Events and Activities : Join Benton SWCD in celebrating Stewardship Week

As a part of the Benton County community for 72 years, the Benton Soil & Water Conservation District (Benton SWCD) wants to remind you that each of us has a connection to natural resources. It joins the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) in celebrating the 62nd year of Stewardship Week during April 30 through May 7, 2017. The 2017 Stewardship Week is themed "Healthy Soils Are Full of Life!"�

Soil is the starting foundation of all of the food we eat. "Making the connection back to the soil, where our food gets its start, is so important,"� says NACD's Gene Schmidt. "The next time you sit down to a meal, take a minute to think about where your food came from and the farmers and ranchers who helped produce it,"� As they work to produce food for the growing population, today's farmers and ranchers are dedicated to using responsible land management practices to ensure a sustainable food supply and healthy land and soil for future generations.

Benton SWCD was formed in 1945 to assist people with technical, financial and educational services for the conservation and wise use of all natural resources within Benton County. Henry Wehrman of Luzerne acts as this year's Chair for the District. The other publicly-elected Commissioners currently volunteering terms for the District include Robert Ritscher and Jeremy Sills of Keystone and Mark Happel and Mark Pingenot of Vinton.

In celebration of Stewardship Week, Benton SWCD has hosted its annual poster contest in the county's schools. This year's winner is Emma Bange of Norway Elementary School. Her poster moves on to Conservation District of Iowa's regional competition in east-central Iowa.

Want to join Benton SWCD in Stewardship Week's Handful of Soil campaign? Visit www.facebook.com/BentonSWCDIowa/ to join the fun!

For more information about Stewardship Week and conservation, contact Benton SWCD at 319-472-2161, extension 3 or visit the District at 1705 West D Street in Vinton. Additional information about Healthy Soils Are Full of Life! and other useful resource education is available on the NACD website at http://www.nacdnet.org/general-resources/stewardship-program/.

Benton SWCD is a member of the NACD which oversees the Stewardship Week program. Stewardship Week is one of the largest national annual programs to promote conservation. NACD represents the nation's 3,000 conservation districts, which were established to encourage resource conservation across the country.