Stewart County Soil & Water Conservation District

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

In the next two decades, 300 million acres of agricultural land will change hands as the current owners retire or die. This land is essential for food production, wildlife habitat, and rural economies, but its future is uncertain.

LANDED, a new podcast developed by the American Farmland Trust with support from the USDA NRCS, explores the challenges facing farmers and ranchers who, through succession planning and generational transitions, are turning toward the future.

Episode 1 features Dustin Watson's fight to keep a promise, secure his farming dream and keep his family’s land as a farm, forever. Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.

https://farmland.org/landed-podcast -1

06/04/2026

We had a blast with the 2nd-5th grade students for Dover Elementary and North Stewart Elementary Summer School! We learned about how taking care of the soil goes hand in hand with the quality of our water. We talked about the different soil layers, the importance of plants and trees to prevent erosion, and see a demonstration of how serious erosion can get. They really loved following the story of Freddie the Fish as he tried to navigate through different pollutants in the water. They were so happy that he found his way to a cleaner home where the town practiced ways to take care of the soil and water!

06/02/2026

Magazine and Website for No-Till Farmers

05/20/2026

🌾 Exciting news for conservation in Tennessee! 🌾Our partners in conservation at Tennessee Quail Forever are advancing a new specialty license plate initiative that supports habitat restoration, expanded public access to the outdoors, and education for the next generation of hunters and conservationists. TN Quail Forever shares SGI’s mission to restore grasslands in Tennessee.

Funds from the plate will help conserve northern bobwhite quail and native grassland habitats across the state. The plate costs $40, and 1,000 signatures are needed by June 30, 2027, before it can become available statewide.

Preorder your plate today and help invest directly in conservation in Tennessee at the following link:
https://events.pheasantsforever.org/events/tennessee-quail-forever-license-plate-pre-sale/68b70950-f046-4793-8154-6781fdd81713

05/13/2026

Congratulations to our 2nd Grade Poster Winners! The theme for this year is “Soil. Where It All Begins.” The NACD provides fabulous informational lesson plans and tools to help teach them about the importance of our soil and having healthy soil. Our judges were impressed with their artistic details they put into their posters to show what they learned!

The 1st Place Winner received a prize of $25 and will advance to the state TACD competition.
The winning student’s teacher/class received $50 to go to the purchase of supplies for the classroom. This is a thank you to the teacher for taking the time out to do these activities with their class and help support their learning environment! We know teachers give a lot!❤️

1st Place: Mayah Darnell in Mrs. Hanna Hendrick’s class at Dover Elementary

2nd Place: Chloe Rodriguez in Mrs. Lynn Jackson’s class at Dover Elementary


3rd Place: Aria McKnight in Mrs. Autumn Page’s class at Dover Elementary

05/13/2026

What a fun day we had helping out with the Epic Soil Day at Stuart Burns Elementary School on May 6th. The kids always love to play in the "dirt" espcially if they can eat it! 🤣