Soil & Water Conservation District — Knox County, Ohio
Good ground doesn’t
happen by accident.
The Knox SWCD helps farmers, woodland owners, and backyard gardeners across the Kokosing watershed keep soil in the field, water in the stream, and wildlife in the fencerow — with free technical help and cost-share funding that pays you back for doing it right.
A core sample of Knox County
Programs & Layanan
Working lands, working programs.
Everything below is open to any Knox County landowner — from a hundred acres of corn ground to a backyard rain garden. Start anywhere; the office at 160 Columbus Road will point you the rest of the way.
“I have a resource concern. What next?”
Erosion gully, cloudy pond, failing septic, deer in the sweet corn — it all starts with a phone call. A conservationist walks the land with you, maps the problem, and builds a plan that fits the operation. Most fixes qualify for cost-share.
See every program →Spring tree sale — don’t sleep on it
Orders open each January and are taken first-come, first-served. Popular species sell out county-wide in weeks, so get the form in early. Tree sale details →
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01
Cover Crops
Seed, drills, and the agronomy math to make winter ground work for you.
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02
Tree & Shrub Sales
Bare-root seedlings raised for Knox County soils — windbreaks, riparian buffers, wildlife cover.
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03
Wildlife Consultation
Habitat walks, food-plot advice, and deer-damage permits when the herd gets bold.
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04
Equipment Rentals
No-till drill, tree planter, and more at rates that beat letting iron sit idle.
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05
Milkweed Pod Collection
Fall pod drives feed Ohio’s monarch recovery, one roadside pod at a time.
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06
Seed & Supply Sales
Grass mixes, pollinator seed, and conservation supplies at the office counter.
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Outreach & Events
The calendar runs on seasons.
Field days, clean-ups, contests, and one very competitive silent auction — most of it free, all of it open to the public.
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14Mar
Envirothon — Area 3
Knox County high-schoolers go head-to-head on soils, forestry, aquatics, and land judging.
Youth -
18Apr
Kokosing River Clean-Up
Canoes, grabbers, and one stretch of the Kokosing left better than we found it.
Volunteer -
09Jun
Camp Canopy
A week of forestry, wildlife, and mud for Knox County kids — the district’s proudest tradition.
Youth -
12Sep
Forestry & Wildlife Field Day
Timber demos, wildlife talks, and lunch under the trees at a working woodlot.
Field Day -
03Oct
Heart of Ohio Tour
Farm tours and good ground across the heart of the county — bring your boots.
Tour -
21Nov
Silent Auction & Annual Meeting
The district’s big fundraiser. Bid early, bid often — the brisket never disappoints.
Fundraiser
From the Fencerow
Landowners keep the ledger.
They walked the back pasture with me, pointed at the gully, and had a grassed-waterway plan drawn up before the ground froze. Cost-share covered more than half of it. That ditch hasn’t moved since.Roger & Elaine HartmanRow-crop & cattle farm near Fredericktown
Ordered two hundred seedlings from the tree sale on a Tuesday; they were gone county-wide by Jumat. The trees are worth the hurry.Tanya EllisWoodland owner, Howard
The kids came home from Camp Canopy knowing more about watersheds than I do. That’s money well spent.Caleb YoderParent & beef producer, Danville
Kontak the District
Got a resource concern?
Start with a conversation.
Site visits are free, judgment is left in the truck, and the coffee at 160 Columbus Road is usually fresh. Permits, rentals, seed orders — same door.
The Service Center
160 Columbus Road, P.O. Box 270
Mount Vernon, OH 43050
Closed government holidays
Dec–Mar 1:00 pm · Apr–Nov 8:00 pm