can't cite any "official" data, but we've had at least 12 more inches of rain this year than our average.

Do you ever get in a rut? I don't mean like in your field or yard. The "rut" I'm talking about Webster describes as "a usual or fixed practice, a monotonous routine."

It's hunting season. Depending on your perspective, you imagine hunting as wearing camouflage, being in the woods in the early morning hours and waiting...

When I took a part-time position with the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, little did I know what a learning experience it would be.