Rutherford County Soil & Water Conservation District

09/30/2026

Join us for this fun program! A free craft and an apple taste test will be included!

🍏 Kids (ages 5-10) are invited to join us at Haynes Branch library on Tuesday, October 20th at 4:30pm to learn about one of NC’s most important (and delicious) crops! Charlotte Harkless from Rutherford County’s Soil & Water District will be joining us for a hands-on discussion of life cycles and climate, ending with a craft. There will be samples!

🍎 Registration is required. Please call Haynes Branch at 828-288-4039 or visit us online at www.rutherfordcountylibrary.org/events to register.

09/28/2026

Happy North Carolina day to all!!

It's National North Carolina Day!

We are so thankful for this incredible state that we live in! From the farmers and livestock producers to aquaculture industry workers and others across the agriculture industry, thank you to all those who make our state's number one industry succeed each day!

09/23/2026

Making weekend plans? 🤔

🎡 Be sure to stop by the Colfax Free Fair & Ellenboro School Carnival! 🎡

While you’re enjoying all the rides, food, games, and fun, don’t forget to make your way to the Exhibit Hall to check out the Rutherford Soil & Water Conservation District display! 🌱💧

Our display will be there throughout the fair, so be sure to stop by, take a look, and learn a little more about the work we do right here in Rutherford County!

We hope you have a great weekend at the fair! 🎪🌾

09/23/2026

🪶 Feathered Flyers at Cliffside Elementary! 🐦

A big thank you to the 4th grade at Cliffside Elementary School for having me out this morning to explore my Feathered Flyers program! Students learned all about birds and their unique adaptations before putting their knowledge to the test with a fun hands-on activity.

Students got to experience what it’s like for a bird to eat with its unique beak—and discovered that different beaks are specially designed for different foods! 🐦🌱

Thank you, Cliffside 4th grade, for a fun morning of learning! 💚

09/17/2026

Join us for this fun North Carolina Apple program at Mountains Branch Library - Tuesday, October 6th at 4:30 pm! Registration is required.

🍎 Kids ages 5-12 are invited to join us at the Mountains Branch on Tuesday, October 6th at 4:30pm to learn about one of NC’s most important (and delicious) crops! Charlotte Harkless from Rutherford County’s Soil & Water District will be joining us for a hands-on discussion of life cycles and climate, ending with a craft. There will be samples!

🍏 Registration is required. Please call Mountains Branch at 828-287-6392 or visit us online at www.rutherfordcountylibrary.org/events to register.

09/16/2026

🌱 Staff Spotlight: Brandon Higgins 🌱

We’re excited to introduce Brandon Higgins, our Resource Conservation Administrator here at Rutherford County Soil & Water Conservation District!

A Rutherford County native, Brandon attended NC State University and began his career working in industrial agriculture. Through his experiences, he developed a deeper passion for stewardship of the land, animal welfare, and building a sustainable future for agriculture.

After returning to Rutherford County in 2001, Brandon married his wife, Lisa, in 2003. Together, they began building a regenerative farm from the ground up. What started with a small flock of laying hens grew into a diverse farming operation that included dairy goats, pigs, broiler chickens, and dairy cattle. Today, Brandon and his family own and operate a dairy farm and creamery, where they turn the milk from their farm into some seriously delicious homemade ice cream! 🍦 Since 2020, the dairy and creamery have been the farm’s primary focus, along with a small flock of laying hens.

Brandon also spent 12 years as a high school agriculture teacher, where he enjoyed sharing his knowledge and passion for agriculture with the next generation. Today, he continues that passion through his work with Rutherford Soil & Water while also continuing to farm with his family.

In his role as Resource Conservation Administrator, Brandon oversees the District’s cost share programs and watershed dam oversight, helping landowners access conservation resources and ensuring these important programs and structures are properly managed.

Much of Brandon’s knowledge and problem-solving ability comes from growing up working alongside his father, where he learned skills including welding, machining, equipment repair, and working with farm equipment. Those skills continue to serve him both on the farm and in his conservation career.

