Annual Report 20-21 Simpson

Simpson County
Conservation District
2020-2021 Annual Report
Services 2-8
Education 9-13
Outreach 14-19
Supervisors 20-21
Thank You 22

Page 2
Kentucky State Cost Share
Simpson County landowners receive cost share funding from the KY State Cost Share Program. Protecting
and improving natural resources, bringing revenue to local business owners by utilizing their goods and
services. KY State Cost Share allocated $50,003 for 2020 & $64,732 for 2021.
Simpson County Conservation Best Management Practices.
75/25% Cost Share Program up to $20,000/producer
Livestock Waterer—Heavy Use Area
From Tank to LW-HUA = Cleaner Drinking Water & Healthier Animals
Cover Crops = Healthy Soils, Less Soil Erosion & Better Quality Water

Environmental Quality Incentives Program
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) federal program, EQIP, provides financial and technical
assistance to agricultural and forestry producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver
environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water,
reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, and improved or created wildlife habitat. Conservation
Stewardship Program (CSP) helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your
operation. It is the largest conservation program in the United States with more than 70 million acres of
productive agricultural and forest land enrolled in CSP.
Simpson County landowners will receive over $600,000 in cost share payments to ensure less
soil erosion and cleaner better quality water for Simpson County residents.
Erosion Control
Blanket
Page 3
Photo Left: Erosion Control Blanket pinned
in waterway to seed and straw this area for
control of soil erosion and surface water
run-off.
Rentals
Rentals at a low cost.
Aerator
*Improves water, nutrient and
oxygen movement into the soil.
*Promotes root growth for a healthier
lawn or pasture.
Pin Driver
*Pin down Erosion Control Blankets
with ease.

Page 4
Managing Poo
Ricky Keen Farms in Simpson County being filmed and interviewed for the Mammoth Cave
Area Virtual Field Day which aired in Fall of 2020 (pgs 18-19). Amanda Gumbert, UK Extension
Water Quality Special (bottom right), interview for use in a Virtual Conservation Field
Day, Ag Water Quality videos and Manure Spreader Calibrations videos. These will come
out in 2021-2022.

Manure Spreader Calibration
Tammy Barnes, University of Kentucky, Animal and Food Sciences
Page 5
Ms. Barnes demonstrating manure spreader calibration for the Nutrient Management
Plan. A NMP is required of landowners spreading manure as a good source of natural
inexpensive fertilizer. Spreader calibration is an important piece of managing
manure as a source of nutrients. It provides the operator with an application rate

Page 6
Environmental Grant
KY State Cost Share
Through the Kentucky Soil Erosion and Water Quality State Cost Share program, environmental grants are
provided to the conservation districts for reduction of agricultural non-point source pollution of surface or
groundwater.
These projects are used to educate the public of pollution problems and demonstrate effective alternatives
to encourage the adoption of new management techniques or measures. The maximum grant amount is
$7,500 per year per district.
Programs funded:
Soil Testing * Backyard Conservation * Dead Animal Removal * Tree Giveaway
Educational Materials for Community & Schools
Soil Testing
Tree Giveaway
Free Soil Test
Vouchers
Call Today:
Make the Most
Out of Your Soil
Dead Animal
Removal
For Simpson County residents, this
program provides cost share stock
mortality pick-up. This program aims to
improve Simpson County’s Water Quality by
keeping the animals out of waterways and
sinkholes.

Backyard Conservation
Page 7
New this spring at SCCD is our Backyard Conservation Program!
This is a program to aid in urban and backyard conservation.
Participants can receive up to $100 in cost share for
rain barrels, compost bins, raised garden beds, and more!
Water Quality
We offer assistance completing the Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Plan. This plan consists of best
management practices (BMPs) from six areas: silviculture (forestry); pesticides and fertilizers; farmstead;
crops; livestock; and streams and other waters. We have assisted over 75 producers this year create or
update their plans. These plans are imperative to water quality in the city, county, state, and nation.
Kentucky requires landowners with 10 acres or more to have this plan.

