About Us

Our History

The Dust Bowl devastated the southern Great Plains for eight years during the drought-stricken 1930s. 850 million tons of topsoil blew away in 1935 alone. It was in that year that legislation was passed to establish the Soil Conservation Service (SCS). In 1936 the SCS published the conservation district law, which was passed by Michigan legislature as Act 297, P.A. 1937. This law allowed farmers to set up their own local districts to promote soil conservation practices. The Shiawassee Conservation District was established in 1948. Since then, we have had a rich history in Shiawassee County creating an awareness of conservation issues and being a leader in providing innovative assistance.