See below for further information. 

Vacancy Announcement

Type of Appointment & Work Schedule:  Temporary Intermittent While Actually Employed (WAE) Employment (can work up to 180 days per service year)

Department:  United States Department of Agriculture

Agency:  Natural Resources Conservation Service

Position Types:  Soil Conservationist and Soil Conservation Technician

Job Title:  SOIL CONSERVATIONIST – (WAE)

GS-5:  $31,315 PA
GS-7:  $38,790 PA
Major Duties
This position will be located in a Field Office Service Center.  Duties will be that of a soil conservationist working within a multi-county area.  You will be responsible for providing technical assistance and consultative services to farmers and land operators in developing and planning comprehensive soil and water conservation and water quality plans.  Work cooperatively with District Conservationists to effectively provide technical assistance in work area to meet shifting workload needs and assist with reporting and programs.

Qualification Requirement
Transcipts are mandatory for this position.
The qualifications for this position are described below and are published in the “Qualification Standards Operating Manual”.  See http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/index/htm.

To be basically qualified for this job, you must have: 
A degree in Soil Conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering.  The study must have included 30 semester hours in a natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science.  Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science.

    - OR -

A combination of education and experience with at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.  Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science.

-AND-

One year of Specialized Experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience as a soil conservationist or comparable position with responsibility for assisting landowners with conservation planning; providing technical advice to producers on keeping their plans current; providing resource planning assistance from initial inventory and evaluation through to completion; and other related duties relevant to the occupation.

To qualify for GS-7 you must have 1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement or 1 year specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-5 level.

Job Title:  SOIL CONSERVATION TECHNCIAN – (WAE)
GS-5:  $31,315 PA

Major Duties
This position will be located in a Field Office Service Center.  Duties will be that of a soil conservation technician within a multi-county area.  You will work with landowners to develop and implement conservation plans, perform field surveys, practice layout, designs and checking mechanical
practices. Work cooperatively with the District Conservationists to effectively provide guidance to contractors on layout, and checkout and assist with reporting and programs.

Qualification Requirements
Candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements for the GS-458 series as set forth in the Qualification Standards for GS Positions.  http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/IORs/gs0400/0458.htm 
To qualify, candidates must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade.  Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. 
Specialized experience is defined as experience in surveying, designing and laying out of conservation practices using the nine step conservation planning process.

How to Apply:
An OF-612, Application for Federal Employment, resume, or any other form of application.  You do not need to send both an OF-612 and a resume.  OF-612 forms may be obtained on the Internet at http://www.opm.gov/forms/html/of.htm.

College transcripts is required for all positions with a minimum education requirement.  Unofficial and/or photocopies are acceptable.

Submit your application package for the Pekin position to:

Tim Malone
District Conservationist
USDA NRCS
1440 Valle Vista Blvd
Pekin IL 61554
309-202-8440 text only
309-346-4462 ext 3 office
309-346-4223 fax

tim.malone@il.usda.gov

Other Information
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (not all prohibited basis apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).  To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).  USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

For information concerning natural resources conservation in Illinois please visit http://www.il.nrcs.usda.gov.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment. (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/).

One such unadvertised organization is the Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Program. Working behind-the-scenes in cooperation with volunteers and other public and private agencies, RC&D Councils across the nation offer professional assistance to state and local units of government and nonprofit organizations in rural areas, who need help in conserving natural resources and solving local problems.

The Blackhawk Hills RC&D serves the six counties of Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, and Whiteside with a population of 235,689. The Blackhawk Hills RC&D Council also serves the region as an Economic Development District (EDD). The EDD was established under criteria of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA).

The Blackhawk Hills RC&D has three goals for 2010 as expressed in their annual report presented in March 2010: 1) Improve soil and water quality; 2) Assist communities to improve their planning efforts, economic base, and quality of life; 3) Increase the use of land management techniques.

In working with volunteer groups, Blackhawk Hills RC&D recognizes that conserving natural resources and planning for economic development can work side-by-side. The services and assistance from professionals that are available upon request include: community planning, economic development, natural resources conservation and protection; grant writing and administration; demographic and statistical data; seminars, summits, and workshops; and meeting facilitation and group development. County governments and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) of the area, USDA through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S EDA provide basic financial support for the professional staff of three professionals, an office in Rock Falls, and Council expenses.

Blackhawk Hills RC&D is governed by a Council consisting of three appointed persons from each county: one each from the SWCD, County Board, and county-at-large. Stephenson County is represented by Chuck Moen, Sam Newton, and Della Moen.

In 2009 accomplishments included: forestry management workshop; grazing conference; administering an EPA grant for livestock waste management; small farms workshop; leadership in the Driftless Area Initiative; environmental stewardship education opportunities; implementing a community capital improvement program; assistance to the Entrepreneurs and Inventors Club, submission of a $72 million grant application for a Broadband Initiative Program; the regional collection point for data regarding the stimulus plan; host for regular regional community meetings of government officials; and administration of an energy efficiency and conservation block grant.

If you are part of a volunteer group that could use professional planning services, Blackhawk Hills RC& D is counting on you to let them know. Phone: 815-625-3854 ext 2. Find out more at http://www.blackhawkhills.com.

Della Moen, Earth Team Volunteer, NRCS/Stephenson Soil and Water Conservation District, an equal opportunity provider and employer.  Della can be reached at info@stephensonswcd.org

Could be you have very little edge habitat, that zone of shrubs, grasses, legumes and weeds, between forests and crop fields.  For wildlife habitat, you want a “soft” or gradual transition from crop field to woodland, rather than an abrupt change from one to the other.  A shrub border of lespedza, indigobush, crabapple or other shrub can help you do that.

Plant five to seven rows of shrubs between the field and the woodland. Spacing depends on the mature size of the shrubs you choose; typically, they are planted four to six feet apart within the row and eight feet apart between rows, so they can be cultivated. You might consider making the distance between the rows 10 feet so it is easier to mow to control weeds in the first years after planting.  Or what ever width your mower is. 

The more variety in the shrubs, the better for wildlife.  Also a variety of shrubs helps in case a disease or insect comes in and attacks one variety of shrub it may not bother other varieties.  Some shrubs offer better nesting cover than others some better escape cover, and some are better loafing cover.  The mixture of shrubs also gives fruits that mature at different seasons, fruits that remain on the plants for different lengths of time. For both reasons, the mixture of shrubs will attract a more diverse group of wildlife.

Shrubs commonly recommended for borders include lespedza, silky dogwood, red osier dogwood, American plum, chokecherry blackhaw viburnum, indigobush and crabapple.  You need to look at your soil and shade situation,  some shrubs do good in shady areas but not full sun.  Some need a drier soil type vs a wetter soil.

Prepare a clean seedbed and be prepared to cultivate the weeds between and beside each row for the first year, to eliminate competition for young shrubs.  You can improve the shrub border’s value to wildlife by adding ten more feet of grasses or legumes on the crop side of the border. A mixture of partridge pea and Korean lespedeza will offer young quail and turkeys a prime bugging area. 

A short grass cover of Kentucky bluegrass, timothy or redtop is a non competitive grass cover that works well with shrub plantings. 

For more information, visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service Wildlife Habitat Management Institute’s website at http://www.whmi.nrcs.usda.gov.

Cover crops are a hot topic as Midwest corn and soybean growers look to improve soil quality, combat compaction, eliminate erosion and maximize soil nutrients.  Cover crops provide ground cover over the winter to help improve soil quality and increase crop production. By improving soil quality and the rooting of the corn or soybean crop, you get more consistent yields, rather than having large swings from one year to the next.

