SWCD honors Conservationist of Year
The Darlington Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is proud to recognize Dr. Howard Tucker as the 2025 Conservationist of the Year. Dr. Tucker has been a big part of Hartsville’s urban forestry efforts for years with support from his wife, Donna.
Thanks to their efforts, more than 3,500 trees have been planted, helping keep Hartsville a Tree City USA for decades. They are both active in local tree care and community stewardship. The Darlington SWCD has been recognizing outstanding conservation work since 1969, and we’re thankful for the 56 past Conservationists of the Year. Their conservation efforts have made a real, lasting impact on our land, and we truly appreciate every one of them.
In addition, Darlington SWCD announced its 2026 David Allen Scholarship recipient, Caden Crawley. The scholarship is funded by Darlington SWCD and the Antioch Young Farmers. Caden is a Clemson University student with a 3.16 GPA, majoring in Plant and Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Agricultural Biotechnology. He plans to pursue graduate studies in plant breeding or plant pathology and hopes to build a career in plant science research.
The first David Allen Scholarship was awarded in 2025 to Jackson Moore, who is studying Agricultural Business at Clemson while continuing his baseball career. The scholarship honors David Allen, who lived to be 99 and made a lasting impact on South Carolina agriculture through his long career and dedication to conservation.
For more information or to apply, please call Dani at the Darlington SWCD office at (843) 944-3955.
Applications open each January for graduating high school seniors and college students from Darlington County pursuing agricultural or environmental fields.