Page 8
County Agricultural Investment Program
CAIP
Kentucky Office of Agriculture Policy
Tobacco Settlement Funds 2020 - $79,103
CAIP offers 11 investment areas that give Kentucky agricultural producers the ability to
increase net farm income, add value to their products, and diversify their operation.
* Agricultural Diversification * Large Animal * Small Animal * Farm Infrastructure * On-farm Energy
* Fencing & On-farm Water * Forage & Grain Improvement
* Poultry & Other Fowl * Technology & Leadership * Value-added & Marketing * 50/50 Cost Share

Page 9
TVA—Thank You!!!!
Thank You Tennessee Valley Authority Outreach Program!
The Simpson County Conservation District has been the proud recipient of a $5,000 Environmental
Education Stewardship grant from the TVA Outreach Program in 2019.
Many educational opportunities would not have been possible without the educational
funding from TVA Outreach Program.
Envirothon Goes
Virtual
Art & Writing
Contest
Franklin-Simpson Envirothon Teams
honing their skills.

Page 10
Boardroom to ZOOM!!
COVID19 Pandemic 2020-2021 changed the way we met, how we communicated and where we worked.
But it did not stop the work or training of the Conservation Districts in the
Commonwealth of Kentucky or Simpson County.
Conservation works to improve soils and better quality water, especially during times of trouble!
SCCD Board
meets 7am
Monday
Mornings via
Zoom.
Smiling faces!
Conservation
keeps working
despite
COVID 19
Pandemic of
2020-2021.

Page 11
Going virtual and on the air!
LOOK before you TRIM
Hummingbird nests are only about the size of
your thumb and are toward the outer edges of
greenery.

Page 12
Towers to Tables
The Simpson County Conservation District (via TVA EES Fund) was proud to sponsor the
Simpson Elementary School STLP Team (Science Technology Leadership Program) for their
2 year, 2019-2021, Hydroponic Tower Garden project. Their regional presentation in the
Fall of 2019 earned them a spot for State Competition for Spring 2020. Due to COVID19
the SES STLP Team was unable to compete. The STLP Team learned about hydroponic
gardening, put the tower together, started the plants from seed, added plants to the tower,
tended the plants, monitored water quality, added fertilizer as needed, harvested the
produce, provided produce for the salad served at the SC Conservation Banquet 2020 and
made a presentation of this Hydroponic Tower Garden Project to the banquet guests.
Coming Fall 2021
Hydroponic Tower Garden & Container Gardening at Lincoln Elementary School
Raised Bed Gardens at Simpson Elementary School

Page 13

Page 14
Conservation Fridays - WFKN Radio
In January 2021, Michelle Estes, SCCD District Operations Manager,
joined host Brian Davis of WFKN Radio
at 8 am on the Morning Farm Show
Discussions Include
• Dairy Month with Jeremy Robertson
• Homemade Bird Feeders
• Rain Gardens
• Spring Time Planning
• Composting
• Soil Testing Vouchers—Gardens & Yards
• Backyard Conservation
• Humming Bird Migration & Feeders
• Cover Crops
• Watersheds
• Roadway Farm Equipment Safety
Programs
• Community Agriculture Improvement Program
CAIP
• Kentucky State Cost Share
KySCS
• Dead Animal Removal
DAR
• Backyard Conservation
• Soil Test Vouchers

T
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Free Dairy & Vegetable Products
Page 15
FSMS 7th grader, Bella Robertson, facilitated a free dairy giveaway to Simpson County residents. Ms.
Robertson applied as a dairy farmer host to work with the Kentucky Dairy Development Council and Prairie
Farms to distribute nutritional dairy and vegetable products to citizens of Simpson County as part of the
USDA Covid Relief established to help dairy farmers.
Approximately 1,100 households were served at a value of $50,000
18 Community Volunteers — (BL) Michelle Estes, SCCD