Although a number of grasses, cereal grains, legumes and oilseeds can be used as cover crops, one effective option to improve crop rooting is annual ryegrass. 

Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) is different from cereal rye. As a Midwest cover crop, it is typically planted in early September, either aerially over standing crops, or it is planted soon after harvest using a grain drill or broadcast applicator with light tillage. It is then burned-down with a herbicide spray in the spring, typically with a glyphosate herbicide, prior to planting row crops into the field. 

Midwest growers who plant annual ryegrass early in September can expect up to 20 inches of root growth by late December, according to Nick Bowers, an annual ryegrass seed producer and co-owner of KB Seed Solutions of Harrisburg, Ore. Bowers says the fall growth provides soils with an excellent supply of organic matter because of ryegrass’ massive root system. 

Annual ryegrass as cover crop can help improve soil tilth This translates into better soil quality. “Growers who use annual rye grass as a cover crop for just two years say they see soil tilth improvements comparable to using a mechanical ripper to break up hardpan compaction,” Bowers says.
Annual ryegrass survives the winter approximately 75% to 80% of the time, according to Bowers.  Planting dates, variety type and winter weather patterns, including snowfall which can insulate plants in extremely cold temperatures, are all factors that affect winter survivability. 

Using annual ryegrass can help mitigate soil compaction problems caused by spring manure applications. The annual ryegrass has a tremendous amount of roots that will grow right through the compacted soil. This allows air and water to move. After the ryegrass dies, those roots leave spaces where the corn or soybean roots can follow. 

Cover crops help keep soil in place, and keep nitrogen in the field.  Some farmers have noticed that it is easier to operate equipment where ryegrass has been planted. They say they have to run in a lower gear in fields where ryegrass had not been planted because the ripper pulls a lot harder.
In addition to enhancing root systems, annual ryegrass and other cover crops help keep soil and nutrients in the field, says Iowa State University Extension forage agronomist Steve Barnhart. Overwintering cover crops will help keep soil in place which will help keep phosphorus in place and grass cover crops will uptake nitrogen in the soil profile and carry it through from the fall to the spring. 

Ryegrass is like a bank that holds nitrogen during the fall and spring, and then releases it in the soil when it is killed. When that ryegrass is killed in the vegetative stage of growth, most of the nitrogen is available to the corn crop six to eight weeks later, just when it is needed most.

Nine things to consider if you’re thinking about planting annual ryegrass:

1.)  Do your homework. Growing any cover crop, including annual ryegrass, requires growers to learn a new set of management skills. Consult experienced growers in your area about their management techniques, challenges and successes in using cover crops. Look for seed suppliers that can provide in-depth technical information about planting, management and burn-down. A good source of information is the Oregon Ryegrass Growers Seed Commission:  http://www.ryegrass.com/over_cornsoy.html

2.)  Start small. Agronomists recommend that first-time ryegrass growers plant a small plot the first year. “Begin with 30 or 40 highly-erodible or compacted acres, with a small check strip,” says Bowers. “This allows you to learn techniques required to grow ryegrass and judge the benefits for yourself.” 

3.)  Select a winter-hardy variety. There are many varieties on the market and a lot of them don’t work because they aren’t winter hardy. ISU agronomists suggest reviewing university variety trials within your region and talking with grass seed dealers to select a good, vigorous growing variety that’s winter hardy. 

4.)  Plant early. The ideal planting window for annual ryegrass is September 1 to 20 for the most areas in the Midwest. This allows approximately 60 days of growth prior to a hard freeze. Ryegrass has to be planted early in the fall in order to establish a stand and survive the winter.
5.) Understand planting methods. Annual ryegrass can be planted using a standard grain drill, following corn or soybean harvest, or it can be broadcast over the top of a maturing crop using an airplane or high-clearance sprayer.  Another option is to seed ryegrass after harvest with a fertilizer applicator followed by light incorporation.

Drilling is typically the most cost-effective option and provides the best germination results because of good seed-to-soil contact. The drawback is timing—you have to wait until after harvest to plant.  If you do drill, be sure to set the drill properly. “Seed should be placed into the ground between 1/8th and 1/2 inches deep,” says Bowers. “Do not plant too deep.”  The recommended drill seeding rate is 10 to 15 lbs/acre. Many growers opt for aerial seeding to get the ryegrass growing earlier. Seed can be flown onto fields after corn begins to turn yellow-brown or soybeans are at the leaf yellowing stage prior to 1st leaf drop. The recommended seeding rate for aerial application is 20 to 25 lbs/acre.  Bowers says costs typically run about $25 to $30 per acre for KB Seed Solutions’ KB Royal ryegrass seed with custom aerial application.

6.) Judge the roots, not the grass.  “With annual ryegrass, what is below the soil is more important than what’s on top of the soil,” says Bowers.  “You really don’t know what you have until you start digging up the roots to evaluate the depth and volume under the surface.” In addition to fall growth, Bowers says it is not uncommon to see 10 to 40 inches of early spring root growth when the crop survives over the winter.

7.) Manage burn-down carefully.  Perhaps the biggest management challenge in growing annual ryegrass is properly orchestrating the burn-down. Agronomists urge growers to be patient in the spring and wait to kill ryegrass until after the daytime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees in order for the glyphosate to be most effective.  “Glyphosate doesn’t translocate well during cold weather,” says Dan Towery, Midwest education coordinator for the Oregon Ryegrass Growers Seed Commission. He says a good rule of thumb is to wait to spray until the annual ryegrass is approximately 8 to10 inches in height or about two weeks before planting corn or soybeans. He also suggests growers pick a sunny day to spray and stop spraying by mid afternoon as translocation stops with darkness. Be sure to control water hardness and pH to improve glyphosate effectiveness.

 
8.) Think long term. Using a cover crop is not a one-year fix for damaged soils. “Cover crops are something you may need to think about doing every year or every other year in order to achieve lasting results,” says Bowers. 

9.) Check out EQIP and CSP Incentives. Growers using cover crops are eligible for cost-share funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Additional funding is available through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for growers using cover crops as part of a conservation system. Visit your local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service office to learn more.

Wallace’s Farmer magazine August 12, 2010

Don and Matt Birky’s unique highboy with 10 feet and six inches of clearance could attract a crowd for its high-rising maneuvers, but the father-son team created the special equipment for a tough job.

The highboy, dubbed High Roller, was developed to air seed legumes and other cover crops into standing corn in August. The Birkys, who operate On Track Farming Inc. in rural Gibson City, put the highboy through its paces last week.

The highboy was adapted to custom plant cover crops for a Central Illinois project offered through Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD). The goal is to increase acres planted with cover crops by providing farmers with technical expertise and cost-share funding.

Developer Matt Birky points out a feature on the special highboy that has clearance of 10 feet, six inches.

With 3,200 acres enrolled in 10 counties, participation has surpassed the original goal of 2,000 to 2,500 acres, said Dave Bishop, resource conservationist with McLean County SWCD.

“These are cover crops for the 21st century,” Bishop said.

The adapted highboy not only will help seed cover crops into standing corn, but also will address special conditions in some fields, according to Bishop.

“You can fly it (cover crop seed) on, but there’s getting to be so many places in the county that you can’t fly on seed with wind turbines (located in fields),” Bishop said. “This (highboy) is practical and moves easily from place to place.”

The Birkys adapted a four-wheel Ag-Chem RoGator with uniquely designed legs for which they have applied for a patent, Don Birky explained.

