Calhoun County Soil & Water

09/18/2026

💧 September 18 is recognized as World Water Monitoring Day. This designation aims to increase public awareness for water monitoring and recognizes the importance of protecting the world’s water resources. America’s Clean Water Foundation (ACWF) established World Water Monitoring Day in 2003.

Water monitoring offers one way to ensure people have access to clean drinking water. Monitoring water involves knowing what chemicals are in drinking water. Other factors that affect water quality include temperature, acidity, clarity, and dissolved oxygen.

🔗 For more information about Alabama's water quality monitoring program visit https://aaes.auburn.edu/alabamawaterwatch/

09/15/2026

🚽💩Septic Smart Week is September 14-18, 2026. This week stresses the importance of caring for and maintaining your septic system.

🚿About one in five U.S. homes relies on a septic system, making proper care and maintenance essential to protecting public health, water quality, and homeowners’ investments.

🪠Your septic system is probably one of those things you don’t think about very often… until you have a problem. Home septic systems are one of the most important — and expensive — systems in your home. A little knowledge and routine care can go a long way toward keeping it working properly and helping to avoid costly problems. Everything you put down your drain impacts your septic system and the environment. To keep it running smoothly, limit what you pour down the drain.

💧Help protect Calhoun County and the Choccolocco Creek watershed by being !
🔗 For septic best practices check out https://www.epa.gov/septic/septic-system-care-and-maintenance?fbclid=IwY2xjawUWnghwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMXREdTVnTjE0RmUzTU9xRUdzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeykPuHB2zZ4ruYUw7g8WGQgv-pQl2t-LE0vAAS_mLwARH2F9OBmg6FVRuXRY_aem_VGSBPVLfJRaKdlvTFiOmJA for more information.

09/10/2026

🍄‍🟫September is National Mushroom Month. The U.S. Mushroom Council created National Mushroom Month as part of the Mushroom Promotion, Research & Consumer Information Act of 1990. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also takes advantage of the opportunity to educate people on the versatility mushrooms offer, including health benefits.

Mushrooms contain many nutrients. Because of this, mushrooms are an excellent source of vitamins. Eating mushrooms is a great way to naturally get copper, fiber, potassium, protein, selenium, vitamin B, and zinc into your body.

Mushrooms have a fascinating growing process in a highly controlled environment unlike that of any other produce item. Mushrooms grow indoors on a year-round cycle. Unlike green plants, mushrooms don’t need light to grow and double in size every day.

Calhoun County is fortunate to have Aquality Farms located in Anniston as a source of fresh mushrooms for the community. They are an urban hydroponic farm that offers the most sustainably healthy produce.

🔗 For more information, you can visit their website https://www.aqualityfarms.com/

09/08/2026

⚠️ Dove season has started this week in Alabama’s North Zone.

🕊️We encourage everyone to make safety a priority throughout dove season. Participants are urged to follow all hunting safety practices and Alabama residents should always remain aware of their surroundings while recreating or working outside.

📅 North Zone Season Dates & Shooting Hours:
Sept. 5, 2026: 12:00 noon until sunset (afternoon only)
Sept. 6 – Oct. 18, 2026: ½ hour before sunrise until sunset
Nov. 21 – Nov. 29, 2026: ½ hour before sunrise until sunset
Dec. 12, 2026 – Jan. 17, 2027: ½ hour before sunrise until sunset

🔗 Learn more: https://www.outdooralabama.com/seasons-and-bag-limits/mourning-and-white-winged-dove-season

08/31/2026

The Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee Area II Annual Meeting in was held earlier this month at Little River Canyon National Preserve in Ft. Payne.

We wanted to congratulate the award winners in our area!

- AACD Outstanding Conservation Business: Trantham Farms, Inc., Calhoun County

- AACD Conservation Farmer of the Year: Turner Family Farms, Victor and Hillary Turner

- AACD Outstanding Wildlife Conservation: Jerry Paul Owen, Cleburne County

- AACD Supervisor of the Year: Frank Bannister, Talladega County

- AACD Poster Contest Winner 4-6 Grade: Alaina Crawford, Cleburne County

07/30/2026

🎉 Today is National Intern Day. We are celebrating the incredible impact our USDA NRCS intern made at Calhoun County Soil & Water Conservation District! Thank you to Charity McWilliams for advancing the vital work that puts farmers first and supports America’s food systems, rural communities, and natural resources.

🌟The future is bright! We look forward to seeing Charity make a positive impact in her professional endeavors and can't wait to see all you'll accomplish in the future!

07/24/2026

☕Yesterday our group enjoyed a coffee and pastry from The Gathering Cup at Turner Family Farms at the July Barrels & Brews Workshop. We learned about water management & conservation applications to reduce erosion and also heard about regenerative agriculture practices. 💧🌱

The group also was able to tour this amazing family farm and highly recommend everyone visit as soon as possible, especially for the upcoming fall pumpkin season!

🌧️🍵Stay tuned for the next Barrels & Brews Workshop.

07/23/2026

🦬In celebration of National Bison Month Calhoun County Soil & Water hosted our third Food & Farm Tour of 2026 on Tuesday, July 21st. 🍅🫛🍉

🚜We explored area farms where we met enthusiastic conservationists and landowners. We also tasted some of the freshest ingredients that our community has to offer. 🍞 🍔🥬

We began the tour with a breakfast of freshly milled baked goods at MC Farm in White Plains with a presentation from Cale & Kelly Cosby from Indigo Ridge Farms on Regenerative Agriculture. Then we heard from Mark & Kay Coger about their farm and were given a demonstration and information about fresh milled grains.

We then traveled to Piedmont, where we stopped at Farmers Table Fresh Produce. James Bennett showed us his farm and shared information about growing produce in hoop houses. Jennifer Yates Hudson discussed highlights of Conservation Incentive Program (CIP) and information on the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Our next stop was Boundary Line Bison Ranch to learn about the American bison from DJ White & Mischa Sharpe White. The national mammal of the United States is one of North America’s most remarkable conservation success stories.

The group savored a Farm to Table lunch at Shell's Downtown. We then traveled to Aquality Farms in Anniston to hear from owner Samuel Sawyer, about his urban farm which specializes in the growth of mushrooms and hydroponic green vegetables.

Thank you to the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee and Eastman for the continued funding for these outreach events. We love supporting and highlighting local agriculture and our area farmers. We appreciate everyone who joined us our the outing.

Stay turned for the next Food & Farm tours in the coming months, as we continue exploring the beauty and bounty of our community!

07/23/2026

07/20/2026

⚠️ Only 2 more days to register and a few more openings for the Barrels and Brews Workshop!

☕🍵Don't miss your chance to join us this Thursday, July 23rd from 9-11 a.m. at Turner Family Farms, 7700 Stemley Rd, Talladega, AL 35160. Take part in the second in our series of workshops highlighting the benefits of collecting stormwater runoff with a rain barrel. 🌧️

The fee is $50 and it includes a coffee drink & a pastry from The Gathering Cup at Turner Family Farms, and a rain barrel. We'll have paint if you would like to decorate your barrel. Supplies to install are included (some assembly required). We will also provide educational information that includes tips on best ways to utilize the rain barrel.

🔗 Register by noon on Wednesday by scanning the QR code or go to
https://www.cognitoforms.com/ChoccoloccoCreekWatershed/BarrelsAndBrews2026