Page 16
KACDE
Michelle Estes
SCCD
District
Operations Manager
AREA 2
Employee
Representative
NRCS
Where is
Hunter Bevil?
In the Field,
Putting
Conservation
on the
Ground!!
Farm/City Week
NRCS (L)
&
SCCD (R)
displays downtown
Franklin-Simpson
on the Square
for
National Farm-City
Week 2020.
Tri-County Farm Tour
Cancelled due to COVID19
Looking forward to touring again in 2022
Champion Pets, Bluegrass Vineyard, Hilltopper Creamery & Berrylicious Orchard

Page 17
RINSE & RETURN
Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Simpson Co. Extension and Simpson Co. Conservation District
join for Rinse & Return of used farm containers previously filled with
pesticides to be recycled.
Billy Walker—Kentucky Department of Agriculture

Page 18
Winter Feeding for Cattle
This concrete winter feeding pad with a hay rack helps manage resource concerns associated with winter
feeding sites in pastureland settings. The landowner can deliver the hay straight from a nearby barn into
the hay rack from outside of the pasture fence. This helps reduce tracking through wet muddy pastures
and allows manure stacking for less leaching into water sources and later distribution on fields.
Manure scraped and piled to be spread on
fields as natural fertilizer

Page 17 19
Ricky & Kay Keen, Landowners—Simpson County, KY

Page 20
‘Mr. Jeff’
Many thanks to Jeff “Mr. Jeff” Holder for his years of service to SCCD 2013-2020. Jeff Holder is an avid
forestry conservationist. He has planted thousands of trees in his lifetime. He loves to work with children
and become “Mr. Jeff” while talking FES students about “Who Takes Care of Trees”. He is pictured with
his original ‘Smokey the Bear’. Jeff loved to give out trees on Earth Day and talk to the community
describing the trees, their care and their pricelessness to our community. He felt it was a privilege to be a
Supervisor on the Simpson County Conservation District Board. We wish him well.

Page 21
Larry Gomer Buster Estes Bruce Akin
Chairman Vice-Chairman Secretary/Treasurer
Joe Cushenberry Chad Konow Anthony Denning
Member Member Member
Bart Roberts— New Supervisor 2021
A lifetime Simpson County resident, and 1995 WKU graduate, Mr.
Roberts works fulltime on his family farm. Crops include corn,
wheat, soybeans, and he has diversified, adding vegetable produce
and pumpkins.
Mr. Roberts has served the community on the boards of Simpson
County Extension Council, Simpson County Agricultural
Development Board and the Simpson County Agricultural
Awareness Committee. He has participated in Soil Conservation
programs over the years and has first hand knowledge about the
importance of his role on the Soil & Water Conservation Board. He
is married to Kim (works with him fulltime on the farm), has two
daughters, Jessica and Zoie, and granddaughter, Macie.

Page 22
Simpson County Conservation District takes pride in our partnerships with local agencies. All the programs
offered through SCCD are made better with partners and friends. We realize the importance of these
relationships and would like to thank them for their efforts.
THANKS TO:
Simpson County Fiscal Court
Kentucky Division of Conservation
Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts
Kentucky Association of Conservation District Employee
Kentucky Division of Forestry
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy
Simpson County Agriculture Awareness Committee
Simpson County UK Cooperative Extension Service
Tennessee Valley Authority Outreach Program
Hunter Bevil
NRCS Soil Conservationist
Serving Simpson and Allen Counties
Michelle Estes
District Operations Manager & Education and
Outreach Coordinator
SIMPSON COUNT Y
@simpsoncountyconservationdistrict
CONSERVATION DISTRICT
1300 Bluegrass Rd., Suite B
Franklin, KY 42134
CALL: 270-850-3122
EMAIL: sccd2015@yahoo.com