The Oldham County Soil and Water Conservation District was formed as a local subdivision of state government in 1946. Conservation districts were formed following the devastation of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Soil conservation needed to be a priority and and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt recommended the Standard State Soil Conservation Districts Act be signed into law by all state governors.

Conservation districts are a subdivision of the state of Kentucky and are governed by a seven-member, locally elected board. The Oldham County Conservation District can assist Oldham County residents in many areas of conservation at no charge to the individual. The OCCD can assist landowners in applying for various cost-share opportunities to improve the conservation practices on their farms. The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) personnel provide technical assistance to the soil and water conservation district and their clientele through a cooperative agreement.

Perhaps no event did more to emphasize the severity of the erosion crisis in the popular imagination than the Dust Bowl. Beginning in 1932, persistent drought conditions on the Great Plains caused widespread crop failures and exposed the region's soil to blowing wind. A large dust storm on May 11, 1934 swept fine soil particles over Washington, D.C. and three hundred miles out into the Atlantic Ocean. More intense and frequent storms swept the Plains in 1935. On March 6 and again on March 21, dust clouds passed over Washington and darkened the sky just as Congress commenced hearings on a proposed soil conservation law. Bennett seized the opportunity to explain the cause of the storms and to offer a solution. He penned editorials and testified to Congress urging for the creation of a permanent soil conservation agency. The result was the Soil Conservation Act (PL 74-46), which President Roosevelt signed on April 27, 1935, creating the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) in the USDA.

During the past 60 years, much has changed. With the introduction of the no-till drill and minimum tillage cropping methods, we have seen a huge reduction in erosion on crop fields. Better forage-livestock management has reduced overgrazing on pasture-land.

Oldham County has become one of Kentucky's fastest growing counties. Due to rapid suburban development in the past decade, the district has focused on controlling the serious soil and sediment erosion problems associated with developmental activities.

The District also focuses on more urban conservation efforts such as pollinator habitats and backyard composting systems. There is no act too small in conservation!