The 60-foot wide boom has 30-inch center nozzles and the air pressure will blast seed at 80 mph. Birky noted the air-seeding machine will provide even coverage over the width of the boom.

The highboy also has been outfitted with special features to move through standing corn. It has an automatic steering mechanism and a camera mounted underneath that sends images to a nine-inch screen inside the cab.

Birky explained he and Matt learned from past experience it can be difficult to see where rows are when driving through tall crops and will be even more difficult seated high above standing corn.

“The wind really moves the corn around. You can’t tell where the rows are,” Birky said.

The highboy also has two sets of light bars that will tell the operator where to turn on end rows and will point the exact rows for the return trip through the field, he added.

SWCD’s Bishop said he hopes to collect data during the project, including measuring how much seed gets caught in the corn whorl.

The Birkys not only adapted the highboy for the cover crop project, but they also are participating in it. They will seed 300 acres of corn with a mixture of hairy vetch, red clover, and radishes to increase the field’s nitrogen levels, Birky said.

The cover crop project is attracting attention outside of Central Illinois. After the morning demonstration for local farmers, a group of Clinton County farmers, who have talked about working on a similar project, was expected for an afternoon demonstration of the special highboy.

However seeding cover crops may not be the only use for the Birkys’ high-rise high boy.

“We’ve had incredible interest to put the (hydraulic) legs on a liquid (highboy) machine to spray on fungicide,” Birky said.

Kay Shipman FarmWeek

Funding for the WREP signup is provided by the Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) through a cooperative agreement between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Ducks Unlimited (DU).  According to IL NRCS State Conservationist Bill Gradle, the MRBI effort will restore wetland habitat under WREP on order to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous run-off into the Illinois River, and ultimately, the Gulf of Mexico. Eligible landowners can receive up to $3,200/acre for permanent conservation easements on lands that are enrolled and accepted into WREP.

According to DU Regional Biologist Eric Schenck, additional WREP signups will be announced in the future.  The MRBI goal is to enroll 500 acres along the Illinois River over the next five years.  According to Schenck, the initial signup is intended to target croplands surrounding Upper Peoria Lake.

Landowners should visit their local NRCS county office to learn more about WREP or to submit a WREP application prior to the deadline.  Even if you are not within the Lower Illinois River-Senachwine Creek Basin, you can check into the regular Wetland Reserve Program.  To locate your nearest NRCS office, visit http://www.il.nrcs.usda.gov today.

To speak with a local representative of Ducks Unlimited contact Eric Schenck at eschenck@ducks.org or 309-224-5651.

Contact: Kristin Schrader, Ducks Unlimited  

kschrader@ducks.org    (734) 623-2000

Contact: Paige Buck, Natural Resources Conservation Service   Paige.Buck@il.usda.gov    (217) 353-6606

An Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

The Nature Conservancy has recently secured USDA NRCS Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) funding totaling $2.73 million dollars to focus efforts on protecting and restoring wetlands in the Upper Wabash River watershed in northeastern Indiana. The $2.73 million is for landowners wishing to enroll eligible lands into the WRP in the targeted area. 

The Nature Conservancy is partnering with the Little River Wetlands Project (LRWP), Friends of the Limberlost State Historic site INC., and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Nature Preserves. 

The $2.73 million will allow the Conservancy and its partners to expand and connect existing WRP acres in the watershed in this area of the state. The Conservancy anticipates enrolling 700 acres into WRP over the next four years across Allen, Whitley, Huntington, Wells, Adams, and Jay counties in Indiana, and Mercer County in Ohio, which will enhance water quality in the Wabash River, and improve habitat for rare species and migratory birds

“The Upper Wabash River Watershed is a priority for The Nature Conservancy,” said Mary McConnell, state director for the Conservancy’s Indiana Chapter. “The WRP funding will allow us to protect and restore forests and wetlands along the Wabash.”  The restored forests and wetlands will act as sponges to filter nutrients and sediments that have impacts far downstream the Wabash River. 

This watershed was specifically identified in an independent assessment performed by the Midwest Biodiversity Institute as the portion of the Wabash River with the lowest water quality.  Wetland restoration in the watershed will allow for flood storage, waterfowl/migratory bird breeding and resting areas, as well as mitigating sediment and nutrients prior to reaching the Wabash, and eventually, the Gulf of Mexico. 

The Vectren Foundation has funded the Conservancy’s match for the grant, as well as other important conservation work along the Wabash River.  “The purpose of the Vectren Foundation is to contribute to the well being of the communities in which we live and work,” said Jeff Whiteside, Vectren’s Vice President of External Affairs and Sustainability. “The Wabash River is an important resource to so many lives and livelihoods in Indiana. It is in Vectren’s best interest to help protect it.”

The Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property.  The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial support to help landowners with their wetland restoration efforts.  The NRCS goal is to achieve the greatest wetland functions and values, along with optimum wildlife habitat, on every acre enrolled in the program.  This program offers landowners an opportunity to establish long-term conservation and wildlife practices and protection.

These projects will result in restored hydrology for these acres, decreased sediment and nutrient levels in the Wabash watershed, and expanded, more contiguous blocks of forest critical for migratory and interior forest nesting birds.  The resulting improvements in water quality will benefit many of the target species, as well as address the local water quality concerns and reduce the nutrient levels reaching the Gulf of Mexico.

There are a variety of rare species found within the project area.  The federally-endangered clubshell mussel and the eastern massasauga snake, a federally endangered candidate species, are both found in the project area.  Additionally, there are over 10 state-threatened or state-endangered species found in the Upper Wabash Watershed.

Significant Natural Areas

There are also significant natural areas within the project area. The LRWP has three nature preserves in the project area, the largest of which is Eagle Marsh, a prime example of a completed WRP restoration. DNR Division of Nature Preserves & Friends of the Limberlost own over 1,500 acres in Adams and Jay counties in the Limberlost and Loblolly Watershed. Fox Island Nature Preserve is 600 acres and is owned by the Allen County Parks Department. The 60-acre Fogwell Forest is a state-dedicated nature preserve and is owned by ACRES Land Trust.

Landowners in the project area are encouraged to contact their local NRCS District Conservationist if interested in protecting and restoring their wetlands.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at http://www.nature.org.

Excerpts from the letter by Director Miller include:

As you know, our agency relies on USDA programs to help achieve conservation goals for fish and wildlife.  I wanted to take a moment to reassure you that this partnership is an effective approach for conserving habitat and, more importantly, to recognize one of your employees for his contributions.
Illinois’ Wildlife Action Plan establishes a goal of de-listing the state threatened Illinois Chorus Frog by 2025.

This species is associated with sandy soils along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.  During spring, it requires wetlands for breeding and development of its young.  The rest of the year is spent underground in nearby uplands.  Modeling its habitat needs showed Mason County was a prime candidate for conservation efforts.  A State Wildlife Grant made it possible to offer producers a sign-up incentive to enroll wetlands (and adjoining upland buffers) in CP 23a and CP 9 of the Conservation Reserve Program.

I’ll be the first to admit that the idea of selling frogs to farmers takes an open mind and a bit of courage.  If Mark Jacob, District Conservationist for Mason County, ever had any doubts about getting involved in this project, he must have waited for a quiet night and driven to Goofy Ridge to laugh out loud.  Seriously, he displayed the utmost professionalism while working with our biologists, a hallmark that was apparent from the respect displayed by his peers in Mason County FSA and SWCD offices.  Mark grasped what we were trying to accomplish, then helped refine it by applying his technical expertise and knowledge of producer’s needs.  Mark’s desire and ability to do things by the book helped achieve an end product that was responsible, equitable and effective.

