Yearly Muskingum SWCD Events:

2010 Annual Meeting and Banquet

"The Beauty of Conservation"

    The Muskingum Soil and Water Conservation District (MSWCD) will host “The Beauty of Conservation”, their 66th annual meeting and banquet.  The event will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2010 at Friendly Hills Grange Camp.  The doors will open at 11:00 a.m.

    Jym Ganahl, chief meteorologist at NBC 4 in Columbus, is the featured speaker.  Ganahl arrived at NBC 4 in 1979, after serving 12 years as weather anchor in Waterloo, Iowa.  He is a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and attended the University of Northern Iowa where he earned degrees in math, speech, and climatology.  In 2009 Ganahl was inducted into the AP Broadcasting Hall of Fame.  In July 2010, the Columbus Monthly readers voted him the city’s top weather person for the 21st consecutive year.  Ganahal has also taught classes at St. Agatha School in Upper Arlington and Ohio Wesleyan University.  He also served in the United State Army and the Iowa National Guard.

    Before the meal begins, attendees will have the opportunity to cast their votes for the winners of the photography contest.  The winners from the photography contest will receive an award and recognition in our District Newsletter and our website. 

    The meal will begin at 12:00 noon.  The MSWCD Board of Supervisors, Community Bank and Farm Credit Services have graciously agreed to sponsor part of the cost of the meals, so the ticket prices are only $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children under 12.  After the meal we will present the 2010 Conservation Awards.  There will also be children’s activities.

    The deadline for ordering tickets is Wednesday September 22, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.  Late ticket requests cannot be taken.  To reserve tickets, contact the office at 740-454-2027.  Plan to bring your children and/or grandchildren and enjoy “The Beauty of Conservation”!

2010 Photography Contest

The Muskingum Soil and Water Conservation District is again having their natural resource photo competition.  The competition is open to all non–professional photographers.  There are two divisions, Adult (18 years or older) and Youth (17 years and under), and two categories per division; Beautiful Backyards and The Beauty of Wildlife.  There will be a $25.00 prize for each first place entry in each category per division.

We will accept color or black and white 8 x 10 prints.  Digital photos must be submitted as prints.  This contest is free and you may enter your work in any of the categories offered.  Photos must be taken within the boundaries of Muskingum County and will be judged based on relevance to conservation, creativity, photographic quality and impact.

Those attending the Muskingum SWCD Annual Meeting, held this fall, will vote for the 1st place winners by secret ballot from the top three choices determined in the first round of judging.  The winners will be announced by the closing time of this event.  All entries will be displayed at the Muskingum SWCD Annual Meeting and Banquet scheduled to be held Saturday, October 2 at Friendly Hills Grange Camp.

All photos and entry forms must be submitted to the Muskingum Soil and Water Conservation District office, 225 Underwood St., Suite 100, Zanesville, OH  43701 by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 3, 2010.

2009 Photography Contest Winners.

2010 Farm-City Day

2010 16th Annual Farm-City Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 18, 2010.  Save the date!

The 2009, 15th Annual Farm-City Day was held September 12th at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds.  Following along with this year’s theme, “Beef,” many local organizations offered activities and educational displays for local residents.  You didn’t have to grow up on a farm to appreciate all the great things about beef; all you had to do was sample some of the free beef and noodles!  The Muskingum SWCD provided beef and noodle prepared by the Friendly Hills Grange Camp for everyone to sample.  Participants could also travel by bus to Jim and Violet Madden’s farm to view their Ohio bicentennial barn and all the wonderful conservation practices they employ on their farm.

The event had a herd of wonderful activities just for kids.  There was a fun cow scavenger hunt to educate kids about cows and beef production.  Several great crafts were available throughout the building for kids to make-and–take, including the Muskingum SWCD’s little OSU Buckeye men and grow green cow craft, which when watered, actually grows grass!  Many organizations had educational displays about beef cattle, beef production, and healthy ways to prepare beef in your own kitchen.  There were displays on wildlife damage, poisonous plants, forest management, electrical safety, lamas, hand-made quilts and a baking contest, just to name a few.

No doubt, the highlight of the day was the cow chip toss! A few brave souls competed for the title of champion cow chip tosser!  Many thanks to all who participated, including State Representative Troy Balderson and City Councilman Jeff Tilton.  As the chips flew, Troy Balderson came out the winner, taking home a handsome cow chip toss winner trophy for his fireplace mantle.

The Muskingum SWCD would like to thank everyone who helped make this event a success and for all our local residents who came out on a beautiful fall Saturday to experience life on the farm.  See you next year!

2010 Muskingum County Fair
Stop by our booth at the 2010 Muskingum County Fair.

2009 Forage Field Day

The Forage Day took place on July 29, 2009 at the Kreager Farm on Tom Road in Chandlersville.  There were over 90 people in attendance.  There were seed, equipment, and fence dealers at the vendor trade show.  Dinner was served by Muskingum SWCD staff at 5 p.m.  After dinner speakers and a demonstration filled the evening with pertinent information.  Dave Dailey from Daily Fence & Supply gave an update on fencing technology.  Mark Mechling, Muskingum Co. Extension Educator, began with a session on field fertility and soil testing.  Ryan Fink, MSWCD Ag Technician, followed Mechling’s talk with water system information.  Patty Dyer, NRCS District Conservationist, took participants on a pasture walk while discussing grazing and plant identifications.  Eldon Sarbaugh provided a brush removal demonstration in a field adjacent to the main activities.  Door prizes concluded the evening.

2010 Water Garden Clinic

Each year, the Muskingum SWCD holds one or two pond clinics at a local Muskingum County Farm.  Our 2010 Water Garden and Pond Clinic was held at Lolita Burt's.  Click here.

Conservation Air Tour

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Fly over your home or view beautiful sites in Muskingum County or learn more about conservation by observing conservation practices on the land!

 

Soils Workshop 

Each year Muskingum SWCD hold a soils workshop in late summer.  This workshop provides local realtors with continuing education credits.

Forestry Workshop
Thinking of logging soon? Have questions on the process and the correct procedures?  Check with the Muskingum SWCD for any upcoming Forestry opportunities.

Grazing Field Day
The Muskingum, Perry,  and Morgan SWCDs, OSU Extension, and NRCS hosted a Grazing School in March of 2008. The grazing school was a “hands-on” grassland school that was designed for the producers and the resource managers to increase their knowledge on pasture management. The first two meetings were held at the Rural Service Building. The meeting consisted of  speakers discussing purpose of grazing management, pasture assessment, forage varieties, uses, and growth characteristics, water resource development, fence, and paddock design, farmer were able to share their experiences. The last day of the Grazing School was held at the Deal’s Farm. The participants were given a 42 acre field to evaluate, design, and present their group grazing system. All participants had creative ways to graze the 42 acre field but completed the task successfully. Hopefully the Grazing School was able to enhance all the participants knowledge on grazing. Pasture management is the wave of the future as feed cost rise.

LEAP
Livestock Environmental Assurance Program (Multi-County).  Attend this informational meeting to gather information on proper manure management and to help earn points to qualify for programs such as USDA's EQIP program.  Leap training is required for anyone receiving state cost share dollars.