DeKalb County Soil Conservation District

                                                                  Semi-Annual Narrative Report for January 1, 1942

During the week of January 27, 1941 meetings were held throughout the County to explain the work a Soil Conservation District and to determine the interest for such a District in DeKalb County.  The total attendance for these meetings were approximately 450.

On March 15, 1941 a referendum was held.  The vote was approximately 370 for the district and 14 against the district.

Mr. Pitt Rowland and Mr. C. B. Williams were appointed by the State Soil Conservation committee.   On July 5, 1941 an election was held for the remaining supervisors.  Mr. E. L. Puckett, Mr. Walter H. Cantrell, and Mr. John L. Pedigo were elected.  Mr. Pedigo later sold his farm and moved away from the County.  Mr. A. T. Luna, having the next highest in the voting, filled his place.

The boundries for the District remain the whole of DeKalb County.  The actual work with the farmers began about October 1, 1941.

The attitudes of the farmers in the District has been very favorable.  This is shown by the large number of applications and the number in attendance at meetings.

The attitude of the press, bankers, and business men of the District is shown by the number of business men that already have plans on their farms and the applications received from others.  Each week the local paper carries a front page article "Doin's With The DeKalb County Soil Conservation District".  The article tells of the activities of the District such as the names of the farms planned that week, the total plans to date, the acres to date, the farms soiled mapped, announcements of group meetings and other things of interest in the District.

The major problems of the Supervisors in handling the affairs of the District is the lack of experience in such work and the lack of time due to other activities.  The Soil Conservation Service has been writing the farm plans and making the conservation survey maps.  The Soil Conservation Service and the Extension Service in the educational work.  All the agricultural agencies in the County have shown a fine spirit of cooperation.  These include the SCS, Extension Service, FSA, AAA, and Vocational Agriculture.

The Supervisors held four committee meetings and four meetings with farmers.

Ninety applications were received comprising a total of 7,500 acres.  Plans were on 22 farms for a total of 2,175 acres.  Conservation surveys were made on 30 farms for 3,165 acres.

One 6 foot terracing blade, 2 lime spreaders, and 4 slip-scrapers were loaned by the Soil Conservation Service.

No material has been received from the Soil Conservation Service but the District is expecting to receive approximately 40,000 trees, 1,500 pounds of sericea lespedeza seeds and 10,000 kudzu crowns.  A large part of this has been obligated by the District.

 

                                                                                                                                                                        E. L. Puckett, Secretary, Treasurer