What is a Voluntary Agricultural District?

A Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) is an area where agricultural production is promoted and encouraged. It is NOT zoning. It is a public awareness program where farmers agree to keep their land in agricultural production for a designated period of time. Upon approval of an application and certification of eligibility, landowners in the Voluntary Agricultural District may purchase an attractive sign designating their land as being a Member in the Johnston County Voluntary Agricultural District Program. These signs will tell passersby that you, the farm owner, are committed to the protection of the agricultural way of life in Johnston County. Persons buying land in these areas will do so with the knowledge that an agricultural operation exists within 1/2 mile. This information will be disseminated to other county agencies such as the Tax Office, GIS, Register of Deeds, and Planning Office for their records in notifying the public of the proximity of a VAD member. Johnston Soil & Water has received a grant for the promotion of VAD in Johnston County. The next 70 landowners who apply and are approved to become a member of the VAD will receive a double sided 24" x 36" VAD sign, free of charge, to display on your property, which will be paid for by the grant. For more information on Voluntary Ag District, please contact us at the Soil and Water Conservation District at (919) 934-7156 ext. 3

Need to Rent A No-Till Drill?

Johnston Soil and Water was awarded a grant in 2017 from NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation Inc. project called Improving Pastures Equipment Initiative.

The purpose of this grant is to provide support to the Soil and Water Conservation District for the development of a local Improving Pasture Management Program. The No-Till Drill is rented to producers for re-establishing or renovating pasture and hay lands to ensure a greater number of acres are productive and drought resilient. The drill is eligible to be used in other production agriculture processes as deemed appropriate by the District yet pasture and hay land renovation is given higher priority annually.

The NO-TILL Benefits:

• No-till dramatically reduces soil erosion and improves infiltration.
• Virtually all crop residue remains on the soil surface and thus protects the soil from most of the damages caused by wind and rain.
• Crop residue on the soil surface and subsurface root structures help to increase infiltration rates, reduce runoff and help to retain moisture.
• Expenses for equipment decrease because the farmer doesn't need a plow, disk, or field cultivator.
• Time and fuel because of fewer trips across the field with heavy equipment. In addition, fewer trips reduce compaction.
• No-till systems help to build organic matter.
• Managing crop residues also provide valuable cover for wildlife.
• Using existing row patterns for controlled traffic helps eliminate compaction.

Considerations:

• No-till requires skillful management.
• No-till restricts the farmer to surface-applied herbicides.
• For best results, fertilizers should be injected or banded. This is particularly true for nitrogen, especially for those forms that are volatile.
• Weed control is primarily dependent upon herbicides.
• The soil warms up more slowly in the spring with no-till than it does with conventional tillage, however, the overarching benefits to no-till systems is the increased infiltration rates and moisture retention for good crop production.

No-Till Drill Specifications: 2017 Great Plains 706NT-1075 is a 7 FT END WHEEL NO TILL COMPACT DRILL

• 10 OPENERS 7.5 ROW SPACINGS
• 9.00 X 24 8 PLY TIRES
• 7FT WORKING WIDTH
• 9FT 10 INCH TRANSPORT WIDTH
• 5/8 TURBO COULTERS
• 17.5 BU MAIN SEED BOX CAPACITY
• 1.68 BU SMALL SEED BOX

January 1, 2021 Annette M Adams joined the staff. She is currently serving as their Administrative Support Specialist II. She lives on her family’s farm in southern Johnston County. She grew up working with her parents and twin sister, Jeanette, in tobacco, small grains, and raising hogs. Annette joins the team with a background in agriculture, office management, customer service, marketing services, training, and volunteer work. She earned her Paralegal degree from Johnston Community College. She is excited about the mission of the Soil and Water Conservation District and is committed to serving the citizens of Johnston County. She and her husband, Randy have a son, Luke, a daughter, Lauren, son-in-love, Kyle and a new grandson, Elijah! She enjoys working with her family in a huge garden each year and currently has her own small flock of 3 chickens!

Johnston Soil and Water Conservation District welcomes a new Director. Mr. Greg Walker began work on March 1, 2021. Greg recently retired from almost 40 years with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) where he worked across the state of North Carolina and served in field, area and state level areas of responsibility. His most recent position with the NRCS was the Assistant State Conservationist for Programs with financial program and easement program responsibilities. Greg’s wife works with the Veterans Administration in Raleigh. He has three daughters, one an attorney in Hendersonville, one a freshman at UNC Chapel Hill and a third, a sophomore at West Johnston High School. Greg grew up on a tobacco farm in Alamance County. Greg graduated from NC State University with a BS degree in Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Greg says, “I have lived in Johnston County for about 17 years and I am very happy and excited to be working with Johnston SWCD. I want to work hard to help our program activity increase significantly in the county. There are many technical and financial assistance programs covering cropland, pastureland, forestry and confined animal systems to take advantage of now. I look forward to working with so many farmers and landowners and I welcome the opportunity to meet the farmers in Johnston County."