Hardin County SCD

Hardin County’s Horse Creek Days

By Elizabeth Gibbs Hardin Co. SCD Secretary

Summer Break is arriving soon, and soon the kids will get outside! In Hardin County some school kids got a chance to get out of school early for a special event known as “Nature Days”, even before summer break. As part of this event, the Hardin County Soil Conservation District, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency came together to help educate the 4^th graders of all Hardin County schools for a couple of sunny days in early May.

Horse Creek Days 2018 Jared Mike

Mike Hansbrough (NRCS Area Biologist) and Jared Kelley (NRCS Soil Conservationist) talk to students on the banks of Horse Creek as part of Nature Days in Hardin Co.

The event is held at Horse Creek Wildlife Sanctuary and Animal Reserve, a property that contains over 2,000 acres devoted to the safety and security of wildlife native to the area. The Hardin Co. SCD and NRCS have participated for the past 13 years in the annual Horse Creek Nature Days event, manning the Water Quality Station, and informing young students about erosion, sediment, and conservation efforts that affect water quality. The students were able to observe many forms of live specimens collected from the creek each morning by NRCS’s Mike Hansbrough, Martha Griffin, Jared Kelley, and along with TWRA’s Chris Hunter.

Students were involved in hands on learning handling many aquatic insects, crayfish, minnows, and other creatures. The question and answer portions were especially lively, as students asked many questions about the environment, animals, and conservation. Many students volunteered information concerning their future goals which included becoming: biologists, veterinarians and conservationists. Horse Creek Days were a great success due to the knowledge of those who were willing to volunteer and help with our local area students.

snip2 snip 3

Martha Griffin and Chris Hunter along with 4^th grade students from Hardin Co. Schools.

Farming Heritage

Farming Heritage

Since its founding, Tennessee has had a rich farming heritage. With due care, this heritage will continue along with growth and progress into the foreseeable future.

The Century Farms program, administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, recognizes farms owned for a hundred years or more by the same family.

The Farmland legacy emphasis of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture seeks ways to preserve the state's farmland while keeping farms profitable. Every year, Tennessee loses approximately 60,000 acres of farmland. With the provided resources, this trend can be slowed or reversed.

You can register your farm name with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and receive an official farm name certificate.