Meet The Staff
Wake SWCD Board of Supervisors
Attention Producers!
The Wake SWCD anticipates receiving its cost share allocation for program year 2021 from the State in July, 2020.
Funds are available to assist farmers install conservation practices which help decrease the amount of sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus, chemicals and other pollutants in the surface and ground waters of our state.
Landowners and operators of existing agricultural operations may apply for cost share assistance to install conservation practices such as grassed waterways, cropland conversion to grass or trees, cover crops, livestock or irrigation wells, and livestock exclusion fencing. Funds may also be available to assist farmers who have an inadequate water supply that may be hauling water to livestock and vegetable fields.
Applications for assistance will be accepted starting in July. With limited funding expected, farmers and producers are encouraged to contact the Wake SWCD office as soon as possible.
Contact us at 919-250-1050 or email swcd@wakegov.com for more information.
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), will be accepting applications from agricultural producers for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). CFAP will provide up to $16 billion dollars in direct payments to provide relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
CFAP provides vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five percent-or-greater price decline or had losses due to market supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19. The program also assists those who face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities. This financial assistance gives farmers and ranchers the ability to absorb some of their lost sales and increased marketing costs associated with the economic havoc caused by the global pandemic.
Producers can apply for assistance through their local FSA office. Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020.
We've got you covered!
The Wake SWCD has received a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) grant to promote cover crop adoption in Wake County.
The Wake SWCD is soliciting applications from crop and livestock producers who want to plant cover crops (defined here as a crop that is not harvested) in 2020-2021. In order to be eligible, the land must be actively farmed and a soil test, not more than three years old, is required. Preference will be given to land in priority watersheds with the highest potential to reduce soil and nutrient loss.
For any questions, please contact the Wake SWCD office at 919-250-1050 or email swcd@wakegov.com.
Have you heard about the Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) Program?
The purpose of the VAD program is to:
Preserve and protect farmland from non-agricultural development.
Encourage the economic and financial health of agricultural areas.
Increase the identify and pride in the agricultural community and its way of life.
Over 8,000 acres of farmland have been preserved and protected through the VAD program in Wake County.
Eligible tracts of lands for the VAD program must have a minimum of 20 acres of qualified forestry, 10 acres of agriculture, or 5 acres of horticulture.
Recent Events
Our annual Keeping the Farm Workshop is a great opportunity for Wake County farm and forest landowners to learn about topics related to their concerns and interests for their property.
I can unequivocally attribute the fact that what we have taken away from the workshop has saved our family farm. -David Adams
If you missed the Keeping the Farm Workshop this year, you can view the full workshop video below.
Wake District's Conservation Poster Contest
This year’s “Wetlands Are Wonderful” Top 10 poster winners pose proudly with their framed certificates at the annual Conservation Awards Celebration hosted by the Friends of Wake Soil and Water Conservation District. All Top 10 are 5th grade students from four local elementary schools. The Top 3 poster winners won cash prizes of 1st Place - $100, 2nd Place - $50, and 3rd Place- $25 made possible by Novozymes North America Inc.
Front row, from left to right: 2nd Place Tyler Whitley - A.B. Combs Elem. in Raleigh, Christopher Wooten – Hunter Elem. in Raleigh, 3rd Place Leighton Little – A.B. Combs Elem., and Aneesh Pudipeddi – Green Hope Elem. in Cary
Second row, from left to right: Lizzy May – Abbotts Creek Elem. in Raleigh, Reneeka Roy, Nishka Nerkar, 1st Place Prisha Shah, and Laasya Kompella all from Green Hope Elem.
Back row: WRAL-TV 5 Meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner and former Wake District Director Dale Threatt-Taylor. Note: Missing from the photo is Jack Chapman – Hunter Elem.
Photo Credits: Chip Freund Photography
Fifth grader Prisha Shah of Green Hope Elementary in Cary proudly points to her two-time winning poster that won her $150, a “NCwetlands.org” tote bag, and the honorary title of “#1 Fifth Grade Wetlands Poster in Wake County!”
Photo Credits: Chip Freund Photography
Fourth grader Cora Young of Joyner Elementary in Raleigh proudly holds her three-time winning poster that won her $200, a “NCwetlands.org” tote bag, and the honorary title of “#1 Fourth Grade Wetlands Poster in Wake County!”
Photo Credit: Sheila Jones
For more information or to enter the annual contest for 4th and 5th graders in Wake County, email sbjones@wakegov.com.
2020 Resource Conservation Workshop (RCW) Wake County Scholarship Awardees
Before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 RCW at NC State University, these six Wake County high school students were selected to receive a competitive $550 scholarship from the Wake SWCD Board of Supervisors and Friends of Wake SWCD.
Braeden Bell (rising senior) Rolesville High School, Lucienne Boileve (rising senior) Enloe High School, Mae-Bryant Cates (rising senior) Broughton High School, Joy Othoo (rising junior) Wakefield High School, Olivia Trahan (rising junior) Garner High School, Shayne Zeller (rising junior) Holly Springs High School
Wake Green Schools Partnership Kick-off Event
A new partnership has formed between Wake County Public Schools System and a myriad of community partners to encourage every school to become an exciting place to actively learn about the environment whether indoors or out. At a special kick-off event held March 9th at Apex High School, nearly 200 educators and community partners met to share successes and new ideas to integrate environmental education across the school curriculum and to make local schools more sustainable. Wake District was there!
Wake Soil and Water Conservation District serves on the Wake Green Schools Environmental Literacy Committee and works closely with Wake schools to advance environmental literacy and encourage environmental stewardship through its education and volunteer programs. Free technical assistance is offered as workload allows, as well as several competitive cost-share programs that fund green schools best management practices.
For more information about the Wake Green Schools Partnership or the Wake District’s environmental education programs, contact Sheila Jones at sbjones@wakegov.com
Wake SWCD Accolades
After 26 years, Dale Threatt-Taylor retired from the Wake SWCD in December 2019. She is now serving as the Executive Director of the South Carolina Nature Conservancy.
Nicknamed the ‘Conservation Evangelist,’ Dale wants everyone in the city, county, state and nation to understand that locally-led conservation begins with an individual, and that all our conservation work matters.
Dale Threatt-Taylor was nominated and awarded the North Carolina Order of The Long Leaf Pine. She received the award at the Hugh Hammond Bennett Annual Awards Ceremony on February 28th, 2020. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is an honor granted by the State of North Carolina to individuals who have shown extraordinary service to the state. It is the highest award for state service granted by the Office of the Governor.
Photo by Bill Sandifer.
Mark Your Calendars!
Credits:
Created with images by Spencer Pugh - "I’m an uncle" • Agence Producteurs Locaux Damien Kühn - "Farming Potatoes" • Tarikul Raana - "untitled image" • Kawin Harasai - "Leaf" • Eric Rothermel - "Monthly schedule"