Covington County farmers have a new, but familiar face in its new district conservationist.

Coffee County native Josh Elliot has joined Natural Resources and Conservation as the lead role in Coffee and Covington County.

Elliot said he’ll spend half his time in New Brockton and half here working with local farmers on environmental issues they face.

Elliot said the shared conservationist is a result of budget cuts.

“The district conservationist in Coffee County happened to retire around the same time (former Covington County district conservationist) Steve Yelverton did,” he said.

In the coming months, the local office will employ another person, who will be local 100 percent of the time, Elliot said.

“He’ll be the go-to person,” he said.

Elliot, who is an Auburn graduate with a degree in agronomy and soils, said he started his career in the office in Covington County and worked here from September 2007 until April 2009.

He’s also worked in Mobile, Monroe, Dale, Pike and Bullock counties.

“I’m working Coffee and Covington as a shared management unit,” he said. “Our services started off doing erosion control and it has morphed into more. Now we help any private landowner who has a land problem. It’s mainly geared toward environmental and agriculture.”

They are also instrumental in endangered habitat restoration.

Elliot said he’s always had a love for the land.

“Our motto is, ‘helping people help the land,’” he said.