Tuesday, November 13th, 2018 at 7:50am
Clermont County’s Water Resources Lab is hiring – see the job posting: https://t.co/eSE3UOstpd
Tuesday, November 13th, 2018 at 7:50am
Clermont County’s Water Resources Lab is hiring – see the job posting: https://t.co/eSE3UOstpd
On October 11, David Daniels, the Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, visited Clermont County to recognize Shaw Farms in Miami Township as an “Ohio Bicentennial Family Farm.”
Jean Shaw receives proclamation from ODA Director Daniels
On October 11, David Daniels, the Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, visited Clermont County to recognize Shaw Farms in Miami Township as an “Ohio Bicentennial Family Farm.” This extraordinary designation identifies Shaw Farms as being owned and operated by the same family for over 200 years.
Founder Thomas Shaw moved to Clermont County from Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1807 when he purchased 68 acres in Miami Township. The following year, Shaw purchased an additional 63 acres from none other than General William Lytle, who some recognize as the “Father of Clermont County.” Thomas’ son, James Shaw, purchased the current property in 1834. His son, William, helped run the farm until he was captured during the Civil War and died at the notorious Andersonville prison camp.
Today, Shaw Farms is run by members of the family who are six to eight generations removed from the founder, and is led by matriarch Jean Shaw, who at age 87 still works full days at the farm. The future of the farm is in good hands, with ninth and tenth generation children living and playing on the farm. Shaw Farms is perhaps best well known for the produce they sell and their annual Fall Festival, which includes a corn maze, an interactive playground, hayrides and more. This year’s festival runs from September 15 through October.
In addition to Director Daniels, certificates of achievement were present to Shaw Farms by Senator Joe Uecker on behalf of the Ohio Senate, Representatives John Becker and Doug Green on behalf of the Ohio House of representatives, and Commissioner David Painter on behalf of the Clermont County Board of Commissioners.
Shaw Farms, located at 1737 SR 131, Milford, is holding its annual Fall Festival through October. The features a huge corn maze with a kid-friendly treasure hunt, two interactive playgrounds, horse and tractor drawn hayrides, pumpkins and fresh produce. Hours are from 9 a.m. through 7 p.m. For more information on Shaw Farms, visit their web site at www.shawfarms.com.
The 2018 Spring Litter Clean-Up was another successful event with 438 volunteers cleaning up 12 sites and removing nearly 3 tons of trash from our waterways and parks across Clermont County and the East Fork Little Miami River watershed!
A big thank you to our event sponsors: the Duke Energy Foundation, the Southern Ohio Association of Realtors (SOAR), the Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Buckeye United Fly Fishers (top right).
Thank you also to our partners: the Clermont County Office of Environmental Quality (OEQ), Clermont 
County Park District, Ohio State University Extension, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) – Division of Parks & Division of Watercraft, Highland SWCD, Harsha Lake U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
Save the Date! Next year’s event will be held on Saturday, April 20th, 2019.
Clermont SWCD is proud to report that we are the recipient of a watershed management grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The grant will provide nearly $40,000 in the coming year to help with projects in the East Fork Little Miami River watershed, and may be renewed for two more years.
The district will consider various projects to address water quality of urban storm water runoff and hazardous alga blooms (HAB’s) that have affected Harsha Lake at East Fork State Park the last few years. A portion of the funding will be dedicated to Brown, Clinton and Highland SWCDs for activities in their portions of the watershed. Check our web site or follow us on Facebook to follow our progress.
Clermont SWCD is seeking candidates for its Board of Supervisors. Two supervisors will be elected at the Annual Meeting which will be held on September 13.
Board Supervisors guide the district, its staff, and cooperating agencies in efforts to implement conservation programs in the county that address management and conservation of soil, water and related resources. Board members should have a sincere interest in conservation and must have the enthusiasm, dedication and the time to serve as an elected official. This is a volunteer position, but supervisors can be reimbursed for mileage & expenses (registration, lodging, meals, etc.) related to events involving soil & water professionals.
What a potential supervisor needs to know:
* Candidate must be over 18 years old and a resident of Clermont County
* This is a volunteer position and runs in 3 year terms
* Board meetings are on the second Wednesday of the month at 8:00 AM and normally run 1 ½ to 2 hours.
* Attendance at occasional outside meetings, events or trainings is required
If you are interested in becoming a Board Supervisor for Clermont SWCD, please email or call John McManus, District Administrator at (513) 732-7075 Ext: 103.
Interactive stream table displayed by Clermont SWCD during last year’s event to demonstrate how streams function and the influence people have on them.
Join Clermont SWCD along with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Ohio Division of Watercraft, Ohio Division of Parks, National Wild Turkey Federation, Clermont County parks, and others during the third Natural Resources Day which will be held at the Clermont County Fair at the Lykins Pavilion on Tuesday, June 24, 2018.
Archery, BB-guns, reptiles, and other hands on exhibits will be on display. Meet with representatives from local conservation clubs, Ohio Trappers Association, local sportsmen clubs and SWCD. Representatives will be available to discuss natural resource related issues and how you can improve wildlife habitat on your property.
As many of you know, ponds are not natural in Clermont County. All the ponds that you see have been constructed throughout the years for many different purposes. Today there are over 5,000 ponds that dot our landscape. Why are there so many and how has SWCD helped residents plan, install and maintain these features?
