The Soil Conservation Society of America (SCSA) was established in September of 1943. Slightly under four years later, in the summer of 1947, Washington R. O'Brien began promoting the establishment of a chapter in Michigan. On the 27th of August of that year he and several others signed a petition calling for the formation of the Michigan State Chapter. The SCSA approved the establishment of this chapter, Charter No. 24, on December 3, 1947, in Omaha, Nebraska.

On July 10, 1948, a meeting of all the members of the SCSA in Michigan was convened. During this meeting, it was moved to change the name of the Chapter from the Michigan State Chapter to Michigan Chapter, in order to avoid confusion with the Michigan State College. A committee was formed to study the proposal. The committee reported the results of the investigation, which approved the name change, and the chapter changed its name accordingly in 1949.

Also during the 1948 meeting, an Executive Committee was established and the first constitution and bylaws were ratified. These documents bore the name Michigan State Chapter, but were revised the next year to Michigan Chapter.

Even at this early date, a close working relationship was established between the SCSA and Michigan State College. The close association of the Chapter and institutions of higher learning is demonstrated easily. Some of the 67 Chapter members were faculty members of Michigan State College, including Ivan F. Schneider, who was elected Secretary-Treasurer in 1950 at the annual meeting held at the Union Building on the Michigan State College campus. The annual meeting of the Chapter was held at Michigan State College (later Michigan State University) each year until 1967. Between 1967 and 1970, the meetings were held at other college campuses in Michigan.

There are a few other years which stand out prominently in the history of the Michigan Chapter of the SCSA. In 1971, the Chapter led the other states in the sale of educational comic booklets. That same year, as a result of this and other activities, Michigan was selected to be the Regional Winner in the Chapter Activities Contest. In 1973, the Michigan Chapter, in conjunction with the Ontario Chapter, planned and conducted the Blue Water International-Interregional Conference at Port Huron and Sarnia. Finally, in 1980, the Soil Conservation Society of America held its annual meeting in Dearborn.