About
For over 70 years, Soil and Water Conservation Districts have led communities in making sound decisions about the use and care of natural resources.
Hendricks County Soil and Water Conservation District is an agency that works with the county’s citizens and organizations to conserve our natural resources. The SWCD works closely with all partners in the Indiana Conservation Partnership.
Our mission is to provide education, technical assistance and leadership to the public and landowners; to conserve soil, water and all natural resource.
Watch a video about our work!
Click on the center of the image below to play video.
COnservation
Soil
We work on conservation efforts that preserve and build topsoil and improve soil health. Soil health is an approach to managing soil to its optimum potential. Healthy soils are a key component of environmental and agricultural resilience.
Water
Our agency helps landowners and land users conserve the water, improve water quality, and reduce runoff and pollution from farms and urban environments.
Natural resources
Conservation and responsible stewardship of all natural resources is the foundation of the SWCD’s work in the county.
Services
We focus on conservation throughout Hendricks County.
Whole-Farm Conservation Planning
The SWCD works closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), and other agencies in the Indiana Conservation Partnership to help you develop conservation plans for multiple aspects of your farm. We provide technical assistance, site visits, and additional resources.
Annual Native Plant & Tree Sale
The SWCD hosts an annual native tree sale offering 3 gallon containerized trees. In addition, beginning late summer 2025, the SWCD will be offering native flowers and grasses along with their annual tree sales. The SWCD is available to help you with species selection and planting instructions.
Construction Stormwater General Permit
Butler Fairman and Seufert are contracted through the SWCD to review construction plans, and help implement the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), and conduct general construction stormwater permit work. We work together to provide technical assistance to improve construction sites’ impact on soil and water quality.
Need to submit plans for review? Plans can be electronically submitted to SGroce@bfsengr.com
check out the hendricks County partnership for water quality facebook to keep up on stormwater education, resources and events.
Whole-Farm planniNG
The SWCD works closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), and other agencies in the Indiana Conservation Partnership to help you develop conservation plans for multiple aspects of your farm.
We provide technical assistance, site visits, and additional resources.
Enhance conservation on your farm
Are you looking to make improvements on your farm? Let us learn about your current practices, and we will provide additional options for managing your land, all with conservation in mind. We can guide you through farm enhancements that will help you preserve topsoil and build soil health, which may include grassed waterways, cover crops, no-till crop planting, field borders, and pollinator plantings.
Partnership
The SWCD works closely with many conservation agencies, including the NRCS. These valuable partnerships mean that multiple staff with a wide range of experiences are ready to answer questions about your operations. The NRCS District Conservationist for Hendricks County, Jerod Chew (above), is an additional resource for County farmers, and can be contacted through the Hendricks SWCD office. Give us a call to set up a visit.
conservation plans
Our staff will help create a conservation plan that is based on your goals, priorities, and on-site assessments. The plan lays out various methods for how to achieve your conservation and production goals. The plan can be used throughout the year to implement new practices on your land. It is a living document that provides a snapshot of your current practices and long-term goals.
Setting goals
The SWCD and NRCS staff will listen to your questions, and get to know you and your current practices. We then help you identify goals and priorities for your farm operations. Set up a site visit with our staff, and we will walk your property with you to get a tangible understanding of any areas where you are experiencing issues or want to make improvements. We provide follow-up technical assistance based on our conversations and farm field assessments.
Long term conservation
The practices you choose to use on your land guide the future of your farm. You put the conservation plan in action. Our staff are available along the way to answer questions, offer further technical assistance, workshops, and site visits. The SWCD and partner agencies offer a range of grant options for conservation practices. Contact us directly to discuss local, state, and federal grants.
2025 Upcoming Events
Mill Creek Watershed Management Plan
The Hendricks County SWCD and partners have identified a need to focus education, outreach and implementation efforts in the Mill Creek watershed. Based on water quality degradation, sediment transport, flooding and E. coli concerns the SWCD and partners are launching the Mill Creek watershed management planning project in 2025.
This effort will
Identify projects completed and highlight successes and failures since the 1965 watershed work plan and 2005 TMDL development
Provide a foundation from which future efforts can be based
Bring Mill Creek stakeholders together to create shared goals to address water quality and quantity
Our goals throughout this project are to
Build a steering committee
Complete watershed inventory
Conduct water quality monitoring
Develop a watershed management plan
Develop a focused outreach and education program
Steering Committee Meeting - September 11th, Location TBD
Porter FArm
About
Porter Farm was established in 2019 as a working veteran farm and demonstration space. The farm is a partnership between Indiana Farmer Veteran Coalition and Hendricks County Soil and Water Conservation District. The farm is currently being farmed by veteran tenants and hosts workshops for the community on various small farm and urban farm topics.
Conservation Practices
Currently the farm produces vegetables, meat chickens, sheep, berries and honey. All of these products are maintained and grown with conservation practices such as cover crops, no-till, mulching and rotational grazing. Porter has a host of native plantings for pollinators and also a raingarden to improve water infiltration and water quality.
2025 porter workshops
Workshops are held the 2nd Thursday of the month at 6pm
April 10th
Rain Barrels
May 8th
Mushroom Inoculation
June 19th
Planting Natives
July 10th
TBD
August 14th
TBD
September 11th
TBD
Contact Us
Our Office
195 Meadow Drive, Suite 2
Danville, Indiana 46122
Call us:
317-745-2555 ext. 3
PUBLIC MEETINGS
The public is encouraged to attend our monthly board meetings, held at 7:30am on the 1st Tuesday of the month. Occasionally, we will move the time up or back to accommodate other district business. To find out about this month’s meeting, please call our office (317-745-2555 ex. 3).
