Kent Conservation District asks county to sustain local conservation programs, highlights no‑till drill and invasive‑species work

Jerry Miller, chair of the Kent Conservation District, told the Kent County Community Health and Safety Committee that the district has supported landowners since 1946 and is seeking continued county support to sustain recent programs and grant matches.

Miller said the district focuses on two primary mandates: providing technical assistance for conservation planning and doing outreach so producers know what federal and state programs are available. “We have 5 elected board directors,” Miller said, describing the district’s governance and noting he serves a four‑year term and is a resident of Cascade.

The district reported leveraging more than $1,800,000 in U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost‑share funds to support conservation work on more than 13,000 acres in Kent County last year. Staff and a video presentation summarized other recent results: the district treated 255 sites in Kent County for state‑regulated invasive species, responded to roughly 120 additional landowner invasive‑species concerns, and supported 117 projects overall through grant‑funded staff (12 of those projects were in Kent County). District staff also said they employed an engineer and a conservationist through grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD).

Aaron Sloan Turner, district manager, described the district’s equipment and services, including a Great Plains 12‑foot no‑till drill acquired in 2023 with partner funding and a watershed support grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Turner said the drill can plant three seed types simultaneously, cover up to 19 rows at 7.5‑inch spacing, and is intended for cover crops, native riparian buffers and similar uses. He recommended a minimum tractor weight equivalent to 6,500 pounds to operate the drill and 10,000 pounds with duals for steep ground. Turner said district technicians can operate the drill for landowners if cost or equipment are barriers.

Commissioners asked how the board is elected and about the district’s relationship with county and federal partners. Miller said board members are elected at the district’s annual meeting (not via the county August or November ballot) and serve four‑year terms with no term limits. He clarified that one position on the county Farmland Preservation Board is an appointed seat representing conservation and that the district uses associate directors for additional capacity.

Miller and Turner described staffing impacts tied to federal workforce changes at NRCS: two probationary employees who had been working in nearby NRCS offices were laid off and accepted buyouts, including an engineer who had transitioned into NRCS and an assistant/secretary who returned to part‑time district work before taking a buyout. Miller said those federal staffing changes affect local capacity.

Several commissioners praised the district’s tree and native plant sales, invasive‑species work with county parks and Ada and Cascade communities, and the ability of county funds to serve as grant match. Administrator Vanderberg and another administrator emphasized that the district’s five mandates come from state law and that statewide funding cuts after the Great Recession have never fully recovered.

The district requested continued support from county commissioners to secure matching funds and to sustain locally delivered, nonregulatory conservation services.

The presentation included multiple program partners the district works with, including NRCS, NFWF, MDARD, EGLE, Rogue River Watershed Partners, Kent County Parks and municipalities such as Ada and Cascade.