West Pottawattamie SWCD

09/24/2026

Underwood student places 1st at the Southwest Iowa Regional Level for the CDI Poster Contest!

The West Pottawattamie SWCD wishes to congratulate Underwood School student, Aiyanna, who placed 1st in Division 3 (4th-6th grade), Region 5 (Southwest Iowa), for the Conservation Districts of Iowa Poster Contest. The theme for this past year's contest was Soil. Where it All Begins. Congratulations to Aiyanna, and thank you to all of the students who participated in the CDI Poster Contest!

"The annual NACD and NACD Auxiliary Poster Contest provides students from kindergarten through 12th grade the chance to have their art displayed as part of a national conservation outreach initiative. Each year, the winning posters highlight the work of conservation districts and their state conservation associations, auxiliaries and agencies to protect and enhance natural resources." To learn more about the CDI/NACD Poster Contest visit https://www.cdiowa.org/get-involved/poster-contest/

09/04/2026

08/18/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Women Land Owner Meeting!

We held our annual WLO meeting last Wednesday (8/12/25) at Long Walk Farm. Our evening started out with a tour of the farm lead by Long Walk Farm Ag Director, Kristen Peterson and Co-Owner Matt Johnson. They provided amazing insight on produce production, orchard crops, cut-flower growing, and raising livestock with low global populations - like LaMancha Goats and Kunekune Pigs. Our night continued with a fascinating talk given by Cait Caughey, Mullein Hill Farm - Native Plant Grower. She discussed her background, how to grow and collect seeds from native plants, what a remnant prairie is, and a bounty of resources with information about growing and restoring prairie. A wonderful dinner was prepared by on-site chef, Seth Jonas, using ingredients that were grown right next to where we ate! We rounded off our night with a presentation from NRCS District Conservationist Laura Ferguson, starting with a group discussion on things we are proud of on our land, continuing with water quality testing opportunities, understanding your conservation plan, and how the NRCS and local SWCD's can help you achieve your conservation goals. Ending with a visit to the on-site farm store, full of produce and flowers from the farm along with items like honey, hand-made bags, meat, and pottery, all from local vendors.

Thank you again to everyone who attended this year's WLO meeting, those who presented on the day of, and to Long Walk Farm for hosting us!

08/05/2026

Upcoming Learning Opportunity!

Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Nishnabotna Watershed Project, will host a “Conservation On Tap” event on Thursday, Sep. 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Judge Richard Distillery in Carson. The event, which is available at no cost, will provide local farmers, landowners and urban residents with a chance to discuss and ask questions as well as enjoy complimentary food and samples from the Judge Richard Distillery for attendees 21 or older with RSVP. There will be an opportunity for networking following the event.

“Our intent with this event is to help build community through encouraging farmers, landowners and urban residents to talk about topics important within the community — what keeps them up at night, what challenges they see with conservation practices and what they want to learn more about,” said Liz Ripley, Iowa Learning Farms conservation and cover crop outreach specialist. “There will be no formal presentations, just a chance to talk, ask questions, listen and learn. We are looking forward to learning alongside everyone else who attends.”

This event will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about edge-of-field practices that help transform nitrate to a harmless gas, leading to cleaner water for all Iowans. Make plans to join the discussion to learn more about which conservation practices may work best on land in your area and what opportunities exist for technical and financial support.

Event hosts include Ripley, as well as Matt Helmers, Iowa Nutrient Research Center Director. Terry Richardson, Judge Richard Distillery Owner will begin the discussion by providing history of the distillery and highlighting the importance of water quality in the distilling process.

To ensure adequate space and food, please RSVP by Aug. 27 by calling 515-294-5429 or contacting [email protected].

To learn more about planned field days, virtual field days, webinars, and other conservation events, please visit the Iowa Learning Farms Events webpage.

08/03/2026

RSVP Reminder!

Our Women Land Owner (WLO) Meeting is coming up next week, on August 12th from 5pm to 8pm at Long Walk Farm!
If you haven't already, and would like to attend, please RSVP via the QR code on any of our WLO flyers, or contact us at (712) 328-2489/ [email protected]. Supper will be provided by the on-site chef, so RSVP is required to attend, please RSVP by August 7th, 2026.

We hope you will join us!

07/13/2026

Join us for our 2026 Women Land Owner Meeting!

This year's Women Land Owner (WLO) meeting will be held on August 12th, 2026, from 5pm-8pm, at Long Walk Farm.

Get a first hand look at a local, small-scale, regenerative operation focused on building a healthy and sustainable future. Everything will be held on farm grounds, and likely all outside, so please make sure to dress for the weather. On the farm tour you will meet farm owners Tiffiny Clifton and Matt Johnson, see native plants, pigs, goats, ducks, organic produce production, high tunnels, and orchard crops. Before dinner, which will be made by on-site chef Seth Jonas, native seed farmer Cait Caughey will discuss her native plant operation. During dinner NRCS District Conservationist, Laura Ferguson, will discuss conservation updates in the county, understanding your conservation plan, and up and coming water quality conservation efforts. At the end of the meeting our WLO's will have full access to the on-site Farm Store to shop the produce we just saw growing!

For more information about the tour, please see the attached flyer. If you have any additional questions, would like to rsvp, or need directions to the farm, contact our County Education Coordinator Laura Monson at [email protected] or via phone at (702)482-7059.

We hope you will join us!

07/06/2026

Save the Date for our 2026 Women Land Owner Meeting!

This year's Women Land Owner (WLO) Meeting will be held on August 12th, 2026 from 5pm-8pm at Long Walk Farm in Council Bluffs. Attendees may begin arriving at 4:30pm and the meeting will start at 5:00pm. Dinner will be provided by the on-site chef, Seth Jonas, so RSVP is required to attend. To RSVP, use the QR code on the attached flyer to submit a google form, call East (712-482-7059) or West (712-328-2489) Pottawattamie SWCD, or you can email us at [email protected].

More information on speakers and tour highlights coming soon!

06/15/2026

Join Polk Soil & Water Conservation District for their, Rooted in Resilience: Putting Biologicals and Livestock Impact to the Test, Field Day!

This field day will be held on Thursday July 9th, 2026 from 10am - 2pm at 15875 118th Ave. in Indianola, IA. For more information and to RSVP view the attached flyer.

06/02/2026

SouthWest Iowa Soil Health (SWISH) Meeting tonight in Madison County, it's the first stop in the Summer of Soil Health Tour!

Learn about incorporating new methods to build and improve soil health, including innovative soil amendments. A meal will be provided by Madison County Cattlemen, and make sure you bring a lawn chair and questions for the farmer host: Randy Gamble!

🪱We are one week away from our first Summer of Soil Health Tour stop!🪱
Be sure to register by call/text 319-541-2969 or email [email protected]; this helps us with numbers for food count!

Can’t wait to see everyone!