The Barton County Soil Conservation District will hold its annual meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 14, at the Barton Community College Student Union. This marks the 69th anniversary of the district.
A dinner will be served, door prizes and awards for student posters and conservation recognition.
There will be a review of the work from the past year and outlines for the plans for 2017. District officials ask that those wishing to attend RSVP by Jan. 6, so they can get a meal count. Call Pam Tucker, district manager, at 620-792-3346 ext. 3.
“The Barton County Soil Conservation District was organized Nov. 23, 1946,” Tucker said. The Board met on Jan. 28, 1947. Due to the Dust Bowl, exceedingly severe soil erosion resulted in the passage of the Conservation District Law by the Kansas Legislature in 1937. This legislation lead to the formation of conservation districts in Kansas.
“The Barton County Soil Conservation District held its first annual meeting on the fifth day of February, 1948. It was a stormy day but there were over 100 present to review the work of the past year and discuss plans for 1948.” So it was written the first paragraph of the first minutes of the first annual meeting.
Assistance from the Soil Conservation Service, now known as the Natural Resource Conservation Service, was requested. Some applications for assistance were on hand and the work of planning and establishing conservation measures on these farms started immediately.
“Today Soil health has improved along with crop yields,” Tucker said. “But continued due diligence is required to maintain soil health and control soil erosion.”