TSSWCB Publishes Plowing New Ground, a 75th Anniversary History of Soil and Water Conservation in Texas

TEMPLE, Texas, Oct. 22 -- The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board issued the following news release:

The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board announces the release of Plowing New Ground: The 75th Anniversary History of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board authored by historian Dan K. Utley with a forward by baseball legend and rancher Nolan Ryan. This year marks the diamond jubilee of the establishment of the agency and the beginning of soil and water conservation in Texas. The publication of this historical account continues the year-long celebration commemorating the agency's anniversary.

Based on recently recorded oral histories of people directly involved over the decades with the work of the agency, Plowing New Ground commemorates 75 years of soil and water conservation in Texas, from the era of the Dust Bowl to the present. The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board was established on May 29, 1939 as agricultural producers from across the state gathered in Temple to discuss mutual conservation concerns and to witness the formal organization of the agency.

In his foreword to Plowing New Ground, Nolan Ryan concludes that soil and water conservation in Texas is a matter of heritage. "As stewards of the soil and the water that sustain the foundation of our existence, we are part of a continuum that reaches far back into the past and, hopefully, will continue well into the future," writes Ryan.

"In these pages, you will learn about the agency's founding at the height of the Great Depression, when our collective resources were so badly depleted and facing an uncertain future," said Nolan Ryan. "You will also learn, though, that despite the seemingly insurmountable devastation of the time, the people who knew the land the best worked together, in a partnership with the government, to form a new conservation ethic that remains at the core of agricultural practices to this day."

Dan K. Utley, author of Plowing New Ground, writes "This is ultimately a story of hope and promise and community, and a celebration of human ingenuity and perseverance. It is a story that resonates statewide not only because it deals with basic societal needs, but also because it reflects fundamental ideals of democracy through direct involvement and input by those closest to the natural resources."

"To those individuals who shared their memories and insights through oral history interviews, thank you," said Utley. "Their personal stories, included throughout this historical account, demonstrate the great purpose and diligence with which many people have guided the soil and water conservation movement throughout Texas."

Utley is the chief historian of the Center for Texas Public History at Texas State University and a Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association. Utley is the retired chief historian for the Texas Historical Commission, and former president of the Texas Oral History Association. A native of East Texas, Utley holds degrees in history from the University of Texas and Sam Houston State University. Utley is the author, or co-author, of several books, including Go Where the Fighting Was Fiercest: The Guide to the Texas Civil War Monuments (State House Press, 2013), History along the Way: Stories beyond the Texas Roadside Markers (Texas A&M University Press, 2013), and Just Between Us: Stories and Memories from the Texas Pines (Stephen F. Austin State University Press, 2012).

Rex Isom, Executive Director of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, said "Our hope is that as you read Plowing New Ground, you will have a greater appreciation for our history and our land, and for how the past still informs the present and helps us all plan for the future. There is something in this history for all of us."

"Our diamond jubilee and this historical document are a celebration of a success story that has worked across the state and across generations to ensure we have fertile soil and an abundant, clean water supply," said Isom.

Plowing New Ground will be released and initially distributed at the 74th Annual State Meeting of Texas Soil and Water Conservation District Directors in Galveston on October 27-29, 2014. Close to 650 conservation leaders from across the state are expected to gather at the annual meeting which is co-hosted by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Plowing New Ground is generously printed with financial assistance from Agricultural Workers Mutual Auto Insurance Company.

For more information about the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board's 75th anniversary history, Plowing New Ground, please contact Rusty Ray at (254) 773-2250 ext. 228 or [email protected]. A PDF of Plowing New Ground is available online at http://www.tsswcb.texas.gov/reports#history.

The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board administers Texas' soil and water conservation law and delivers coordinated natural resource conservation programs through the State's 216 soil and water conservation districts. The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board is the lead agency for planning, implementing, and managing programs for preventing and abating agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint sources of water pollution. The agency also administers a water supply enhancement program to increase available surface and ground water through the targeted control of water-depleting brush; works to ensure the State's network of 2,000 flood control dams are protecting lives and property; and facilitates the Texas Invasive Species Coordinating Committee.

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