In 1943, when Clermont SWCD began helping landowners with soil problems, ponds were installed to remove livestock from creeks and provide a source of water during drought. Beginning in the 1940’s ponds were designed and constructed throughout the county by Soil Conservation Service (now NRCS) and SWCD for this purpose; 207 were installed by 1954. Hundreds were constructed throughout the 1950’s to 1980 with over 500 more constructed.
Cheaper means of getting livestock water, such as public waterlines that were crisscrossing the county caused a shift in funding away from ponds. The district now designs livestock watering facilities from some of these ponds, but most water comes from public water systems.
Fishing lakes also became popular during this time with 19 reported lakes in 1970 including the colorful named Bob and John’s Ding-a-ling Lake. Eventually larger lakes were installed in the county for flood control and other purposes including Stonelick Lake in 1950 and Harsha Lake (East Fork Lake) in 1978.
Many of these ponds are still on the landscape today, with many landowners still seeking assistance from SWCD for continuing maintenance. In 1958, SWCD began partnering with other organizations and professional pond care specialists to educate pond owners at pond management clinics. These clinics were held every two years or so into the 1980’s. In 1992 after a few years absence, SWCD began their annual pond clinic that is still popular today.
The purpose of a pond today has changed from when we started constructing them for drought purposes, but ponds are still desired for other reasons and each year more are constructed. Most ponds constructed today are for recreational or storm water control. If you own or maintain a pond built through the drought program, most likely it may not meet the needs of today. Most of these ponds have outlived their life expectancy and will need to be rehabbed as per the pond owner’s desires.
To find out more, join us at our next Pond Clinic on April 10th. Learn how to combat nature that is always affecting a pond and learn new techniques and stocking recommendations to maximize your pond potential.
From left – Mark Hatfield, Ernie Hatfield, Lowell Hatfield, John McManus, Administrator, Todd Winemiller, Board Member
The Hatfield Brothers including Mark, Lowell, and Ernie are located in Franklin Township. They have been farming in the Felicity area since the mid 1970s. From the beginning, they have been exploring different ways to improve their farming operations, especially from the conservation side of things. Currently, the Hatfields farm around 1000 acres, all of it no-till, and practice conservation crop rotation, but they have placed a special focus on cover crops.
Showing their imaginative and innovative side, they have modified their combine by adding seeder boxes and seed tubes, so that during harvest, the cover crop seeds are planted in between the crop rows. For the past two years, they have successfully planted cover crops on every field they farm.
They have always been willing to share information on their unique planting method at field days hosted by Soil and Water, and Ernie Hatfield was one of five farmers highlighted in our Cover Crop Farmers of Southwest Ohio booklet.
The Clermont Soil and Water Conservation District commends the Hatfield Brothers for their stewardship efforts, and for being active partners in helping to protect the land and valuable natural resources of the county.
Thanks to all our cooperators for all the conservation best management practices installed this year!
2600 The Farm Fence, pipeline, HUA, watering facility
Doug Auxier Cover crop
Roy Barger Jr. Brush management (3)
Thomas Bellar Conservation cover, herbaceous weed control
Bob Bolce Brush management (3)
Tina Bosworth Conservation Stewardship Program
Cincinnati Nature Center Conservation cover
Cornwell Family Partner Cover crop
Weiderhold Farms Nutrient management, Cover crop
Charles Ernstes Brush management(3)
Bob Fee Cover crop
James Fulton Cover crop
Carlos Hamilton Critical area planting, roof and cover (2)
Hal Herron Cover crop
Ted Hollender Nutrient management, Cover crop
Rob Hutchinson Cover crop
L & L Farm Holdings Forage planting (2)
James Liming Cover crop
Mark Liming Nutrient management, Cover crop
Michelle McClain Forage planting (2), pipeline, watering facility, HUA, access road, underground outlet, brush management
Jim Metzger Brush management (2)
Jeremy Myers Cover crop
James Napier Nutrient mgt. plan
Tony Panetta Cover crop
Louis Rose Cover crop
Tim Rose Grassed waterway (2)
Verleigh Powers Fence
Don Smith Brush management (2)
Charles Stahl Cover crop
James Stahl Cover crop
John Stahl Cover crop
Robert Stahl Cover crop
James Tolliver Brush management (2)
Dave Uible Conservation Stewardship Program
Varick Family Trust Brush management (3), forest stand improvement
Laura Weber Brush management (5)
David Werring Nutrient management
Tim Werring Nutrient management, cover crop
Tony Werring Nutrient management, cover crop
David Werring Nutrient management, cover crop
Cost of Living: 1943 vs. 2016
| Average cost of new house | $3,600 | $ 288,000 |
| Average wages per year | $2,000 | $ 57,617 |
| Cost of a gallon of gas | $0.15 | $ 1.95 |
| Average cost for house rent | $40/mo. | $ 1,021/mo. |
| Bottle of Coca Cola | $0.05 | $ 1.75 |
| Average price for a new car | $900 | $ 34,300 |
Average Crop Production, 1943
| Commodity | Yield Bu./Ac. | $/Bu. |
| Corn | 32.6 | $1.08 |
| Soybeans | 18.3 | $1.81 |
| Wheat | 16.4 | $1.35 |
Average Crop Production 2016
| Commodity | Yield Bu./Ac. | $/Bu. |
| Corn | 174.6 | $3.40 |
| Soybeans | 52.1 | $9.50 |
| Wheat | 52.6 | $3.85 |