The mission of the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District is to provide assistance for the wise use of our natural resources for present and future generations.   

 Board of Supervisor Meetings
The Meigs Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors will hold their regular monthly board meetings at noon at the district office.
​The office is located at 113 E. Memorial Drive, Suite D, Pomeroy. 
Rest of year board dates
March 28th, 2024
April 25th, 2024
May 23rd, 2024
June 27th, 2024
July 25th, 2024
August 29th, 2024
September 26th, 2024
October 17th, 2024
November 21st, 2024
December 5th or 12th 2024

Meigs Soil and Water Conservation
80th Annual Meeting and Banquet
will be held Tuesday, October 8th
at the Blakeslee Center in Middleport.
Voting for Supervisor starts at 6pm.
Dinner will start at 7pm.  
Please pay and register by September 27th. 
​Tickets cost $15.  

Election Notice
The Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission will cause an election of Supervisors of the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) to be held in accordance with Chapter 940 of the Ohio Revised Code. Individuals who own or occupy land within the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District and are 18 years of age or older may vote for Supervisor.

There are 3 ways an eligible voter can cast a ballot:
1.) At the SWCD office, 113 E. Memorial Dr. Suite D, Pomeroy, from 9/9/2024 until 10/8/2024 during normal business hours; or
2.) At the SWCD Annual Meeting, which will take place at Blakeslee Center, Middleport on 10/8/2024 from 6pm to 7pm ; or
3.) Voting absentee from 9/9/2024 until 10/8/2024, by requesting the ballot application and election ballot from the SWCD office at the following address 113 E. Memorial Dr. Suite D, Pomeroy, by calling 740-992-4282. Absentee ballots must be received by the SWCD office by 10/8/2024 and 3:00.                                                               

 Meigs Supervisors will be elected to a three‐year term commencing January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2027.
Nominees are:
1. Tony Carnahan
2. Marco Jeffers
​3. Travis Mugrage

​LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS IN MEIGS AND GALLIA ARE ELIGIBLE FOR DROUGHT RECOVERY ASSISTANCE
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Zachary Williams in Gallia County today announced that FSA is now accepting applications for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for grazing losses due to drought.  The deadline to apply for 2024 LFP assistance is January 30, 2025.

LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land or fire on federally managed land.  For LFP, qualifying drought intensity levels are determined using the U.S. Drought Monitor.  Producers in Meigs and Gallia County are eligible to apply for 2023 LFP benefits for grazing losses on pasture mixed forage, visit the FSA LFP webpage for a full list of eligible counties and pasture types.

Livestock eligible for LFP include alpacas, beef cattle, bison, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, ostriches, reindeer, or sheep that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland.  Recently, FSA updated LFP policy to expand program eligibility to include additional income producing grazing animals, like horses and ostrich, that contribute to the commercial viability of an agricultural operation. 

Livestock used for hunting and consumption by the owner and horses and other animals that are used or intended to be used for racing and wagering remain ineligible. 
 
As a reminder, producers who want to participate in many USDA program including disaster assistance programs like LFP, must file timely acreage reports by filling out the FSA-578 form to remain eligible for program benefits.  Livestock producers interested in applying for LFP should contact Gallia-Lawrence-Meigs FSA at 740-446-8687 ext 2 with any questions about the eligibility of specific livestock and forage crops. 

