There are many programs available through the state and federal government that can assist private landowners with natural resource conservation on their land. The following are brief descriptions of these programs managed by USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Forest Service (FS). Additional resource information for landusers can be found on the NRCS web site at www.nrcs.usda.gov, or the Division of Natural Resources site at www.state.in.us/dnr/. To enroll in any of these programs, contact Pat Larr, NRCS District Conservationist, at (812) 256-2330, ext. 108, or the FSA office at (812) 256-2330, ext. 2, for more information on this program.

The Conservation Reserve Program offers long term rental payments and cost share assistance to establish permanent vegetative cover on cropland that is highly erodible or contributing serious water quality problem. Through approved contract bids to convert eligible land to permanent cover, farm owners or operators receive annual rental payments at a rate not to exceed prevailing local rental rate per acre of comparable land. Acreage offered for enrollment is evaluated for environmental benefits and contract costs to determine which offers are accepted into the program. The acreage most likely to be accepted is generally land that provides the highest environmental benefits for the lowest cost. Rental payments may be provided up to 15 years for hardwood trees, wildlife corridors, windbreaks, or shelterbelts; however most payments are limited to 10 years.

The "continuous" sign-up CRP offers a noncompetitive enrollment of the most environmentally sensitive areas, and provides for annual rental payments and cost share for establishing practices such as filter strips along streams, grassed waterways, riparian buffers, field windbreaks, etc.

The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) provides emergency funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters, and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures during periods of severe drought. The natural disaster must create new conservation problems; conservation problems existing before the disaster are not eligible. Problems created would be those which, if not treated, would impair or endanger the land, materially affect the productive capacity of the land, represent unusual damage, or be so costly to repair that Federal assistance would be required to return the land to productive agricultural use.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) was established in the 1996 Farm Bill, and reauthorized in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Farm Bill). It is a voluntary conservation program that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible National goals. Through EQIP, farmers and ranchers may receive financial and technical help to install or implement structural and management conservation practices. Producers engaged in livestock or crop production on eligible land may apply for the program. Eligible land includes cropland, rangeland, pastureland, forestland, private non-industrial land, and other farm or ranch lands as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.

Changes in EQIP under the 2002 Farm Bill include:

The Forestry Incentives Program (FIP) supports good forest management practices on privately owned, non-industrial forest lands nationwide. The objective of the program is to increase the Nation's supply of timber products for the future. Eligible practices are tree planting, timber stand improvement, and site preparation for natural regeneration. Cost share is available for up to 50 percent of the cost of practice installation.

The Small Watershed Program works through local government sponsors and helps participants solve natural resource and related economic problems on a specific watershed. Project purposes include watershed protection, flood prevention, erosion and sediment control, water supply, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat enhancement, wetlands creation and restoration, and public recreation in watersheds of 250,000 or fewer acres. Both technical and financial assistance are available.

One of the most important tools used in carrying out the conservation programs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, is the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG). The FOTG is an integral part of conservation planning. The guide contains the latest conservation treatment technology and helps the staff identify resource problems, evaluate the effects of conservation treatments, compare alternatives, and select the best options to meet conservation needs and objectives.

The FOTG is continuously updated to incorporate new technology and experience. Although the FOTG was developed mainly for NRCS use, it is a public document that is available to those persons who are interested in applying effective conservation measures. The "e" (electronic) FOTG may be viewed on the NRCS web site at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/.

We do not do soil or water testing. Please contact one of the agencies below for those services:

Maps that we have available for Clark County:

Topographic, wetland inventory, and many other useful maps may be purchased from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources - Publication Sales. Please contact the IDNR Map Sales Section at (317) 232-4180, toll free 1-877-463-6367, or visit their web site at www.in.gov/dnr/publications/mapsandmore.html.

Please note: We have available individual sheets of the Soil Survey from the Soil Survey manuscript issued August 1974. We no longer have available the complete manuscript for distribution.

Soil Surveys for all Indiana counties are now online. To view the survey, visit http://soils.usda.gov/survey, and click the "Web Soil Survey" link. Instructions on how to use the survey are available on the Soil Survey home page.

An excellent source of soil information for Clark County is the NRCS Soil Data Mart. This site contains soil types and descriptions and allows users to generate many useful reports.

The Clark County SWCD has available for lease a Great Plains Solid Stand 10 Drill.

Equipment rental rate is $8.00 per acre. A 50% advance deposit may be required with the balance due upon completion of planting. A minimum charge of $50.00 will be assessed for the use of the drill. An additional charge of $50.00 will be added for each day that the drill is held over plantable days (calculated on a 25 acres per day planting rate - 1 day minimum).

Anyone interested in using a drill is required to sign an Equipment Rental Agreement. You may stop by our office to do this, or you may print out the Agreement from the link provided below, sign it, and forward it to the office. An Agricultural Exemption Certificate should also be submitted for waiver of sales tax. These forms are available in our office or they may be filled out and printed at the link provided below.

View and print Equipment Rental Agreement PDF format

Agriculture Exemption Certificate
This is a printable, fill-in form on the Indiana Dept. of Revenue's
web site, that requires Acrobat Reader to view.

Scheduling of drill is on a weekly basis. Scheduling is subject to revision due to equipment failure or weather.