Old News - 2025
Here's what we were up to in October
We hosted a children's program at the Lexington Main Library about keeping one-use items out of our landfills by upcycling them into crowns and scrapbooks. At our Batesburg-Leesville library program, children learned about some of the most commonly seen mammals in Lexington County and were able to make their own animal masks. Our District Manager and Education Program Assistant held after school programs at Gilbert, Pelion, Forts Ponds and Saxe Gotha elementary schools using the Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom books: My Family's Corn Farm and The Great Pumpkin Smash. They also helped out with Farm Bureau's Ag in the Classroom Mobile Learning Lab at Seven Oaks and Forts Pond elementary schools. Our entire staff volunteered at the week long Wood Magic Forest Fair hosted at Harbison State Forest and we also partnered with Clemson Extension to host the first workshop in a four part series about the basics of farming and how to get started. The next three workshops will take place over the next few months. ​
WiMB at Batesburg-Leesville Library
Wood Magic Forest Fair
Trash to Treasure
A Conservation & Creation Event
September 12, 2025
We just had our second Conservation & Creation event and it was a big hit with 17 attendees at the South Congaree-Pine Ridge Library. Similar to our previous event in August the attendees learned about landfills, and the importance of reducing and reusing they things they buy. They also learned how conservation efforts protects wildlife and prevent natural disasters.
When the lesson was over the attendees made, flower garland out of paper towel rolls, and journals and pictures frames out of cardboard and scrape paper.
Halloween Recycle
A Conservation & Creation Event
August 7, 2025
We had a lot of fun at our Halloween Recycle at Swansea Library. Our attendees learned about the landfills, the importance of reducing and reusing they things they buy before they recycle them and the importance of conservation. After the lesson was done they made bats, spiders and spooky trees out of newspaper and popsicle sticks.
Lexington Ag + Art Tour
May 31, 2025
Lexington's Ag+Art Tour was a big hit this past Saturday and each of our sites had something amazing going on to draw in visitors. Lexington County Museum and Brazell's Barn both had blacksmith demonstrations, while Meador Acre Chestnuts gave tours of their grove and had an awesome food truck. Fire Barrel Farms and Old Turtle Pond Farm gave guided tours, Loveland Coffee had coffee roasting demonstrations, and the Irmo HS Wrestling team set up at Seven Oaks Plant shop with refreshments. Palms to Palmetto Roadside Market and Locklair Farm Supply had an assortment of artisans, Hazelwood Distillery had live music and Hollow Creek Distillery knocked it out of the park with over 500 attendees on their own.
We're still tallying up the number of attendees but so far our count is at 2300! We are so excited to see an increase in attendance and it makes us hopeful for future events.
Hollow Creek Distillery
Lexington County Museum
Purple Roo
Old South Creations
Majorie Kneece
Meador Acre Chestnuts
Forestry Commission
Locklair Farm Supply
Livingston Farms
Palms to Palmetto Roadside Market
Brazell's Barn
Melissa's Sweets
Kapture Krafts
Fire Barrel Farms
Old Turtle Pond Farm
Seven Oaks Plant Shop
Go Green Goddess
Amy Holleman
Irmo Wrestling Team
EA Woodwork
Rain Barrel Workshop & Icehouse Market
May 17, 2025
We pulled double duty on May 17th with a rain barrel workshop with Solid Waste Management and Lexington Countywide Stormwater Consortium and a table at the Icehouse Market. Visitors to our table learned about our new Conservation & Creation series of programs, and our seed library. They also learned about pollination through our bead pollinator activity. They act as the pollinators grabbing and dropping beads as they move from cup to cup.
The topic for the workshop was Upcycled Projects and we had two people in attendance. Attendees learned about upcycled projects, composting, and rain barrels before heading outside to make their own rain barrel to take home with them. Our next workshop will take place on June 14 and the topic will be Tools in Your Yard. The location for this workshop will be determined in the near future so stay tuned!
2025 Annual Banquet
​
Our Bill Melven Conservationist of the Year Award was presented to the Town of Lexington for their efforts in preserving and developing recreational green spaces within Lexington County, and accepted by Mayor Pro-Tem Ron Williams. This year's Special Service Award was presented to NRCS in honor of their many years of working with landowners to apply the best practices to address their resource concerns, helping to develop conservation plans that can increase soil health and fertility, reduce erosion, and ensuring farm and forestland for future generations. Delano Kneece & Son, Inc received our Conservation Farmer of the Year award for their dedication to conservation efforts and advocacy of cover crops and no till conservation practices.
This year's banquet was held on May 6th at our usual location of T&S Farms. Our 85 attendees were treated to beautifully decorated centerpieces, top notch food from Shealy's BBQ, and a plethora of door prizes. We presented four scholarships, had four 1st place winners for our poster contest, and our usual twelve winners for our photography contest.
Herb Festival
April 5, 2025
We had so much fun at the Herb Festival on Saturday. We gave out seed packets, told everyone we could about the Ag+Art Tour, and shared information about our upcoming programs. The highlight of the day was the activity we had for the younger attendees where they learned about pollinators while making beaded bracelets and key charms.