Walker County Student wins the 2011 Area III ACDEA scholarship

2011 Alabama Conservation District Employees Association Scholarship Program Award

The Alabama Conservation District Employees Association accepted applications for six $500 scholarships to be awarded to students who are residents of the State of Alabama and planning to enter college the summer or fall of the year 2011. One scholarship will be awarded in each of the Association’s six designated Areas. This scholarship can be used at the college of his/her choice.

The Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District received 15 applications for this scholarship award program. We are pleased to announce that Miss Sarah Whitt who is a 2011 graduate of Carbon Hill High School won the $500.00 award for Area III. Sarah competed against students from 10 other counties in Area III to win this award. Congratulations to Sarah for winning this scholarship.

Walker County grazing clinic

A grazing clinic will be held in Walker County at the Carl Elliott Board of Education Building on April 28, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. with registration check in at 8:00 a.m. The registration fee for attending this clinic will be $30.00 and must be paid by April 15, 2011. Included in the registration fee will be a copy of Southern Forages, a forage measuring stick, additional educational materials as well as lunch. You can click on the registration brochures above for additional information. Please call the NRCS Jasper Field Office or The Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District at (205) 387-1879 for registration or questions.

2011 Arbor Day Program

In recognition of Arbor Week the Alabama Forestry Commission in partnership with the Walker County Forestry Planning Committee and the Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District provided tree seedlings to each 2nd grade student in Walker County on Thursday, February 24th.

Planting trees is a great way to improve our communities by providing cleaner air, shade to homes (reduces energy cost), reduces soil erosion and is aesthetically pleasing to the homeowner and the public. According to the Arbor Day Foundation properly placed trees can increase property values from 7%-21%.

We hope that families across the county will take part in this celebration and share the joy of planting trees.

Walker County Forestry Planning Committee Annual Tree Sale

The Walker County Forestry Planning Committee will hold it's annual tree sale event at the Jasper Wal-Mart Garden Center on Friday, March 18, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 19, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. All trees will be containerized or bare root seedlings and will be available on a first come first serve basis. Cost will be between $1.00 and $2.00 per tree. Please call 387-1879 for an itemized list. Proceeds go to promote conservation education in Walker County.

Winston County private applicator pesticide permit training

A training session will be provided for those needing to renew their pesticide permit or for those who are interested in getting their first pesticide permit. This program will be held on Tuesday, February 22, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. at the First National Bank Building in Double Springs. During this session participants will be given training for free; however, for those who choose to take the test there is a $25.00 charge for the three-year permit. There is also the option to use a take home self-study packet at any time of year. Most people find it more convenient to attend this class. To determine when your permit expires, check the first four digits on your card. For example, if the code is 0313, this would mean that the permit expires in March 2013.

Most farmers in Winston County get this permit so that they can buy Grazon (2,4-D + picloram) for pasture weed control. This herbicide does an excellent job on dogfennel (summer cedar). This permit will allow farmers to buy any restricted use pesticide.

Please contact the Winston County Extension office at 205 489-5376 with any questions.

ACDEA scholarship applications available

The Walker County Soil & Water Conservation District is now accepting applications for a $500.00 scholarship sponsored by the Alabama Conservation District Employees Association. Applicant must be a U. S. citizen, high school senior, and living in the State of Alabama. Applications may be picked up at the District office located in the Carl Elliott Board of Education Building, Suite 207, 1710 Alabama Avenue, Jasper, AL 35501. Deadline to receive completed applications in the District office is March 4, 2011. For more information, or to request an email copy please contact Katherine Patton at (205) 387-1879 or kpattonwalkersoil@gmail.com.

2010 Land judging contest

The Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District along with the Natural Resource Conservation Service hosted the 2010 annual land judging contest for high school students on October 26th at the farm of Ted Craven located in Parrish. Score cards are completed on four different land uses: cropland, pastureland, forest land and home sites. This event is designed to help the students learn more about land, soil types and capabilities, methods of soil conservation, treatments to obtain higher crop production and the selection of suitable home sites. There were eight schools from Walker, Fayette, Winston, Lawrence and Morgan Counties that participated in this year’s contest. We would like to extend a special thanks to Ted Craven for the use of his farm, District Three Commissioner Ben Huggins and his staff for digging the judging pits and to the Walker County Forestry Planning Committee for providing lunch.

Pictured above right: High individual score L-R: Chris Thrasher-Oakman High School Ag teacher, Daniel Goins-NRCS District Conservationist, James Curtis Tingle, Ted Craven-landowner, Dorman Grace-WCSWC District Chairman.

Pictured above left: Oakman High School 1st place L-R: Daniel Goins-NRCS District Conservationist, Chris Thrasher-Oakman High School Ag Teacher, James Curtis Tingle, Seth Cain, Olivia Chambers, Dustin Miles, Ted Craven-landowner, Dorman Grace-WCSWC District Chairman, not pictured Alex Ray.