This program was small by NRCS standards.  We had funds to offer sign-up incentives on 150 acres.  We wanted to make this money accomplish as much as possible by targeting only those portions of fields that were permanently or seasonally flooded, along with buffers of sand prairie at a ratio of 1:4.  Some of these areas were as small as an acre.  I’m not familiar with NRCS protocols, but I imagine that it takes the same amount of work to sign up 1 acre as it does 1,000 acres.  Mark willingly shouldered this burden. 

As it turned out, the program was popular with producers in Mason County.  In just four months, all available funds had been committed.  The program protected 21 farmed and prior-converted wetlands, exceeding objectives of the grant.  Surveys conducted this spring showed that the program effectively targeted areas used by Illinois Chorus Frogs, which were detected at 17 of the sites.  We are confident that the rest will provide habitat as Mark’s recommendations for restoring hydrology are implemented. 

I won’t cheapen my praise by over-doing it.  In our experience, Mark Jacob is an outstanding employee.  We thank Mark along with all of the District Conservationists who have helped apply soil and water conservation programs to improve habitat for our State’s wildlife. 

Marc Miller, Director
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

The original deadline for signing up in NRCS’ CSP was June 11. “Luckily, any conservation farmers who were busy getting last minute crops in or who just didn’t have the time to get into the office, the Secretary of Ag just gave us an extra two weeks,” explains Gradle.

Interested farmers can still enroll in CSP until June 25. For a closer look at all the program details and the type of information and documentation needed, visit with your local NRCS staff or view details online at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html

Most producers already involved in the program have only good things to report about it. The primary comment NRCS staff hears is that farmers like how CSP recognizes all the good conservation measures they’ve put on their land over the years. They like being rewarded financially for what they’ve done to protect and preserve our state’s precious natural resources.

“Whether you’ve used NRCS programs or our technical assistance or if you just did it on your own over the years, the end result is the same,“  Gradle explains. “If you use conservation solutions and make good management choices that stop erosion and improve water quality, then CSP is your kind of program.”  Also with CSP, producers accomplish even more—because they agree to add new conservation options and practices for their operation over the next five years. To learn more, stop by and visit with NRCS today!

Southern Illinois farmers and ranchers are trying to improve air and water quality by going green, and making some green in the process!

The Conservation Stewardship Program, under the USDA, encourages agricultural and forestry producers to adopt and improve conservation practices.

Farmers and producers who enroll and are accepted in the program are paid to adopt more earth-friendly practices, up to 200 thousand dollars over a five year contract.

“I think it’s a good program for this area. We’ve got a lot of folks who’ve done good stewardship for years and worked with various ag agencies. This is an opportunity for them to get some money back and help the environment and bring money to our part of the world,” says State Conservationist Troy Daniell.

Daniell says that applying for the program is easy, but applications are due June 25th, so act fast. A link may be found at the bottom of this page.

Additional Links:

Conservation Stewardship Program   http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html

Learn about assistance programs for land owners.

Join us for lunch at the American Legion Hall in Chester and an afternoon bus tour of the Mississippi River bottoms.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - 11:30 am - 5:15 pm
Chester American Legion Hall
500 Opdyke Street
Chester, IL 62233-1466

Sponsored By:

Ducks Unlimited, USDA NRCS, US Fish & Wildlife Service, NWTF, SWIL RC & D.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED - FREE! - FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS

Attention Landowners, DU and NWTF Members, & Wildlife Lovers: Don’t Miss Out!

Come and learn how creating high quality wildlife habitat on your property can benefit your bottom line!

Bus Tour Schedule:

11:30 Registration & Lunch

12:45 Start loading buses

1:00 Leave Chester American Legion Hall

1:45 Arrive Stop #1 Gonterman Farm/WRP Site (Private) for 30 minute stop

2:15 Leave Stop #1

2:45 Arrive Stop #2 Gibbar Brothers Farm/WRP Site (Private) for 45 minute stop

3:30 Leave Stop #2

4:15 Arrive Stop #3 Rockwood Island (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service & Ducks Unlimited)
45 minute stop

5:00 Leave Stop #3

5:15 Arrive back at Chester American Legion Hall

Wildlife habitat is abundant in the river floodplains of southern Illinois. Abundant grain fields, low wet soils, and intermittent and permanent wetlands make for a diversity of habitats. Come see and hear first hand why and how Federal agencies, private landowners and conservation organizations manage valuable wildlife habitats and how you can do the same - including learning about various government landowner assistance programs.

We will start off with a free lunch provided by Ducks Unlimited at the American Legion Hall in Chester, Illinois. Following lunch, we will travel out into the floodplains of Randolph County, both north and south of Chester to look and see how wildlife habitat is being managed. We will look at some Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) lands that are managed by private landowners and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and hear how these programs came about, how they are managed, and how you can participate in these programs. We will also stop near the US Fish & Wildlife Service Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge and some adjacent lands owned and managed by Ducks Unlimited (DU) and see and hear how they are both restoring and managing their lands. We will be hiking off-road to see real refuges and their benefits to the public - some walking will be required. We will stop at public restrooms on the way as needed. Several private landowners, federal and state agency staff, and regional biologists from Ducks Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation will be on hand during the trip to make presentations, answer questions, provide information on landowner assistance programs, and fill your wildlife knowledge gaps.

Changes expand access, increase payment limits, and promote greater environmental benefit while maintaining program goals
 
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA published the final regulations governing the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, CSP is a voluntary program that offers payments to producers who exercise good land stewardship and want to improve their conservation performance.

“Voluntary conservation practices by private landowners and producers are an essential part of our effort to improve soil and water quality,” said Vilsack. “Broad and diverse participation in the CSP program will provide producers with many benefits such as enhancing wildlife habitat and helping to mitigate the impact of climate change.”  Vilsack also announced that the enrollment period for CSP’s second year, which is currently open, has been extended an additional two weeks, now closing June 25, 2010.

Administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), CSP is available to all producers regardless of operation size, crops produced, or geographic location. Eligible lands include cropland, pastureland, rangeland, non-industrial private forest land, and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe. Under the final rule published today and effective immediately, the program retains the broad features outlined in the interim final rule, including:

• CSP pays participants for conservation performance – the higher the performance, the higher the payment.

• Producers get credit both for conservation measures they have already implemented and for new measures they agree to add.

• CSP is offered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Pacific and Caribbean areas through continuous sign-up, with announced cut-off dates for ranking and funding applications.

The experience gained during the program’s first year, and comments received from partners and the public during the 90-day public comment period, have contributed to a number of important changes in the program rules. The program’s new features include the following:

• Higher payment rate for additional conservation performance. USDA is implementing a split payment structure, with one payment rate for existing conservation activities and a higher payment rate for new activities. This is expected to encourage producers to apply more new activities and thereby generate greater environmental benefits.

• Higher payment limit. The total contract limitation for joint operations is increased from $200,000 to $400,000, with annual payment limits increased from $40,000 to $80,000 to fairly compensate joint operations that produce environmental benefit levels needed to earn the payments.

• New minimum payment. To directly encourage participation by small-scale, historically underserved producers, the rule establishes a minimum payment of $1,000.

• Pastured cropland. “Pastured cropland” is added as a new designation with a higher payment than “pastureland” because of the greater income foregone by producers who maintain a grass-based livestock production system on land suitable for cropping.