More information in USDA disaster assistance in available at farmers.gov/recover
 


​The Summer 2024 Meigs SWCD newsletter features: 
*Annual Meeting and Election information-Tickets purchased by September 27
​* Canidates
*Drought 
*Milkweed Pod collection
*New Education Coordinator-Chelsey Pullins
*Athens Meigs Woodland Workshop
*Hunter Education Class
*Update to John Deere No Till Drills
 ​"Like" us on Facebook @ MeigsSWCD Conservation Area or Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District for the latest updates.
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Ohio Landowner/Hunter Access Partnership
The OLHAP program is funded from the USDA Voluntary Public Access – Habitat Improvement Program (VPA- HIP) and offers farmers and landowners financial compensation for allowing public hunting on private lands. The goal is to provide public access to over 20,000 acres of private land across the state of Ohio and habitat practices may also be financially incentivized through the program.
  • Eligible landowners: Landowners with a significant amount of wildlife habitat established on their properties, and those enrolled in designated conservation programs, will be given preference. However, all landowners statewide will be eligible to apply for the OLHAP program.
  • Agreement Duration: Agreements will be for public access until June 1, 2024.
  • Access Payments: The OLHAP program will issue incentive payments to enrolled landowners on a per-acre basis for providing public access to lands they own. Annual payments will be
$2.00/acre for agricultural lands and $30.00/acre for perennial wildlife cover, such as wetlands, grasslands, brushlands, and forest.
  • Opportunities on Enrolled Properties: Public access will be granted through an online check-in system from September 1st to June 1st each year between the hours of 5:30am and 10:00pm. All hunting opportunities, except deer gun hunting, are permitted.
·   Landowners are required to:
  • Post and maintain accurate signage according to the OLHAP agreement.
  • Maintain or increase current wildlife habitat on enrolled lands and throughout the agreement period.
  • Maintain ownership and control throughout the agreement period.
 
·       OLHAP Users are required to:
  • Agree to hold landowners harmless for liability while on the property.
  • Have an OLHAP Permit while on the property.
  • Follow all the rules for the OLHAP Program.
 
​  You can also visit Ohio Landowner/Hunter Access Partnership Program | Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ohiodnr.gov)


Help Save the Monarch Butterfly by Protecting Native Milkweed
The iconic monarch butterfly, which has long been a welcome sight in backyard gardens across Ohio, faces many threats. In Ohio, one way we can ensure future generations of monarch butterflies continue to visit flower gardens throughout our state is by protecting native milkweed plants.
Every year in the fall, monarch butterflies across the eastern U.S. and Canada begin a 3,000-mile-long journey down to wintering grounds in Mexico. In the spring, these same butterflies head back north, and delight us with their presence once again. However, this amazing journey would not be possible without milkweed, a group of plants critical to the survival of the monarch butterfly. As butterflies, monarchs can feed on the nectar of a number of different flowering plants, but as caterpillars, monarchs are entirely dependent on the availability of milkweed.  
Monarch caterpillars hatch from eggs laid on milkweed plants and feed on the leaves of the plant as they grow. If these plants are mowed, removed, or sprayed with pesticides or herbicides, the caterpillars will not survive. Protecting these plants, especially during the egg-laying period from July through September, helps both monarch butterflies and caterpillars continue their life cycle and ultimately results in more monarch butterflies that can complete their journey to Mexico and back.  
In the past, milkweed was viewed as a toxic weed. Today, we know that milkweed is a very important group of native plants that helps support many species of wildlife, including monarch butterflies. Learn more about ways you can help ensure these beautiful butterflies are around for generations to come by visiting the Monarch Joint Venture or the click on Save the Monarch for more information.  



        Honoring Meigs County’s agricultural roots
 through ODA’s Century Farm Program
 Meigs County is blessed with an agricultural heritage that has provided many historic, social and economic benefits to today’s citizens. Our early farm families laid the foundation for today’s food and agriculture industry - the no. 1 industry in the state - which adds $105 billion to our economy each year, according to Jenny Ridenour, program administrator for the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Century Farm program was established in 1993 as a way to honor our pioneering farm families, and the Bicentennial Farm program was added in 2013. More than 1,000 Ohio farms which have been in the same family for at least 100 years are now registered as Ohio Bicentennial or Century Farms.

The Meigs SWCD is proud to recognize four local farms registered as Ohio Century Farms:  Arthur Nease, Racine (1833), Virgil Windon, Chester (1869), James Osborne, Reedsville (1872), and Windy Hill Farm, Pomeroy (1920).

Ridenour encourages Meigs County families who may qualify to learn more on the program website (www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/cent_farms/), or to contact Program Manager Cindy Shy at cindy.shy@agri.ohio.gov or 614-752-9817.

For pictures from past events, visit our Meigs SWCD facebook and Leading Creek facebook page.
                        
Please check back later for more clean-ups, educator workshops, watershed tours, and other events! And don't forget to visit our photo page!