Conservation Security Program 2006

Cadron Six Farms turns land into a ... Field of Dreams

The owners of Cadron Six Farms have turned their 800 acres of woodland and crop land into a “field of dreams” for themselves and the area’s wildlife.

“I like to see the wildlife flourish on our property and the environmental benefits resulting in our work are an added bonus,” said Barry McKuin, one of six owners of the farm.

Conservation work on the Conway County farm has rewarded the owners with a Tier 3 Conservation Security Program contract on 406 acres of the property.

“Being rewarded for the work we’ve done allows us to implement more conservation practices,” McKuin said. “It’s a great feeling.”

“The program is great for business and great for the environment and has opened other doors for us now,” McKuin said.

“Two good things have come together to make a great thing. It is amazing how wildlife is flourishing while improving our crop production,” said Joe Torian, who manages the farming operation on more than 400 acres of the property.

Through a conservation plan developed in 2000, Cadron Six Farms has installed more than a mile of underground pipe for irrigation, replaced three wells with one pump site on Cadron Creek, put in water control structures and levies to regulate irrigation waters for waterfowl and crops, and installed a recovery system that drains water back to the pump site.

Although not part of the CSP contract, 70 acres of grassland and pine trees are in the Conservation Reserve Program providing cover for the wildlife and benefiting the environment. “We now have deer, turkey, quail, dove, rabbits, squirrels and ducks using the property,” McKuin said.

Besides growing rice, soybeans and wheat for market, Torian also plants sunflowers and patches of soybeans for wildlife.

McKuin and Torian both feel the work they are doing is a win-win situation for themselves and the wildlife.
“We found if you build it, the wildlife will come. People just don’t realize how well these programs work,” Torian said.

Arkansas CSP Quick Facts for 2005

Watersheds: 5
Cadron
Lower Neosho (w/Oklahoma)
Lower St. Francis (w/Missouri)
 Lower White/Bayou Des Arc
Little River Ditches (w/Missouri)

Estimated Number of Farms & Ranches:  5,234

Cropland:  2,081,960 acres

Federal Land:  38,900 acres

Forestland:  621,300 acres

Woodland:  3,912 acres

Pasture Land: 488,000 acres

Urban Land:  109,300 acres

Water:  67,600 acres

Other Land:  111,500 acres

CSP Participation:
Sought info on CSP: 676
Applied: 676
Enrolled: 591

Tier Distribution:
Tier I: 16
Tier 2: 573
Tier 3: 2

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