The County Cooperator
Topsoil is vital to sustaining plant growth of all kinds and is typically lost through two means: wind erosion and runoff from precipitation or excess watering. Follow these guidelines to safeguard the soil around your home and garden and ensure that it remains hospitable to botanical life.
* Plant grass/trees to secure topsoil
* Grow windbreak cover
*Avoid compacting soil
* Employ no-digging gardening techniques
* Spread mulch over growing plants
* Dig drainage channels to guide runoff
* Till and contour garden
* Install rain barrel or catch basin
* Introduce earthworms to damaged soil
* Amend soil
A PUBLICATION OF THE JEFFERSON SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Nemeth Takes Oath of Office
Brent Nemeth was sworn into office as a Supervisor for the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District Board by Commissioner Eric Timmons during the January 9th County Commissioners meeting. He will represent Jefferson County as a member of the five-member publicly-elected board to assist with directing district programs and oversight of the District’s operations for a three-year term.
The Board of Supervisors is the governing body of Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District. The Board provides direction in carrying out the goal of enhancing, improving, and promoting the conservation natural resources in Jefferson County, assisting landowners both rural and urban.
Current Board members include: Mark Nelson Board Chair, Duayne Wetherell Vice Chair, Ken Perkins Treasurer, and Brent Nemeth Secretary.
Taking part in the ceremony were from left: Commissioner Eric Timmons, District Supervisor Brent Nemeth, Commissioner Tony Morelli and Commissioner Jake Kleineke.
Photo submission by: Sue Adey
Photo: Linda Harris, Herald-Star
CONSERVATION COOPERATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
Since 1962, the District has maintained the tradition of honoring county landowners practicing agricultural, forestry, and natural resources conservation on their properties. The recipients of the award are examples of land stewards who personify dedication and enthusiasm; and enjoy sharing their knowledge and experiences with others.
Chuck White meets all those qualifications and more. When you have an opportunity to talk with him, you realize right away that you have found a kindred spirit who truly loves nature and finds profound joy in being immersed in it.
On his farm website, he refers to his Knox township farm as a testament to the beauty and resilience of nature. He couldn’t be more correct. What isn’t so obvious is the tremendous role that he and his late wife Debra have played in managing the land in a way that has further enhanced what nature was already working on. Chuck saw the beauty and potential in the land, although much of the farms’ acreage was previously surface mined for coal; the potential for regenerating soils through grazing and forest cover; the potential for the future forest; the ecosystems unique to the history of the land use that created it. Today, the farm shines in a way that is in fact a testament to the beauty and resilience of nature, and a credit to the hardworking hands that are helping it along.
White focuses conservation efforts in numerous ways: forest
management to improve timber quality, quantity, and forest health, with 17 acres certified in the Ohio Tree Farm program; wildlife, including tree plantings, a pollinator field, and pond management; homesteading, including a sawmill, gardening, processing vegetables and meats, and maple syrup production; raising hardy and excellent foragers Khatadin sheep; and conservation education – with daily posts to Facebook about his work on the tree farm and educational information to spread the message of good forest management.
Another little-known fact about this year’s award winner is that he donates gifts such as maple syrup, homemade wine, handmade walking sticks and other items to the East Central Ohio Forestry Association’s annual banquet and auction, which supports sending participants to Camp Canopy. He, along with the Ohio Forestry Association, created a fund to sponsor youth to Camp Canopy in honor of his late wife, Deb.
Aidan Sammut had the pleasure to announce Chuck White of Debray Farm as the recipient of the 2024 Conservation Cooperator of the Year award.
Debray Farm Chuck White
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
The District’s annual meeting and banquet was also a time to honor and recognize Irene Moore’s thirty-seven year career in Soil and Water Conservation a career built on a deeply rooted and authentic commitment to conservation of natural resources and one spent growing, managing, and leading the District until her retirement at the end of September.
During the meeting, former Supervisor Board Jodee Verhovec spoke of Irene’s lifelong passion for her work, which was instilled in her as a child watching her father, Gabe Rozsa. Through his work at the Soil Conservation Service he showed her how to help farmers protect and conserve the county’s soil resources. Her beginnings with the local Soil and Water Conservation District started small, serving as the District’s lone employee and working with limited funding resources and program opportunities.
