The Mercer County Soil and Water Conservation District held the 69th Annual Banquet on Tuesday, November 19th. The evening began with elections for a supervisor position on the Mercer SWCD Board of Supervisors and was followed by a meal and presentations. Dale Albers was elected as the new board member over incumbent Kevin Bettinger.
Several awards were given out during the evening. Recipients included: Rachel King; Dan, Lavern, and Steve Wolters; Kahle Farms; Zach Tobe; Johanna Hartings. King won a $1000 scholarship sponsored by Mercer SWCD and Marion Mutual Insurance Association. The Wolters’ received the Outstanding Cooperator of the Year award for their involvement in conservation practices. Kahle Farms was announced as the Lake Erie Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program award winner. Tobe and Hartings were recognized as the County Soil Judging Contest winners. Tobe won the Rural portion last year and the Urban portion of the contest this year. Hartings won the Rural portion of the contest this year.
A presentation of the year’s projects was given by Theresa Dirksen. She started by explaining the process of a tile main replacement, a big project the SWCD office completes every year. A total of $4 million was spent on conservation and manure management practices within the county this year. The evening concluded with an interactive round of trivia that included SWCD history and other interesting facts.