Welcome

Submitted by Tokina McHarry, Education/Outreach Manager, James River SCD

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Is anyone out there as excited for spring as we are in the Soil Conservation Office? Spring always creates an exciting environment for us because it is our busiest season and we love it after the long winter. This year, we have roughly 20 miles of trees planned to be planted. For our county, this is what we would consider a “higher” amount and we couldn’t be more thrilled! Bringing back diversity and habitat is our fuel. Our 2027 clientele folder is already started so reach out asap if you are thinking about having trees planted in the future.

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If you haven’t yet, mark your calendars for the biennial Ladies Ag Night – March 23!! Please call the office at 349-3653, ext 3, to preregister by March 16. There is also an online form one can fill out. It is available at https://forms.gle/sj8wKs8Kbkv4x6G37. Once again, the event will be held at the Guelph Community Center and is FREE. It consists of a meal, speaker, and door prizes.

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Our speaker will be April Johnson. She will be focusing on using pollinator habitat as the foundation of resilient bird populations. Johnson is the NDSU Extension Pollinator Program Coordinator in the Department of Plant Sciences at North Dakota State University. She develops research-based publications and science curriculum, and leads statewide outreach initiatives focused on pollinator conservation, habitat restoration and community education.

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As mentioned last month, we are also planning a Grazing Logic Event in collaboration with the ND Grazing Lands Coalition.  Our planning so far has moved the event to September to ideally gather a larger audience. These events typically max out in participants – they are known to be extremely valuable to producers in the areas they are held. We are privileged to be able to host a Grazing Logic event in our area and can’t wait to have this come to fruition.

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The Governor’s Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program has been going well. A batch of applications for Dickey County were submitted for Round 1. Round 2 applications are due the end of March.

 

Applications can be submitted through the local SCD office. This program provides an opportunity for producers to seed marginal cropland into perennial grass, with a 5-year agreement required. The annual rental payment is based on the county average rental rate. There is cost-share for the grass seed and establishment costs. Also, unique to this program are possible crop insurance premium reductions.  And there are additional dollars available if hunting access is allowed through PLOTS.

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The program is administered through the ND Association of Conservation District and ND Game and Fish, with local delivery through Soil Conservation Districts and other partners.

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Upcoming Dates:

March 6, 2026 – Deadline for Keep North Dakota Clean entries

March 9, 2026 - SCD Board Meeting, Ellendale Service Center

March 10-12, 2026 – SCD District Staff Annual Meeting, Bismarck

March 15, 2026 – ND Waterfowl Brigade application deadline

March 16, 2026 – Ladies Ag Night RSVP due

March 23, 2026 – Ladies Ag Night, Guelph Community Center

March 27, 2026 – LEGACY application deadline, round 2

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For more information contact the James River Soil Conservation District and Ellendale NRCS office at 349-3653, ext. 3. Our field office is in Ellendale at 51 N. 1st Street. Also, remember to visit the James River Soil Conservation District Facebook page and our websites for more information –http://www.jamesriverscd.org/ and http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/nd/home/. The NRCS is an equal opportunity employer, provider and lender.