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Conservation district seeks $30,000 to seed demonstration farm and cost-share work
Summary
Ottawa County Conservation District asked the commission for a $30,000 appropriation to support cost-share projects and start a three‑acre demonstration farm, saying state and federal match dollars leverage about $16.87 for every county dollar invested locally.
Shannon Meyer, district manager for the Ottawa County Conservation District, asked commissioners to increase the county appropriation from $25,000 to $30,000 to support operations and a new demonstration farm intended for local education and producer outreach.
"We are asking for 30 this year," Meyer said while outlining outreach, cost-share activity and state allocations; she described how the district secured an initial allocation and then obtained an additional $72,000 in state funds through active application work. Meyer said the demonstration farm began as an urban, three‑acre parcel that donors intend to leave to the district in perpetuity and that the district plans to use the site for pollinator plots, small‑scale production and public field days.
Commissioners asked for Meyer's annual financial report and the district's application materials; Meyer said she would email the annual meeting program and a 2025 financial summary. The district noted it distributed over $85,000 in cost‑share that year and that every county dollar invested typically brings in a substantially larger amount of federal or state program funding.
The commission took no immediate vote on the request; members said they would consider the appropriation during the upcoming budget meetings and follow up with Meyer if they need additional documentation.