• Enhancements. Some conservation enhancements work better when implemented as a system and under the new rule are offered as enhancement “bundles.” Participants who implement such comprehensive bundles get higher rankings and higher payments.

• Resource-conserving crop rotation. In response to extensive public comment, the definition of “resource-conserving crop rotation” is revised to require the use of grass and/or legumes. Since resource-conserving crops receive supplemental payments under CSP, the rule change ensures that the crops provide a sufficient level of environmental benefit.

Other changes in the regulation give producers greater flexibility in establishing their eligibility to apply for CSP and in certifying their control of the land.
Potential applicants are encouraged to use the CSP self-screening checklist to determine whether CSP is suitable for their operation and apply prior to the closing date of June 25, 2010, when applications will be scored, ranked, and funded. The checklist, which highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, contract obligations, and payments, and additional information about CSP, may be obtained from the national CSP Web site (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html) or individual state NRCS offices (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/organization/regions.html).

USDA published the CSP interim final rule on July 29, 2009, and solicited comment through October 28, 2009. Initially scheduled to end on September 28, 2009, the comment period was extended to encourage comments throughout the program’s first enrollment period. NRCS received 1,534 comments and reviewed and considered each one. Responses to the comments are incorporated in the final rule released today. The final rule can be viewed at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-12699.pdf

NRCS is celebrating 75 years of helping people help the land in 2010. Since 1935, the NRCS conservation delivery system has advanced a unique partnership with state and local governments and private landowners delivering conservation based on specific, local conservation needs, while accommodating state and national interests.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202-720-6382 (TDD).

Local work groups have started the process or will be meeting shortly in the near future.  The process has started but it’s not too late to chime in and get involved.  Some local work groups have already met and identified their local resource concerns that they suggest we work on..

Some of these local resource concerns can include any of the following:

• Flooding problems
• Invasive species control
• Soil erosion in urban/new developed areas
• Streambank erosion
• Water quality issues
• Poor wildlife habitat

Whether you’re a local farmer with a particular agricultural production concern or a landowner, educator or even a student with a desire to be involved in what’s going on in your piece of the planet, I encourage you to join into this local effort.

The Local SWCD Boards meet once a month.  Anyone can join us here or just send one of us a note with your idea. Let us know what YOUR local resource concerns are so we can add it to the mix.

This is how grass-roots efforts work.  You’ve heard the saying “THINK GLOBAL; ACT LOCAL”? Well, this is your big chance

NRCS’ reminds local farmers that the Wetlands Reserve Program, known as WRP, can help landowners manage wet areas on the farm and address conservation issues. WRP offers both sizable income opportunities and simple solutions for the farm. WRP is an ideal solution for farms with odd, wet areas or for farmers who have an interest in restoring wetland habitat on their property

Meet Jack…

Jack Huffington owns 177 acres of bottomland in Clark County, IL. Historically, the area would flood three or four times a year, taking the crop and inputs with it. “The government would pay me to replant it once or even twice. In the end, we did a lot of work but we didn’t make any money,” he explains.

The answer was NRCS’ Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). WRP paid Jack for an easement and lets him do what he needs to do—let that land be wet. Jack opted for a permanent easement. “Today I’ve got 80 acres of water, ponds, levees, and about 3,000 trees on the area. We’re re-establishing a hardwood forest on the ground and it’s going to be excellent,” he explains.

The Clark County NRCS District Conservationist is pleased with the restoration and confirms that the diversity of birds and wildlife in the area is astonishing. “With WRP, he was able to let this be a wetland,” says NRCS staff.

With the payment money he received for the easement, Jack was able to purchase more agricultural ground for a farm that works for him. “I took the money and bought better ground that was ten feet higher and wouldn’t get washed out all the time,” Jack explains. Today his tenant is able to farm land that is suitable for crop production. That land is a farm that can turn a profit. The wetland oasis he has created with WRP supports deer, egrets, geese, duck and eagles. “It’s a great place. It’s all natural and I love spending time out here.”

Meet Cliff…

Cliff McMahan started using WRP ten years ago because he had sections of swampy ground that wasn’t farmable. According to Cliff, it should never have been farmed in the first place. “We used to farm it, but we barely broke even,” he says. He and his brother David own and farm about 1,500 acres in Union County, Illinois.

McMahan’s reasons for going with WRP were two fold—economics and the environment. “We wanted the waterfowl and the cash helped pay the bills,” he says. And while he claims he’s not an environmentalist, his concern and appreciation of the wildlife that frequent his land is tremendous.

Rather than fight Mother Nature, Cliff’s wetlands offer a solution and are now an important stop on the migration route for many waterfowl species. The variety of birds, cranes, herons, shorebirds, nesting eagles and trumpeter swans on his 200 acre wetland is impressive.

“I’m out here all the time. It’s in my blood now,” says Cliff. “Our place is a buffet for just about everything. We take a great deal of pride about what we’ve created here with the WRP.”

According to Cliff, WRP is the best government program available. “I’ve been able to improve my ground and even increase the actual farm value with these wetland acres. It’s my retirement savings account!”

NRCS WRP Coordinator Terry Wachter worked with Cliff to develop the wetland and achieve his goals. “Cliff has created a wonderful environment out here that he and his friends and family can enjoy. It’s almost like he’s got his own private refuge and the birds come here because it’s such a sweet spot,” says Wachter.

Meet Joyce…

“If I had it to do all over again, I’d study environmental sciences or wildlife,” says Joyce. Well, she can’t go back, but she’s doing the next best thing. She’s building her own wildlife sanctuary in Central Illinois. And she is loving every minute of it.

Joyce Winch is a hard-working landowner in Bureau County. She runs a trucking business and manages farmland for cash rent. Sixty of the 255-acre wetland is in grain crops. The set aside land is primarily sandy and mucky soils, land unprofitable for production agri¬culture.

“The surrounding area was swampland 100 years ago,” Joyce explains. “Even with all the drains and ditches we put in, we were flooded out every year. We weren’t making any money.”

Winch and her family had always believed that on the farm, a certain percentage of the land should always be set aside for the environment, but Joyce wanted to do more than the hedgerows and wildlife food plots she left over winter. The answer was simple: NRCS’ Wetlands Reserve Program.

“In 2000 I put over 200 acres into the WRP and we planted native grasses, flowers, and trees. I’m very happy with what I have here,” she adds.

NRCS technical staff joined Winch in developing a wetland restoration plan and explained how the con¬servation easement program works. “They explained how seeds for wetland plants lie in the soil and are dormant but they come back if you leave things alone for awhile. After the first few years, she was amazed. “To see how every season brings different colors and different critters,” Joyce explains. “It’s like a nature experiment right here on my land. It’s wonderful to just watch it evolve.”

Joyce is a self proclaimed nature lover who takes pride in her wetland. She is protective of it and the wildlife that depend on it. Her son hunts the area occasionally, but the region is fenced in to protect the pheasant, deer, turkey, and ducks. Grass grows thick, providing quality food and cover for animals.

Local NRCS staff visit Joyce and view the WRP site annually to discuss issues or any new resource needs on the land. For her part in the WRP deal, Joyce received a one-time lump sum payment for the WRP easement. However, the economic side of the equation was only part of the decision to explore a permanent conservation easement. “Oh yes, the money came in handy for paying off the mortgage. I still pay taxes on it. That’s the reality of it. But the end product is what’s really worked out for me,” adds Joyce.

The idea of opening up the land as a sanctuary still appeals to Joyce. She enjoys the oasis she has recreated and the knowledge she has gained managing it. When she retires from the trucking business she hopes to open the area up for school children for nature walks and an outdoor classroom.

