John Ottinger was named District Conservationist (DC) for the Haywood and Madison Soil and Water Conservation Districts, taking over the post held by Kara Cassels for the past seven years. Cassels, a Buncombe native, moved to Buncombe SWCD in October.

Soil and water conservation districts offer programs such as NC Ag Cost Share that help local landowners in agriculture conserve soil and avoid polluting our water. The federal agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA), also has programs that provide technical and financial help, and the person administering those programs is the District Conservationist.

For Ottinger, the job is one he has, in a sense, been preparing for most of his life starting with growing up on a small farm in Waynesville. As with many professionals in the ...