November 2015
The Mustang Soil and Water Conservation District #242 (SWCD) recentl received a plaque from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in recognition of 75 years of service to Martin and Glasscock County farmers and ranchers.
For 75 years local farmers and ranchers have worked with Mustang SWCD, a group designed to deliver a local program, based on local needs, that promotes the wise use of our natural resources.
SWCD’s are a subdivision of state government, like a county or a school district. The plan of work, programs, and activities of the district are developed according to the local needs in the district. To assure these local needs are addressed, the district has a board of five directors who are local landowners who are farmers or ranchers and are elected by their fellow landowners. Each director represents a different section of the district where he or she owns land and farms or ranches that land. This assures geographical representation for the entire district.
The current Mustang SWCD members are: District 1- Shelly Hightower (Treasurer), District 2- David Chandler (Vice-Chairman), District 3- Mike Black, District 4– Tim Martin, and District 5– Kevin Cave (Chairman). Lena Taylor has served as the District Manager since August of 2018.
Directors receive no salary and have accepted their positions because they believe in the local, voluntary SWCD approach. The purpose of Mustang SWCD is to identify long range opportunities for the conservation and development of natural resources within the district.
Annual activities include a field day, Ag Appreciation Day Luncheon, and an essay scholarship contest. Mustang SWCD is currently promoting the use of both cool season and warm season mixed species cover crops as a way to improve soil health and productivity. They work with West Texas Nursery, part of Texas A&M Forest Service, in Idalou, TX, to promote tree establishment for use in windbreaks. The SWCD also provides native seed sales in the area that are used for everything from planting after clearing of mesquite to planting for erosion control on areas that have been recently disturbed.
While SWCD’s partner with federal, state, and local agencies, their primary conservation partner is the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), part of the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA). Through Memoranda of Understanding with USDA and NRCS, local SWCDs are able to furnish technical assistance to farmers and ranchers in the preparation of a complete soil and water conservation plan tailored to meet each land unit's specific capabilities and needs.
SWCD’s can partner with any group or source available in addition to those already mentioned. For example, newspapers, magazines, radio stations, schools, churches, civic clubs, garden clubs, business firms and other organizations can be valuable partners with the conservation district in their community. By contacting the local district, these groups can discover what services they can provide that will assist the conservation efforts within the SWCD, and how the SWCD could be a resource for new partners.
Since its creation in 1941 Mustang SWCD has worked to bring about a widespread understanding of the necessity of soil and water conservation and how it relates to meeting the needs of local agriculture producers. We can look forward to this kind of conservation leadership for years to come.
Anyone interested in partnering with the SWCD, or just wanting to find out more about programs and services the SWCD provides, can contact them by phone at (432)756-3421 or by mail at P.O. Box 1070, Stanton, TX 79782.