The Jefferson County Soil

The Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) was organized in 1944 by landowners interested in protecting and improving our countys most precious renewable natural resources of soil, water woodland and wildlife. The SWCD is a subdivision of the state of Kentucky and is governed by a seven-member, locally elected board. Assistanc... e to the public is provided at no charge through the Jefferson County SWCD. The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) personnel provide technical assistance to the soil and water conservation district and their clientele through a cooperative agreement. The board members govern the activities of the SWCD as set forth in Chapter 262 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes. Our mission is to conserve and assist in the development of all renewable natural resources within the district. In so doing, the district is authorized to undertake, sponsor, or participate in projects and activities which promote the conservation, development, maintenance and use of the land, water, trees and other natural resources of the district. We work towards this mission through the following objectives: The history of conservation districts begins with the Dust Bowl. As settlers moved out west, agriculture boomed, especially as demand for wheat corn, and other row crops rose in the late 1800s and into the early 1900s. Over decades, farmers stripped the Southern Plains of native grasses and over plowed the bare land. Years of drought and strong winds in the 1930s removed nearly 100 million acres of loose, nutrient-rich topsoil, blowing it thousands of miles away. Without topsoil, the agricultural land was lost. After the Dust Bowl, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the creation of Conservation Districts in every state and county across the US to teach farmers, landowners, and the general public how to protect the soil, water, and air. In 1940, the Kentucky General Assembly passed enabling legislation, KRS Chapter 292, which allowed local ...Read More