Wayne County Soil & Water Conservation District

09/04/2026

A great opportunity at Hayes Arboretum tomorrow. Learn about invasive plants and how we need to remove them to allow our beautiful native plants to thrive again! 🦝

Join us for a productive hour of plant removal from our forest!

09/04/2026

Our Native Tree Sale is back!

Support local conservation efforts and add beauty, shade, and wildlife habitat to your property with hardy native trees and shrubs grown for Indiana conditions.
Choose from a wide variety of species — perfect for yards, farms, and restoration projects. Native plants are adapted to our soils, support pollinators, and help strengthen healthy ecosystems right here at home.

Order Today! Online at https://waynecountyswcd.org/news-and-events/fundraiser/
Deadline Monday, September 14th

✔ Affordable 1- and 3‑gallon Tree and Shrubs
✔ Perennials and Vines
✔ Great selection for all site conditions
✔ A simple way to support conservation in our community

📅 Pickup Dates: Wednesday - Friday 9/23-25th - 8:30a - 4:30p
📍 Location: SWCD Office, 823 S. Round Barn Rd, Richmond, IN 47374

Have questions or want recommendations? We’re happy to help you find the right species for your space.

08/28/2026

🌾🚜🌱 A beautiful, informative evening for last night's Rotors.Roots.Renerate Field Day!

A huge THANK YOU to our hosts, Jones Family Farm Milton, Indiana for their hospitality and efforts to make the field day such a success.

The field day would not have been possible without our sponsors: Wayne County Farm Bureau, Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative, Clean Water Indiana and the Wayne County SWCD Board of Supervisors.

Also a big thanks to Jessica Hoehn, Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative Lead Program Manager, and Elliott Gough, Resilient Indiana Technician for their much appreciated assistance last evening and to The Fresh Side for the delicious meal!

Here is a quick recap:

Adam Jones, Jones Family Farm Milton, Indiana gave a history of their family farm and how they utilize cover crops among other practices to increase their soil health.

Amanda Kautz, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Services Soil Health Specialist for Indiana demonstrated with the Rainfall Simulator where we watched a powerful visual display of soil health concepts and how rainfall interacts with soil under three different scenarios: Long Term No-Till with Residue, Bare and Heavily Tilled Soil, and Long Term No-Till with Living Cover. Be sure to watch the video to see the full results, they speak for themselves!

Aaron Gettinger, A&G Drones LLC, demonstrated with a flight showcasing aerial seeding of cover crops and spoke on how modern drone technology can help identify crop stress early, map fields, and provide producers the ability to apply inputs with pin-point accuracy compared to traditional methods.

Barry Fisher, Fisher Soil Health LLC, gave the soils health talk. Barry is the retired Regional Soil Health Specialist with NRCS and shared his years of experience working with the key principals of soil health (minimize disturbance, maximize soil cover, maximize continuous living roots and maximize diversity). Barry demonstrated soil stability with a slake test and spoke on different strategies to implement in order to improve soil health.

Zoe Robinson, team member with Purdue Extension's Farm Stress Team and Wayne County 4-H Educator, shared insight and local resources to help farm families manage stress, build mental resilience, and support one another.

And finally, big thank you to everyone who came out to spend their evening with us, by sharing your knowledge and asking questions you made the field day a great success!

08/28/2026

We are looking for volunteers to help us remove invasive plants on Saturday, Sept 5th from 4-5pm. No previous experience is needed as we will show you which plants need removed from our Springhouse Trail.

08/26/2026

You can find more information on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) page and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

08/25/2026

Thank you to the Whitewater Valley REMC for supporting the 2026 Conservation Days and all the folks that "Round UP" to make the grant possible!

08/21/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to Austerman Farms of Fountain City, IN!

They were among Hoosier farmers recognized on Tuesday, August 18, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds for their outstanding commitment to conservation and land stewardship during the 2026 River Friendly Farmer Award Ceremony.

The ceremony honored farmers who have implemented proven conservation practices—such as cover crops, no-till farming, field borders, and other innovative approaches—to reduce erosion, improve water quality, and build healthy soils. These efforts help protect Indiana’s rivers, streams, and lakes while contributing to healthier waterways far beyond the state’s borders.

Nominated by the Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Jean and Jim Austerman Family are true Wayne County conservationists and we appreciate their commitment to leaving the land better than they found it!

1st Photo:
2026 Award Recipients, group

2nd Photo:
L-R: Don Lamb, Director of Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Jim Austerman-River Friendly Farmer, and Kendell Culp, Indiana Farm Bureau Vice President.

08/17/2026

💧 PRIVATE WELL & SEPTIC INFORMATION — FLOODING

For anyone whose property, private well or septic system has been affected by the flooding, here is some important information being shared by the Wayne County Health Department:

08/14/2026

WAYNE COUNTY DAMAGE & PROPERTY LOSS REPORTING

Wayne County residents and businesses who sustained property damage or loss as a result of this week’s severe weather and flooding are asked to complete the damage assessment questionnaire.

Please follow the link below or scan the QR code to report your damage or losses.

Information collected through this questionnaire will be used by local officials as part of ongoing damage assessment and recovery operations. Your information will help officials identify, document, and quantify the extent of losses throughout Wayne County.

IMPORTANT: Completing this questionnaire does not guarantee financial assistance or reimbursement. This form is being used to gather information to support the local damage assessment and recovery process.

This questionnaire is NOT a FEMA application or request for FEMA assistance. If Wayne County is approved for federal financial assistance, additional information will be provided and FEMA representatives may be in the area to assist residents and businesses with the appropriate application and recovery process.

Damage Assessment Questionnaire:
Complete the Wayne County Damage Assessment Questionnaire

Please share this information with Wayne County residents and businesses who have experienced damage or property loss.

https://form.jotform.com/262253740458055?utm_source=chatgpt.com