Soil conservation districts were established nationwide beginning in 1937 after President Franklin Roosevelt sent copies of suggested legislation for the establishment of soil conservation districts to states. Soil conservation efforts had been growing at the national level under the Soil Erosion Service (1933), both later renamed the Soil Conservation Service (1934), both under the direction of Hugh Bennett. The idea of soil conservation districts came from the desire to get more farmers involved at the local level in soil and water conservation. Iowa passed legislation for soil districts in 1939, and the first county in Iowa to form a district was Marion County on April 22, 1940. By 1952 all Iowa counties had organized soil conservation districts, bringing the total number to one hundred (Pottawattamie County was split into two districts). Especially in the beginning, soil conservation districts worked closely with the federal Soil Conservation Service and state agencies for funding and technical assistance. Soil conservation districts are still managed by elected commissioners in each county district and continue to help improve, sustain and conserve districts are still managed by elected commissioners in each county and continue to help improve, sustain and conserve the soil and water resources of the state.
From the description of Records, 1940-1988, n.d. (Iowa State University). WorldCat record id: 299085606