Irene’s motivation and vision for the District helped propel it forward with the support of key partners, mentors, and Board members. She recognized the value and importance of natural resources and always kept the District forward-facing and immersed in partnerships and community involvement. She was attentive to the changing land-uses within the county and worked with Board members to find ways that the District could assist its constituents.
Irene was also very active on a state and national level, advocating for natural resources conservation and employee engagement, first with the Ohio Association of Soil and Water Conservation District Employees (OASWCDE), then the North Central Region of District Employees and ultimately as President of the National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA), playing a key role in the National Conservation Planning Partnership. She also served on the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Board and helped advance the NCF-Envirothon and Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI) programs.
As Administrator of the District, she was a skilled leader, encouraging board and staff vision, participation, training and professional development. She eventually grew the District to a staff of seven, supporting both new and longstanding programming in agriculture, urban stormwater, youth education, watersheds, forestry, and natural resources recreation programs and projects.
During Irene’s tenure with the District, she tirelessly promoted the message of conservation and land stewardship with unwavering focus, hard work, and countless hours. She was a sincere advocate for county landowners, with a truly giving spirit and generous nature, admired and respected by her peers.
We are sincerely thankful for her leadership, mentorship, and friendship!
THE JEFFERSON SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRCT
INVITES YOU TO THE GRAND OPENING OF
NATIVE PLANT SALE QUANTITIES
METHOD TO ORDER & PAY IS ONLINE AT www.jeffersonswcd.org
Species are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Online ordering is recommended to ensure the species is available at the time of purchase.
Online orders are processed immediately. If you mail in an order form with payment some species may no longer be available.
500 Market St, Suite 4 Steubenville, Ohio 43952 740-264-9790
May 1, 2025
May 8, 2025
If Your Dirt is a Mystery to You, Soil Test!
Wendee Dodds, District Administrator
Have you ever started out the new year certain that you were finally going to take soil tests before applying lime and fertilizer; only to realize several months later that trekking across that massive hillside on the back forty just never made it to the top of the priority list? Sometimes, work and chores and changing seasons get ahead of us, and as a last resort we take the easier route and just put down the basics annually. But how can you be sure your fields really need it? A soil test on those fields can be a step toward solving the mystery.
If you inherently dislike chemistry as I do, it may seem like a daunting realization that the truth of the relationship between plant growth and soil nutrient levels is that it is a delicately-balanced exercise in chemistry. Which is precisely the reason why we should soil test before applying lime and fertilizer. There is no way to be sure about a field’s pH and nutrient needs unless we test it first. More is not always better, and can result in poor plant performance, and contribute to the glaring problem of excess nutrients in our waterways. Add in the increasing costs for lime and fertilizer, and the math becomes easier than the chemistry – it pays to soil test!
To help you get started, the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District is offering limited soil testing as a service to agricultural producers and growers in Jefferson County.
The District will send out staff to collect soil samples on up to 100 acres of crop or pasture fields per producer per year, at a cost $20 per sample. Fields over 20 acres or with differing management or landforms will require multiple samples and will be determined with you prior to sampling. A & L Great Lakes Laboratories will be used for sample analysis. In addition to soil test results, lime and fertilizer recommendations will be provided.
If soil testing through the District seems like the solution for you, we would like you to be there! It’s a great opportunity to catch up and talk about your farm. You don’t have to walk with us and collect samples over all of the acreage, but at the very minimum, we would like you to meet with us on site the morning of sampling to go over any pertinent items such as field maps, cropping history, yield goals, etc. If we will be testing pasture fields, we ask that you please remove livestock from the fields to be tested during sampling. Fields that have had recent applications of herbicide or pesticide will not be scheduled for testing until at least a week after application.
If you wish to test more than the 100-acre limit, or if you would like to take the samples yourself, the District can provide a soil sampling probe and empty sample bags. The sampling probe can be checked-out for a maximum of 10 days, and requires a $100 deposit, which will be returned to you when you bring the probe and filled sample bags back to the office. The cost of each sample taken yourself is $10.
