| April 22, 2026 TEMPLE – The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and the Association of Texas Soil & Water Conservation Districts (ATSWCD) in collaboration with statewide partners, have come together to highlight Texas Soil and Water Stewardship Week and the importance of voluntary land stewardship in Texas. The statewide campaign is April 26 through May 3, 2026, and the focus this year is “Soil. Where it all Begins.” Healthy soil supports everything Texans depend on. From the food on our plates, to the clothes on our backs, the foundation for our homes and offices, to the working lands and city parks, soil plays a critical role in sustaining both natural resources and local economies. Healthy soil plays a key role in safeguarding water resources, agricultural productivity, and wildlife habitats. Healthy soil supports everything Texans depend on by performing the following essential functions every day: • Produces food and fiber by anchoring roots and supplying nutrients that crops and pastures need to grow.
• Manages and protects water by absorbing rainfall and irrigation, reducing runoff and erosion, filtering pollutants, and helping to recharge aquifers.
• Cycles and stores nutrients and carbon, supporting soil biology and keeping ecosystems productive and balanced.
• Builds resilience by reducing the impacts of drought, flooding, and extreme weather.
• Provides physical stability by supporting plant roots, human infrastructure, and cultural and archaeological resources. Texas soils are as diverse as the landscapes they support. Prairies, forests, croplands, wetlands, and urban spaces all rely on soil health to function properly. This diversity means soil health affects every corner of the state. When soil is healthy, land is productive and communities are stronger. Stewardship of this vital resource is a shared responsibility and a long-term investment in the future of our state. Caring for soil today supports stronger outcomes for communities tomorrow. Meeting this responsibility takes more than awareness. It takes action, partnership, and persistence. Since 1939, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) across Texas have been working to encourage the wise and productive use of natural resources. Through voluntary conservation programs, technical assistance, and education, we help Texans implement practices that keep soil productive and resilient for the long term. It is our goal to ensure the availability of those resources, so that the needs of all Texans, present and future, can be met in a manner that promotes a clean, healthy environment and strong economic growth. Soil does the quiet work beneath the surface, day after day, to make food production and healthy ecosystems possible. Without it, nothing else moves forward. When we protect it, we protect Texas. Because soil is where it all begins. This campaign aims to bring more awareness and support to voluntary land stewardship because the way we manage our resources on private lands directly impacts our natural resources. Partnering organizations in the “Soil. Where it all Begins,” campaign includes Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Council for Healthy Food Systems, Ducks Unlimited, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, Holistic Management International, Lower Colorado River Authority – Creekside Conservation Program, Natural Resources Institutes, Plains Cotton Growers, Texan By Nature, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Agriculture Cooperative Council, Texas Association of Dairyman, Texas Conservation Association for Water and Soil, Texas Corn Producers, Texas FFA Association, Texas Forestry Association, Texas Grazing Lands Coalition, Texas Nature Conservancy, Texas Poultry Federation, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Texas Water Resources Institutes, Texas Watershed Stewards, Texas Wheat Producers Board, Texas Wildlife Association, United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Water Grows. For more information on “Soil Where It All Begins,” please visit www.tsswcb.texas.gov. ###
You can find the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board at www.tsswcb.texas.gov, on Facebook, and on Twitter @TSSWCB. The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, established in 1939, administers Texas’ soil and water conservation law and delivers coordinated natural resource conservation programs to agricultural producers 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.
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