“When we decided to go with WRP, we weren’t just doing it for us or our family, but for the greater good,” adds Winch.

For more information on WRP, contact NRCS staff at your County USDA Service Center

The NRI is a statistical survey of natural resource conditions and trends on non-Federal land in the United States. NRI gathers and compares annual data samples at both the large major river basin level and the state level. “This state data guides state and federal decision-makers as well as private landowners because it offers a clear picture of what’s going on here at home,” says NRCS’ Resource Inventory Specialist James Johnson.

“I’m proud to report that the rate of soil erosion on Illinois cropland has steadily declined over the last 25 years,” says Gradle. Conservation practices and treatments, such as no-till planting, terraces, conservation tillage, strip-cropping, contour farming and conservation cover planted on highly erodible ground are all part of the reasons behind this positive trend. “We can thank Illinois’ conservation farmers and all our conservation partners for these productive and ‘green’ trends,” Gradle adds.

In 1982, before provisions of conservation compliance were required for producers working with USDA, Illinois’ rate of sheet and rill (water) erosion on cultivated cropland was at over 6.2 tons per acre annually.  The 2007 data sets a new low—3.9 tons per acre. Take a bow, IL farmers!

On average, sheet and rill (water) erosion rates on pastureland declined by 38 percent since 1982. At an average rate of less than 1.0 ton per acre per year, NRCS can say that soil erosion poses little threat to healthy pastureland productivity statewide. Pastureland managers and grazers, take a bow!

Illinois is home to ample acres of prime farmland soils. About 89 percent of these acres are cropped. Between 1982 and 2007, about 495,000 acres of prime farmland soils were converted (lost to) other/non-ag uses. “While this may sound like a small loss, it still indicates a loss of the best and most ideal use of Illinois’ rare and productive soils. It’s a figure and a fact we need to be mindful of,” says Gradle.  Learn more NRI data for Illinois and the nation, visit http://www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/index.html  today!

Other Notable Illinois NRI Data…

• About 87% of Illinois total surface area, which is 36,058,700 acres, is non-federal rural land.  It means it’s privately owned land.
• 2% of Illinois land is water.
• More than two-thirds of Illinois is dedicated to cropland. 
• Nearly 11% is forestland.

With new data, NRCS staff can compare a 10-year span of data from 1997 to 2007. Comparisons can also be made that consider data from as far back as 1982—pre Farm Bill days:

• Land developed or built-up from 1982 to 2007 increased 760,800 acres.
• More than 953,000 acres of Pastureland were lost in 1982-2007—that’s 38,000+  acres lost every year
• During 1982 – 2001, Forestland in Illinois gained 303,000 acres!
• Since 1982 Illinois lost 835,100 acres of Cropland
• Illinois ranks fifth for the amount of cropland—Kansas, Iowa, Texas, North Dakota, Illinois.
• Illinois ranks third for the acres of prime farmland—Texas, Kansas, Illinois.
• Illinois ranks number one in “prime cropland.” 

States with highest percentage of “developed” land:

1. New York
2. Ohio
3. Michigan
4. Pennsylvania
5. Georgia
6. North Carolina
7. Florida
8. California
9. Texas
10. Illinois

Land Cover/Use:

• Illinois’ total surface area is approximately 36,058,700 acres.
• About 87% of this total (31,451,800 acres) is Non-Federal Rural Land.
• The dominant land use on private land is Cropland - 66.3% about (23,910,500 acres).
• Approximately 10.9% is Forestland (3,934,800 acres).
• Approximately 9.4% is Developed/Urban land (3,383,300 acres).
• Approximately 6.2% is Pastureland (2,249,500 acres).
• Approximately 2.0% is Water (732,500) acres).
• Approximately 1.9% is Other Rural land (692,400 acres).*
• Approximately 1.8% is Conservation Reserve Land (CRP) (664,600 acres).
• Approximately 1.4% is Federal land (491,100 acres).
• Water Erosion (Sheet and Rill) on Cultivated Cropland is 3.9 tons/acre/year.

* Other Rural land includes farmsteads, field windbreaks, and other farm structures.

This confirms the “conservation ethic” of our landowners.  We can see that in the number and amount of conservation practices that we are implementing on the local landscape.  We see it in the number of landowners signing up for EQIP cost share and the Conservation Stewardship Program. 

NRCS: Helping People Help The Land

USDA-NRCS is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

If you’ve heard about the new CSP and talked with other local producers or read about others involved with it, now is the time to roll up your sleeves and get your conservation operation on the list of those recognized for a quality conservation commitment.  It’s important that you get your application and paperwork submitted so you can be part of the 2010 CSP ranking period and funding cycle.

The clock is ticking for program sign-up this fiscal year. USDA just announced the final cutoff date, which gives producers a brief window of opportunity to get signed up for the CSP signup in 2010.

NRCS staff and teams across the state are ready to work with producers and start the process. If you’re already an NRCS cooperator and are in the system, just meet with local field office staff.  Let them know you’re ready for CSP.  Ag producers or landowners who are new to NRCS or USDA will need to schedule an appointment and complete the application process and get the ball rolling.  You will need to provide staff with a AD1026a and copies of the digital maps of your farming operation. 

CSP is a voluntary program that encourages producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional practices on their operations. The program is popular for producers who go the extra mile with conservation and sustainable operations—whether they’ve accomplished goals on their own, with other conservation partners, or through USDA and NRCS programs.

CSP is the perfect program because it recognizes ag producers and landowners who do the right things and it moves them forward as they add new resource protection practices on their land.

While CSP applications are accepted on a continuous basis, only applications received by the national cutoff date of June 11 will be considered for funding in fiscal year 2010. For more information about CSP, including eligibility requirements, visit or call your county USDA Service Center in today.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Monday announced funding to help clean up the Great Lakes as part of the Administration’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide financial and technical resources to 8 states to improve water quality in the region.

“The Obama administration’s Great Lakes restoration Initiative is taking important steps to provide clean water and a healthier environment for the more than 40 million Americans who rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water,” said Vilsack. “USDA is focused on improving essential watersheds to conserve and restore our natural resources, strengthen America’s communities, and leave a healthier planet for our children.”

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) supports the Obama Administration’s vision for promoting voluntary action to protect and restore priority watersheds in the region. The Great Lakes—Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario—contain 20 percent of the earth’s fresh water and provide drinking water for more than 40 million people.

Sport fishing, commercial fishing, and Native American fishing are among the major industries that provide jobs in the Great Lakes region and impact its fragile ecosystem. Meanwhile, urban runoff and sprawl, sewage disposal, agriculture, and toxic industrial effluent affect aquatic food chains, fish populations, and human health. To help address these issues, priority watersheds within Great Lakes states will receive more than $33 million from NRCS to fund GLRI conservation work. Priority watersheds are those with the most vulnerability and greatest need for protection of water quality and where programs can be targeted first to quickly meet the goals of protecting watersheds.

NRCS will conduct a sign-up for GLRI participation from June 1 to July 1, 2010. Minnesota will receive an allocation of $249,000 for GLRI. The GLRI
funds will be distributed to states with priority Great Lakes watersheds using existing conservation programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP), the Emergency Watershed Protection Floodplain Easement Program (EWP) and conservation technical assistance.

The Great Lakes Basin Program (GLBP) is a federal/state partnership that supports more than 200 demonstration and technical assistance projects throughout the Great Lakes region. GLBP is coordinated by the Great Lakes Commission in partnership with the NRCS, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Amy Corps of Engineers.

