Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor Mike Norman, left, presented Duane Riddle, right, with the River Friendly Farmer of Indiana and Joe Kroft Conservation Awards for his implementation of conservation practices such as no-till farming, cover crops at the 83rd annual SWCD meeting held Feb. 6 at the Geneva Center in Rochester.

Text and Photos by David Hazledine
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District held its 83rd annual meeting and banquet at the Geneva Center in Rochester Monday, Feb. 6.

The event featured a welcome by outgoing SWCD Board of Supervisors Chairman Dustin Zellers and well as introductions by SWCD Executive Director Megan Malott, who was appointed in 2022. Zellers praised Malott for being a “detail oriented” and “creative thinker” who works well in teams and in “meeting strict deadlines … we’re very impressed with her skills.”

Following a program by State of Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management Regional Specialist Mandi Glanz, plaques were presented in FFA soil judging to Gavin Young, fourth place; Keegan Reinhold, third;  Kyler Lowe, second; and Hunter Shriver, first.

SWCD Supervisor Mike Norman then presented Duane Riddle with the State of Indiana River Friendly Farmer Award and the Joe Kroft Conservation Award for his implementation of conservation practices such as no-till farming, cover crops and rotational grazing for his cattle. Norman quoted Riddle as saying “All no-till for years and planting green works. I don’t know for the life of me why I would do anything different. I’ve been doing it right for 30 years.”

“Riddle uses intensive half-rotational grazing and feed lots. These best management practices have helped benefit his farm because he has been able to make more money. It also provides 100% cover and sequesters carbon,” said Norman, who quoted Riddle as saying “All no-till for years and planting green works. I don’t know for the life of me why I would do anything different. I’ve been doing it right for 30 years.”

SWCD Board Vice Chairman Kyle Riffle then presented the 4-H Recognition Award to Katie Schouten for her soil and water project at the Fulton County Fair. She went on to earn a merit award at the Indiana State Fair. Her project studied water quality and different types of pollution.

During agency reports, Purdue Extension’s Mark Kepler, who also serves on the Fulton County Park Board, encouraged attendees to visit the new 60-acre county park built on the site of a former dump where there are plans to take out invasive species. “We have four parks now we’ve put on in the last 20 years.”

SWCD Board Secretary/Treasure Matt Harsh reported on programs and accomplishments in 2022. These included $8,961 in incentives to 18 landowners for planting cover crops; receiving a three-year Clean Water Indiana grant for $73,000 to go toward cover crops, pollinator habitat and education; the 2022 Arrowhead Country River Rafting event with 14 schools and 280 participants; over $66,000 in payments for completed conservation practices, earning a district administration fee of $6,600; and several others.

Glen Jones reported on water sampling efforts to identify sources of pollution in Lake Manitou. “Significant progress was made in the past year,” he said. Large quantities of E coli of a human source were identified at two tile outlets into Ditch 7 west of Macy. Lab results were turned over to Lima County Sanitarium, the agency in charge of wastewater disposal regulations. Efforts will continue into 2023.

Drew McCully took his oath of office as SWCDs newest supervisor and will serve a three-year term. McCully graduated from Purdue University with a major in agricultural sales and marketing and spent eight years working for retailers such as Landmark Coop and Nutrien Ag Solutions before becoming a business development manager for a private crop insurance company. He is currently a seed advisor with Beck’s Hybrids and works with Dick Sims Crop Insurance out of Logansport.

McCully and his wife Stephanie reside at Valhalla Farms, a blueberry farm west of Rochester they purchased in 2021, where they utilize several soil biological products alongside water testing and soil moisture probes to monitor irrigation practices.