Darrell Williamson

Oconee River Soil and Water Conservation District

Chestatee Chattahoochee Resource Conservation and Development Council

Darrell Williamson is married with children and grandchildren. He was named the Oconee River Conservation District Conservationist of the year in 2014, he sits on the Chestatee Chattahoochee RC&D Council, and serves as an Oconee River SWCD affiliate member.

Williamson raises beef cattle and grows hay, 300 acres of wheat, and 200 acres of soybeans. On his farm in Georgia, he uses several conservation practices, including crop rotation, contour farming, and no-till drill when planting winter cover crops. Williamson says the winter cover helps him meet his herd’s forage needs and build organic matter in his soils, all while “reducing compaction and minimizing undesired vegetation.”

“I have noticed an increase in organic matter by keeping cover on the soil and an improvement in weed suppression. Farming on the contour and crop rotation has helped me with erosion, which was a problem I was having prior to implementing these conservation practices,” he added.

Challenges

On his operation, Williamson says sheet and rill erosion are his biggest challenges. To control soil erosion, he’s been using cover crops year round, which have yielded other benefits, he says, including “keeping the organic matter levels increasing.”