“In Minnesota, NRCS will have the flexibility to use the programs and conservation practices that best fit the natural resource conditions in our priority watersheds,” explains Minnesota NRCS State Conservationist Don Baloun. The GLRI in Northeastern Minnesota will focus on small sub-watersheds of the Nemadji River and the Lower St. Louis River. These watersheds show the greatest potential for program participation and positive impact on resources. One of the long term goals of this upland treatment effort in the Nemadji system is to reduce the sediment load impacting the Duluth Superior harbor. This effort will work to keep the soil in place upstream and out of the harbor’s shipping channels. Harbor dredging and disposal of the dredged material is costly from both an environmental and economic standpoint.

“We are committed to improving conditions in priority watersheds in the Great lakes basin in order to have the greatest possible impact on the health of the Lakes in the most critical areas,” said Baloun.

For more information on GLRI online visit:
http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/glri/index.html.

The oil leak from an exploded offshore rig may turn out to be one of the worst disasters from human error in U.S. history. Ironically, an anniversary of what may have been the biggest human-made economic and ecological disaster on this continent, the Dust Bowl, arrived on Sunday.

On May 9-12, 1934, monstrous dust storms from the Dakotas to the Texas Panhandle climaxed six horrid months of the Dust Bowl. Millions of acres of plains land, which had been broken in for wheat, turned into dirt hurricanes that turned daylight to darkness and dumped tons of soil as far east as Washington, D.C., and New York City.

The nation’s wheat belt, stretching from Canada to Texas, averted permanent ruin because it received federal aid, research and economic incentives that continue to this day — and because those that remained changed the way they farmed.

That is a lesson in an age in which bashing the government has become second nature to many Americans.
Dealing with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill need not bankrupt the treasury, always a concern in times of record deficits. But it will require strong leadership to set priorities and a change in mindset and methods on how we use fragile ecosystems to feed the globe’s energy needs.

As calamitous as the imagery is from the gulf, and as inflationary as it could be to prices of gasoline and seafood, a broader swath of the country was literally covered by the Dust Bowl. It had an end-of-the-world feel.

In November of ‘33, one massive dirt curtain reduced visibility in Des Moines to 50 feet.  In South Dakota, 60 of the first 150 days of 1934 had recorded dust storms. A May 1934 report from the U.S. Weather Bureau’s station in Huron, S.D., said that east of the Missouri River, “every farm has been injured, more or less, by soil erosion, destruction of fences, injury to buildings, loss of crops, and the depletion of herd and other stock.”

On April 21, 1934, a dust storm caused virtual darkness in Huron from 4:36 to 5:56 p.m. By May 10, visibility in Cincinnati was three-fourths of a mile; a half-mile in Springfield, Mo.; and a quarter-mile in Nashville, Tenn.

Other than wars, the Dust Bowl created more iconic images of American trial and tribulation than any other event. It triggered one of the greatest migrations in the nation’s history. One of its most famous images remains the photo of a South Dakota farmer standing next to his car with an “Oregon or Bust” sign on the back.

And now we witness another human-made calamity on the people and natural resources of the Gulf Coast.

The 1934 dust storms tested Franklin Delano Roosevelt. By 1935, he and Congress established the Soil Conservation Service, precursor of a modern government conservation infrastructure that ranges from wetlands preservation to tree-planting to paying landowners to leave fragile land idle.
It took a change in thinking. Agriculture was in full-throttled expansion. From 1909 to 1924, farmers broke up 17 million acres of native grasslands for wheat. A lot of it blew when the severe drought of the 1930s came and the land had no protective grass cover.

The government researched and instituted new methods of contour plowing that hold soil against wind. In following generations, farmers moved away from deep plowing to more sustainable planting.

The federal government paid for thousands of miles of shelterbelts. Successive generations of these tree rows still stripe the plains, from Fargo, N.D., to Lubbock, Texas.

They break up gathering dust storms, minimizing damage from the inevitable dry spells and wind. They do what BP and federal and Louisiana government officials are initially trying to do with skimmers and berms in the gulf. But so far, the challenge appears to be beyond what one company or one state can handle.

October 20, 1994
The SCS received a new name the Natural Resources Conservation Service to better reflect its efforts to conserve all resources.

From the House Clerk’s website:  http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/highlights.html?action=view&intID=463
Soil Conservation in the New Deal Congress

April 27, 1935
On this date, as blistering heat sapped the American West of much-needed moisture, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act.  Throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and the Dakotas during the early 1930s, high winds stirred the arid soil, loosened after years of rapid homesteading and commercial agriculture. 

Nearly 180 dust storms ripped across the southern plains during 1933, a prelude to the major storm of May 1934, which whipped an estimated 350 million tons of earth into the sky.  It trapped people in their homes and suffocated cattle on the plains.  Dust fell like snow in Chicago and eastern cities.  Sailors on ships 300 miles off the Atlantic coast swept Kansan soil from their decks.  Similar storms plagued America’s center well into 1935.  In response, western House Democrats introduced H.R. 7054, “to provide for the protection of land resources against soil erosion, and for other purposes.”  Unlike the ecological forces at work on the plains, John Marvin Jones of Texas explained, “the bill is simple and easily understood.”  Bill sponsor John Joseph Dempsey of New Mexico—whom colleagues described as a “soil erosion enthusiast”—argued that the measure was of national interest, and therefore vital.  John Conover Nichols of Oklahoma, whose state dust storms hit particularly hard, noted that in uprooting its subsoil, the United States “[had] been living in a fool’s paradise, with respect to the security of [its] most basic asset.”

With the understanding that such storms posed a national threat, the New Deal Congress approved the bill. The ambitious act established the Soil Conservation Service to combat soil erosion and to preserve natural resources, “control floods, prevent impairment of reservoirs, and maintain the navigability of rivers and harbors, protect public health, public lands and relieve unemployment.”

The Soil Conservation Act rewarded farmers who planted grasses and legumes to support the soil, rather than commercial crops which exhausted its nutrients—a difficult measure for many farmers to agree to during the Great Depression. The act, however, classified commercial harvests like wheat as a threat to the plain’s soil, giving farmers a chance to wean their fields from surplus crops at the federal government’s expense.  While the act appropriated no money upfront, it left open the option to fund projects with “such sums as Congress may from time to time determine necessary.” President Roosevelt’s advisor, Rexford Tugwell, lauded the measure. “Under this plan,” said Tugwell, “it will pay farmers, for the first time, to be social-minded, to do something for all instead of for himself alone.”

Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk, http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/highlights.html?action=view&intID=463, (April 26, 2010).

Latest National Resource Inventory for Non-Federal Lands shows significant reduction in soil erosion on cropland and dramatic increase in developed acreage
 
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced that soil erosion on cropland declined by more than 40 percent during the past 25 years, while more than one-third of all development of U.S. land occurred during the same period. The information was contained in the latest National Resource Inventory (NRI) for Non-Federal Lands, which was released at an event marking the 75th Anniversary of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the agency charged with ensuring private lands are conserved, restored, and more resilient to environmental challenges.

“The NRI results are significant because they provide a scientifically-based snapshot of the nation’s natural resources and the ability to track trends in natural resource use and condition,” Merrigan said. “The NRI provides a wealth of information that can be used by agricultural and environmental policymakers to make informed decisions about the nation’s natural resources.”

