75 years of saving soil was the theme at the Ross County Fairgrounds Thursday night, August 18th, 2022. Kevin Coleman was there.
Bob Neal, administrator of the Ross County Soil & Water Conservation District, emceed the annual meeting. The local agency started in 1947 to improve farming practices, and he said you would still be amazed how much farmland and fertility is still eroded.
The district recognized their "Cooperator of the Year," Paul Brown of Brown Farms.
They also recognized Ronald Eselgroth, a link to their past as their 1960 supervisor who served with the son of the agency's founder. Eselgroth also remembers how construction of the C&O Railroad in the late 1920s divided the family farm on Charleston Pike.
The district was also recognized by state and federal officials - by State Senator Bob Peterson and Sate Representative Mark Johnson, as well as by a representative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
On display were more than 75 years of tractor and surveying evolution, as well as posters explaining the history of the agency.
Neal said, with school starting back up they will return to student activities, and work with other groups. One upcoming event they are cooperating with is the Farm Bureau's "Career Day" with FFA students in September.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture
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