To someone just passing through this rural community, it may seem quiet, peaceful, wholesome even; but there's something going on in homes, in fields, in barns and in cars that's ruining people's lives.

"It's a very dangerous, very serious drug," says Hillsdale County Undersheriff Jeremiah Hodshire.

It's methamphetamine, otherwise known as amp, crank, crystal, bump, or just plain meth. Considered the most dangerous drug, it's made from every-day household items like rat poison or ammonia, cooked, then injected into your body.

"School resource officers were telling us 'This is a very serious drug. Koids are talking about it, how their moms and dads are manufacturing this drug,'" Hodshire tells News 10.

Hodshire says in 2005 the drug was starting to rear its ugly head in Hillsdale County. In a year where Michigan had 341 meth labs, eight came from tiny Hillsdale County, plus countless others using and selling the drug.

Farmers were seeing it first-hand.

"We were finding people coming into our facility, attempting to steal anhydrous ammonia," says Tom Hecht.

Hecht works for farm supply company "The Andersons." He says the ammonia they sell to farmers for fertilizer was often being stolen by meth-heads, lugged away in tide containers or milk jugs. They had to put a fence up and install a new surveillance system just to keep people out.

"It happened once a month or so," Hecht says.

Wanting to stop to the crisis before it got out of hand, Hodshire's department applied for-- and won-- a federal grant to make Hillsdale County an official "Meth Watch" zone in 2006. It was just $2,000; not much, admittedly, but enough to kickstart a campaign that takes them to senior centers, schools and townhalls to educate people on the problem.

"Comments are 'Wow. We didn't know this was happening in our community. In Hillsdale?'" Hodshire says.

"It is in every little niche in Hillsdale County," says drug prevention specialist Heather Albright.

Alrbight plays a big part in the county's war on meth. Through outreach programs, she trains people to become the eyes and ears of law enforcement, showing them what to look out for as warning signs.

"It's all about getting that recognition out there. 'Boy, they've had black plastic on their windows for a few days,' or 'I smell something funny.' People are starting to realize it's not some mom-and-pop operation in some house out in the country. It's very real, the danger is here," Albright says.

The final touch of the grant? Signs, which are posted in nearly every community.

"It's just intended to send a message. You know they're watching," Hodshire says. "The campaign's been very successful."

Though the numbers don't outwardly reflect that. Since 2005, the numbers of active meth-lab busts have yo-yoed, peaking in 2006 with 21 and again last year with the same number. Hodshire explains increased awareness and willingness to report the labs accounts for the high numbers.

"Our enforcement actions are working. We're sending messages we will not tolerate this drug."

Even though the people in Hillsdale County believe they're doing a good job closing up meth operations in the area, they say they face an ever-changing challenge: for instance, if you take the anhydrous ammonia away from the meth addicts, they're simply going to find something new-- like flares or battery acid-- to use to make the drug.

"Our job is never done in enforcement of drugs," Hodshire says. "These criminals are stepping it up."

Which means law enforcement and the community must step it up, too, to ensure the face of meth doesn't become the face of Hillsdale County.