Key findings from the 2007 NRI include:

• Total cropland erosion (sheet, rill and wind) declined by about 43 percent, from more than 3.06 billion tons per year in 1982 to about 1.72 billion tons per year in 2007. The reduction reflects NRCS’s emphasis on working with producers and landowners to reduce erosion. Most of the soil erosion reductions occurred between 1987 and 1997.

• Cropland acreage declined from 420 million acres in 1982 to 357 million acres in 2007, a 15 percent decrease. About half of this reduction is reflected in enrollments of environmental sensitive cropland in USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program.

• About 40 million acres of land were newly developed between 1982 and 2007, bringing the national total to about 111 million acres. More development occurred in the Southeast than in any other region. For the NRI, developed land includes rural transportation corridors such as roads and railroads as well as urban and built-up areas which include residential, industrial, commercial and other land uses. The findings on development are important because development isolates tracts of former farmland, which degrades wildlife habitat and makes agricultural production inefficient.

• There were 325 million acres of prime farmland in 2007, compared to 339 million acres in 1982. The acreage of prime farmland converted to other uses such as development during the 25-year period is greater than the combined area of Vermont and New Hampshire and almost as large as West Virginia.

• The total area of developed land in all states, except Alaska and Hawaii, is approximately equal to the combined surface area of Illinois, Iowa and Michigan. Land that was newly developed between 1982 and 2007 covered an area slightly larger than Iowa. The largest increase in development was 10.7 million acres between 1992 and 1997.

NRI provides scientifically-based, statistically accurate estimates of natural resource status, conditions and trends on non-federal U.S. land-private, tribal and trust lands as well as land controlled by state and local governments. The data are suitable for national, regional and statewide analyses and are comparable across the time period 1982 - 2007. NRCS conducts the inventory in cooperation with Iowa State University’s Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology, a respected scientific partner.

The NRI will assist USDA in its efforts to complete its Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act (RCA) appraisal. RCA guides future USDA soil, water and related resource conservation activities on non-federal lands, while considering both the long and short-term needs of the nation. USDA is scheduled to complete the RCA appraisal by January 2011.

For additional information about NRI, please visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri.

NRCS is celebrating 75 years helping people help the land in 2010. Since 1935, the NRCS conservation delivery system has advanced a unique partnership with state and local governments and private landowners delivering conservation based on specific, local conservation needs, while accommodating state and national interests. President Franklin Roosevelt created the agency on this day in 1935 to help farmers and ranchers overcome the devastating effects of drought, especially in the Midwest and Northern Plains regions.

###
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202-720-6382 (TDD).

This is a well cared for tractor that they used to plant native prairie grasses in addition to other conservation work. 

The Chapter is asking $23,500,  for more information call Nick Ripley at 309-444-3416. 

Even though the farm is not highly erodible and the farmer was using no till and strip till methods of farming there were 8 gullies washing down the hillside.  Not only does the terraces control the sheet & rill erosion and ephemeral gullies, but they also help make it more conducive for farming. 

This is a before picture.

Below is a picture after or during construction. 

This project was actually started in the planning phase in 1998 or 1999 by Mark Jacob.  At that time the landowner was not able to do the project.  However we were able to fund the project in 2008 under EQIP.  All the wet weather the last two years had hindered construction.  We were able to get the tile, risers, and relief wells installed in the spring of 2009.  In the fall of 2009, December actually we started construction and were able to complete terrace 1 and start on terrace two.  Then the winter weather shut us down til this spring.  Just last week on Monday the contractor moved in.  We were really pleased with how the project turned out as are the landowner and farmer. 

NRCS is taking applications on a continual basis for terraces such as these for potential funding under the EQIP program.  If you need assistance contact your local NRCS Service Center. 

Contact Nick Ripley at 309-444-3416

National Volunteer Week is April 18 – 24, 2010.  USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is celebrating National Volunteer week by thanking and honoring its volunteers for their service to conservation.  In fiscal year 2009, nationally, more than 36,000 people donated more than 693,000 hours to conservation as members of NRCS’ volunteer group—Earth Team. 

During 2010, Earth Team is celebrating 25 years of service to conservation.  In that time, over a half-million Earth Team volunteers have donated 15.5 million hours valued at $314 million.    NRCS State Conservationist William Gradle said last year 1,645 Earth Team volunteers donated 21,931 hours in Illinois.  “That’s worth $444,102.75 of benefit to our customers and the taxpayers,” said Mr. Gradle.  “These are impressive numbers and we are grateful for the help, but we also recognize much more conservation work needs to be done.”

Earth Team is a program which partners volunteers with NRCS employees.  It was created in 1985 and offers many opportunities to individuals over the age of 14 who are interested in volunteering and making a positive difference for the nation’s natural resources.  Earth Team volunteers help NRCS conservationists provide everything from conservation technical assistance to teaching and generating awareness about conservation through the use of community projects. 

“We at NRCS are proud of the dedicated volunteers and employees who have committed their time and talents to conserving and protecting soil, water and wildlife for their community and everyone in it,” said Gradle.  “We hope National Volunteer Week will motivate others to volunteer to help NRCS with our mission of Helping People Help the Land.”

Information on the Earth Team Volunteer Program is available online at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/volunteers or by calling (toll-free) 888-LANDCARE.

NRCS (originally called the Soil Conservation Service) has provided leadership in a partnership effort to help America’s private land owners and managers conserve their soil, water and other natural resources since 1935. The agency is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. For more information on NRCS visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov.

*Note:  The Value of Volunteer Time to the Agency is $20.25/hour as established by the Independent Sector and utilized by the Federal Interagency Team for Volunteerism.  The $314 million figure uses 2010 dollars.

Kevin Green’s farm reflects his passion for conservation from the wind breaks and buffer strips to the prairie plants and woodlands.

The Vermilion County Farm Bureau member not only practices conservation, but he also uses every opportunity to promote it.

“Kevin uses those practices on his own farm, and he promotes those practices from an agricultural perspective, not an agency perspective,” said Nancy Erickson, Illinois Farm Bureau director of natural and environmental resources.

Lately Green has worked overtime to sell other farmers on the government Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), including pitching an idea for a CSP story in FarmWeek.

In March, he discussed CSP with government officials as one of the Farm Bureau Leaders to Washington. Green also used meetings of IFB’s Natural Resources Grassroots Issue Team, which he chaired this year, to raise awareness of CSP.

“Any farmer who has waterways in place where they should be and buffer zones along creeks, follows university guidelines on fertilizer applications, and keeps records of that should have no problem (with CSP),” Green said.

“Any farmer who has been conscientious in the protection of farmland that he controls ... and who farms by those ethics should have no problem,” he added.

But Green, whose busy schedule includes serving on the Vermilion County Board, is practical in choosing conservation practices that work for his farm. For example, he opted to plant more field borders instead of no-till farming his cornfields as part of his CSP plan.

Erickson noted Green’s knowledge stems from his broad experiences with conservation programs. “He’s been involved with a lot of conservation programs—not just one or two. The management of his farms reflects his interests,” Erickson added.

Oakwood’s Dollar General store soon will be surrounded by prairie plants and other flowering plants, more testament to Green’s conservation ethics. As part of his CSP plan, Green is widening to 60 feet a 30-foot buffer strip on ground he farms bordering the store that was enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program to 60 feet.

Another spot of Vermilion County is destined to simultaneously benefit, and promote, conservation, thanks to Kevin Green.

NRCS is accepting applications for CSP on a continual basis.  Stop in or call your local service center for more information on CSP or see previous blog articles on CSP on Conservation Corner.

Photo gallery from IFB photographer Ken Kashian.