The District also offers Complete soil testing for Home Gardens through A & L Great Lakes Laboratories. Samples can be taken by District staff or yourself. The Complete test is $40.00 and includes: organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, CEC, pH, buffer pH, conductivity, boron, copper, iron, manganese, sulfur, and zinc in graphic report format, along with up to three fertilizer recommendations.
Landowners can also purchase a Penn State Soil Sample Home-Test Kit for $11. Soil sample bag and instructions are included in the homekit. You must take, package, and mail in your own sample to the address listed in the home-kit.
To find out more, or to schedule soil sampling, please call the District office at (740)264-9790.
Are you a livestock manager who wants to learn more about improving your pastures and building resilience to weather events on your farm? Look no further than the Eastern Ohio Grazing Council!
Since 2010, the EOGC has inspired farmers in our communities to improve their land and their farms’ profitability by implementing grazing and forage management methods that boost soil health, reduce erosion, and protect water quality; serving as advocates for sustainable and environmentally-sound grazing practices.
Photo contest winners by category: Wonders of the Woods
Helen Grimm
Wings Up Close
Gary Bush
Three of a Kind
EOGC events are offered free of charge to the public, offering something for both new and experienced graziers who are interested in improving grazing operations on their farms.
Pasture walks begin in April and rotate to a different county each month. Events are held on the fourth Thursday of each month and start at 6 PM. Mark your calendars for the April pasture walk, which will be held in Harrison County on April 24th and the May pasture walk, which will be held in Jefferson County on May 22.
We invite you to enjoy a meal, talk to other farmers and natural resource partners, and learn more about managing your pastures for the
740-264-9790
Mission Statement
Conservation of Our Lands and Waters”
We are online and on Facebook www.jeffersonswcd.org
JSWCD BOARD:
Mark Nelson, Chair
Duayne Wetherell, Vice Chair
Brent Nemeth, Secretary
Ken Perkins, Treasurer
JSWCD STAFF:
Wendee Dodds, District Administrator
Aaron Dodds, Projects Manager
Mark Petho, Stormwater Resources Coordinator
Aidan Sammut, Cross Creek/Yellow Creek Watershed Program Mgr Open, Public Relations
PARTNERS:
Beth Kruprzak, District Conservationist
Crystal Conaway, Ag & Natural Resources Technician
Amy Browning, Bookeeping Manager/Program Assistant
ASSOCIATE BOARD MEMBERS:
Clint Finney, Civil Engineering Technician Dr. Eric Haenni
Stuart Heavilin, Soil Conservationist
Rachael Cline, Natural Resources Specialist
Hans Baltzly, Civil Engineering Technician
Jodee Verhovec
Kam Pendleton
Paul Sweeney
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) & JSWCD prohibit discrimination in all programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 202509410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer."
If you would like to stop receiving printed newsletters and would prefer to receive electronic versions via email, please instruct us by contacting us at 740-264-9790 or abrowning@jeffersoncountyoh.com
We appreciate your help in minimizing unwanted printed mail.
If you still want the print issue, no action is required.
JSWCD Board Meeting á April 21
Native Plant Tree Sale Orders Due á May 1
Native Plant Sale Pick-up á May 8
JSWCD Board Meeting á May 19
Memorial Day (Office Closed) á May 26
JSWCD Board Meeting á June 16
Juneteenth (Office Closed) á June 19
Independence Day (Office Closed) á July 4
JSWCD Board Meeting á July 21
Jefferson County Fair á August 11-17
JSWCD Board Meeting á August 18
Labor Day (Office Closed) á September 1
JSWCD Board Meeting á September 15
Farm Science Review á September 16-18
Columbus Day (Office Closed) á October 13
JSWCD Board Meeting á October 20
Veterans Day (Office Closed) á November 11
Thanksgiving Day (Office Closed) á November 27
JSWCD Board Meeting á November 17
JSWCD Board Meeting á December 15
Christmas (Office Closed) á December 25
