Dear Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners

Conservation Districts of Iowa

State Soil Conservation Committee

September 13, 2014

Dear Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners,

If we missed you at the 2014 Iowa Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners 68th Annual Conference, here were some of the highlights!

 363 attendees

o 156 Commissioners and Assistants represented 71 SWCDs

 29 speakers

o Speakers including farmers, youth, commissioners, district employees, and representatives from government agencies, universities, not for profit organizations and the private sector.

 18 exhibits

o Indoor and outdoor exhibits by SWCDs, government agencies, universities, not for profit organizations and the private sector.

 4 resolutions passed

o Flood reduction is made CDI priority

o Changes made to update CDI Bylaws

o CDI to create messaging campaign that claims all benefits of conservation practices and will encourage partners to do the same

o Revision in summer incentive rules related to IFIP/Cost Share to allow any conservation cover that has silage, forage, or bedding value be harvested or grazed as long as erosion control is preserved and there is no adverse effect to the newly constructed conservation practice (passed during pre-conference voting)  5 state winning posters

o State winning posters will be entered into national competition

 24 individuals, districts and business recognized for their contribution to conservation

 $12,655 generated for the CDI Scholarship Fund from SWCD contributions to the silent and live auctions, even more than last year!

 Conference photos are available at www.flickr.com/photos/cdiowa and conference presentations are available at www.cdiowa.org

Special thanks to our Annual Conference supporters: Iowa’s Soil and Water Conservation Commissioners & Districts for attending and contributing, to Agri Drain for their GENEROUS sponsorship and contribution to the program and exhibit area, to the Sheraton Hotel for hosting us, to B.E.S.T. Auction Services for putting on a GREAT live auction and to the Conference Planning Committee for their efforts over the last 6 months. The conference planning committee is made up of CDI Board & Staff, SSCC, IDALS-DSC and NRCS.

Don’t miss out next year! Please save the date and join us next year for the 2015 Iowa Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners 69th Annual Conference, September 1 & 2, Prairie Meadows Conference Center, Altoona

Sincerely,

Conservation Districts of Iowa & the State Soil Conservation Committee