Over $1.3 Million Awarded to Indiana Soil Conservation Districts and Organizations

The funding allows local soil and water conservation districts to assist farmers with bettering their water quality initiatives.

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INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and the Indiana State Soil Conservation Board (SSCB) announced today that 16 soil water conservation districts and one organization were awarded over $1.3 million in Clean Water Indiana competitive grant funding.

This funding will support water quality improvements across the state. Locally, the following water conservation districts received funding:

Jefferson County SWCD- $130,000
The project will promote soil health on pasture and hay land and improve water quality. Conservation practices will be installed that help improve forage and biomass quality, reduce soil erosion and compaction, reduce excessive nutrients and sediments in surface and ground waters and improve inadequate feed, forage and water.  The funds will also promote and incentivize the use of cover crops.

Jefferson County SWCD - $30,650
The project funds will be used to purchase the Jefferson County SWCD a no-till drill to assist landowners in improving the quality of their soil and water resources. 

Jennings County SWCD- $50,000
The Jennings County SWCD and the Ripley County SWCD will provide cost-share to private landowners within Jennings and Ripley counties to start or continue cover crop, forage and biomass planting, and installation of heavy use area protection practices. 

"This funding is critical for our local soil and water conservation districts to assist farmers with bettering their water quality initiatives," said Lt. Gov. Beckwith, Indiana's Secretary of Agriculture. "This program touches every corner of the state and the improvements made will go a long way in ensuring Indiana remains a leader in soil conservation." 

Once received, districts can use the funds to partner with other counties or address specific needs within their jurisdiction. Some examples include participating in a cost-share program, hiring staff, providing technical assistance, implementing cover crop incentive programs or increasing watershed capacity.

Clean Water Indiana (CWI) is managed by ISDA’s Division of Soil Conservation and funded by a portion of the state's cigarette tax. Projects can be up to three years in length and grantees could apply for any dollar amount that was necessary to complete the project. In addition to CWI funds, each grantee is required to produce a match for their project, which can be cash or in-kind. Projects requesting staffing were required to have a 25 percent match for that component, while all other project areas required a 50 percent match. Many Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) will target producers not currently served by other conservation programs.