April Showers Bring May Flowers!
Natural Area Guardians
Old Rt 66 Prairie
Planting
The NAGS were at the Rt 66 Prairie on Friday, April 11 to plant some native species. They added Arrow Viburnum, Sedge and other plants from Henry Eilers' collection.
Thank you, Henry!
We will continue your work!
Seeing is Believing...
The ground to the right of the photo is a garden that has not been conventional tilled. It is dry and ready to plant. The ground to the left is a conventional tilled field. It is not ready to plant because it is still too wet.
photo credit: Anderson Farms
Welcome to the MCSWCD Board
Ralph and Matt
Thank You to Everyone who attended the Farm Bureau Field Day!!
The Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy sponsored the Montgomery County Farm Bureau Strip Till Field Day!
We visited the Meisner and Black Diamond Farms to observe strip till practices and cover crop benefits to the soil. David Kleinschmidt of Progressive Agronomy conducted a demo of the Rainfall Simulator on unprotected soil, cover cropped soil and strip tilled cover crop soil. The results of this demo are very convincing for the use of cover crops to protect our precious soil.
Another Way to Connect with SWCDs
Soil and Water Conservation Districts throughout Illinois work to protect the rich, fertile soils and water resources of the state through strategic conservation efforts. Soil and Water Conservation Districts, working in conjunction with agricultural as well as environmental stakeholders, have for decades played a central role in efforts to protect and sustain the viability of Illinois’ finite natural resources for future generations.
You are invited to our Monthly Board Meeting
The Board of Directors meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month. The next meeting will be held May 14, 2025 at 8pm at the SWCD office. The public is welcome to attend.
Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2024-25
Copies of this guide are available for free at the SWCD office
MISSION
The mission of the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District is to ensure a leadership role in natural resource conservation, provide technical service and information to the people of Montgomery County that will control and prevent soil erosion, prevent air and water pollution, conserve wildlife, grassland and forest land, and ensure land use conversion is properly managed and to correctly identify areas that should remain as wetlands.
History of SWCDs
Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) were founded in the midst of the Dust Bowl Era to meet an educational and technical need for conservation. These districts were to hire conservation professionals who could educate and assist local land users whose farming practices were contributing to the wind and water erosion happening on rural and urban soils. In Montgomery County the district was formed in the county seat of Hillsboro in 1941. The Montgomery County SWCD is still very active in the county more than eighty years later.
The SWCD is a unit of local government which is held to state statute and is governed by a board of five elected officials who either reside in or own property within its boundaries. The board meets monthly to conduct its business. The office is staffed with two full time employees and office space is provided by its federal partner, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
10 Reasons To Know Your SWCD
1. Not Just For Farmers Anymore
2. Conservation Delivery Infrastructure
3.Technical Know How
4.Track Record
5. Cost-effective, multipurpose tools
6. Trusted Resources
7. One Stop Access to State and Federal Programs
8. Citizen Oriented
9. Voluntary, Incentive Based Solutions
10. Educating the Future
CONTACT US
Montgomery County SWCD
1621 Vandalia Rd
Hillsboro, IL 62049
Email: info@montswcd.com
Call: 217-532-3361, ext. 3