Outside of work, Brandon enjoys working alongside his family, hunting, planning farm layouts, and continually finding ways to improve the family farm. His commitment to agriculture, conservation, education, and family reflects his belief that healthy soil, healthy animals, and healthy communities all go hand in hand.

And now for the really important question… 🍦

What’s Brandon’s favorite flavor of ice cream that they make on the farm?

Brownie Butter! 🤎🍨

We’re thankful to have Brandon as part of the Rutherford Soil & Water team and appreciate all that he does for our landowners, farmers, and community! 🌱🌾💚

09/14/2026

🍎🎃 Fall is in the air, and our seasonal programs are booking up fast! 🍂🦃

If you’re a teacher looking to bring a fun, hands-on, and completely FREE educational program to your classroom this fall, now is the time to get on the calendar! From NC Apples and Pumpkins to Fall’s Colorful Transformation and NC Turkeys, there’s something for every classroom. My fall calendar is filling up quickly, so don’t wait to book your program!

📞 Call (828) 395-4543 or send the Rutherford County Soil & Water Conservation District page a message to get the scheduling process started. I can’t wait to bring fall conservation education to your classroom! 🍁

08/28/2026

🎃🍂🦃🎄❄️🌱 Teachers, it’s time to get those seasonal programs on the calendar! 🍎🎃🍂🦃🎄❄️🌱

The seasons are changing, and my outreach calendar is filling up FAST! If you’ve been thinking about bringing a free Soil & Water program to your classroom, now is the time to book before your favorite seasonal program is gone!

Here are the seasonal programs I’m offering this school year:

🍎 NC Apples
🎃 Pumped About Pumpkins
🍂 Fall’s Colorful Transformation
🦃 NC Turkeys
🎄 NC Christmas Trees
❄️ Animals in Winter
🌱 Spring Into Plants

Whether your students are learning about agriculture, conservation, plants, wildlife, or the changing seasons, there’s something for everyone!

And the best part? Every program is completely FREE! 🎉

📅 My calendar is already filling up, and I would hate for you to miss out! To book all you have to do is choose your program, and reach out to me to get your class on the schedule.

Let’s make learning come alive this school year! 🌱🍎

08/27/2026

🌱 Supervisor Spotlight: Ali Bovender High🌱

This week’s Supervisor Spotlight features Ali Bovender High, who joined the Rutherford County Soil & Water Conservation District Board in 2022.

Ali grew up on a Rutherford County cattle farm in Gilkey and is the eighth generation of the Flack family to live on the farm. The farm dates back to 1769, when King George III granted 200 acres along Cathey’s Creek to encourage settlers to Western North Carolina.

Growing up on the farm, Ali raised chickens, goats, donkeys, and horses and spent plenty of time fishing and swimming in the creeks that cross the property. Her love for agriculture and the land started at an early age.

Ali is a 2013 graduate of R-S Central High School and a 2018 graduate of Western Carolina University, where she earned a degree in Inclusive Education. She taught for three years in Hendersonville before returning home to Rutherford County, where she taught for another three years. In 2023, she was named Teacher of the Year at her school.

Ali currently serves as an Innovations Care Manager with Partners Health Management, where she supports adults with intellectual disabilities.
Outside of work, Ali is active with Special Olympics of Rutherford County and the foster care program through Rutherford County Department of Social Services. She also enjoys hiking, camping, and fishing with her husband, Shawn, family, and friends, as well as spending time swimming in the pond on the family farm.

Ali’s passion for local farms and agriculture is what led her to become involved with Soil & Water Conservation. Her father, Tim Bovender, instilled in her the importance of loving and caring for the land, reminding her that “it isn’t ours forever.”
“We only have a short time to preserve what is quickly fading and to pass on the joys of farming to the next generation.”

We are grateful for Ali’s dedication to Rutherford County, agriculture, and conservation! 🌾🌱