Arkansas Conservation News -- Fall 2007

Conservation Corner

Kalven L. Trice
State Conservationist

Dear Arkansas NRCS Staff,

I applaud each of you for a job well done throughout the last fiscal year. I want to thank all of the employees, partners and customers for another year of conservation success. Together, we improved the natural resources of the Natural State. Award programs were scheduled in each area to recognize employee accomplishments. I hope you enjoyed the time of camaraderie and recognition. Even though I was not able to be at all of the award programs, your work and dedication to conservation is truly valued.

All of NRCS is under a hiring freeze and will likely stay that way at least until the budget is passed by Congress and signed by the president. We prioritized positions to be filled, assuming we are adequately funded. Managing the human capital (employees, positions and training) is one of my most important jobs. The NRCS Human Capital Strategic Plan (HCSP) encourages us to "develop, promote, and retain a culture of continuous learning to ensure that the workforce has the knowledge, skills and abilities to achieve the agency’s strategic goals." I encourage you to think about how you fit into the future of this agency. What training do you need for new technology? What can you do to better understand our changing customer base? What do you excel at and what future positions might you consider that align with your strengths?

Along with the regular updates and news I share in this column, I decided to start a series on the national NRCS mission goals and how we are accomplishing those goals in Arkansas. This will help you be more informed on each mission goal and acquire a well-rounded working knowledge of the varied projects and tasks performed across the state. There are six mission goals, so the series will run in at least the next six newsletter issues.

As we approach the holiday season, I pray you will have a safe and blessed time. Remember the reason for the season. Help someone less fortunate than you. Take Care!
 

East Arkansas RC&D receives $45,666 grant

The East Arkansas Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc., at Jonesboro was selected for a $45,666 grant.

The grant supports research and outreach for the Arkansas State University Regional Farmers’ Market.

The farmers’ market opened June 24, 2006, on 3-acres of land leased by the RC&D council.

"The goal of this project is to ensure the sustainable future of the farmers’ market by increasing and diversifying the participation of vendors and consumers," said Bob Young, RC&D coordinator.

"Our first objective is to identify and address consumer needs by conducting surveys and increasing marketing," he said. "The second objective is to increase the participation and knowledge base of the farmers and vendors at the market by providing educational programs and evaluating needs, programs successes and areas for change."

Other organizations involved include ASU College of Agriculture, East Arkansas Planning and Development, Craighead County Farm Bureau, Craighead County Cooperative Extension Service, Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, community leaders and farmers.

USDA Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner recently announced 23 grants, to 16 states and the District of Columbia, totaling $900,000 under the Farmers Market Promotion Program.

"Farmers markets are increasingly becoming a larger and more integral part of our rural and urban communities," Conner said. "We support this community spirit that helps increase farmer revenues, and provides consumers with fresh, local farm products."

Mapping from East to West

Arkansas soil scientist expands experience on new horizons

by D’andre L. Yancey

As a young professional, new to the discipline of soil science, the first observation I made was the level of expertise and high standard of excellence set by my predecessors.

Being trained in a similar but different field of science, it was intimidating to find out what kind of profession had chosen me. In order to improve my knowledge base and be competitive, I started to read, but there was still a major piece of the puzzle missing.

I asked myself, "what is the most efficient way for me to become the best soil scientist I can be?"

At the same time, there was a change in the priorities of the National Cooperative Soil Survey, with emphasis being placed on the completion of all initial soil surveys within the country.

I realized this was the perfect solution to the problem at hand: how to accelerate my education as a soil scientist in a real-life, hands-on experience where I had no choice but to sink or swim.

The solution was to take a year and do nothing but map.

Only because of the detail opportunities around the country could this come to realization.

I proposed this idea to Luis Hernandez, state soil scientist, and he agreed this could be beneficial to me, Arkansas and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Since leaving Arkansas, I have mapped more than 16,000 acres in Lamar County, Alabama, and more than 11,000 acres in Sevier County, Utah.

I am currently half way through my year of intense mapping and self-study. I still have another month left in Utah and my next destination will be the Mojave Desert in California.

Even though some people may consider the frequent moves a sacrifice, I would not change any part of this. These experiences have helped me grow personally and professionally. More importantly, I actually feel like a soil scientist.
 

Conservation Tillage vs. No-Till

Fuel Usage

Arkansas farmers were expected to plant 2.9 million acres of soybeans in 2007 according to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. The following is the total diesel fuel cost estimate (in dollars per year) based on $2.80/gallon to farm those 2.9 million acres. The information was compiled from the NRCS Tillage Energy Estimator available at: http://ecat.sc.egov.usda.gov/

Conventional Tillage: $40,437,600 for 14.5 million gallons of fuel
No-Till: $17,052,000 for 6.1 million gallons of fuel
Potential cost savings over conventional tillage: $23,384,600 and 8.4 million gallons of fuel

Conventional Tillage

Total diesel fuel cost estimate (in dollars per year) based on $2.80/gallon.
Crop: Soybeans
Acres: 1,200
Total Fuel Cost: $16,733
Total Fuel Use: 5,976 gallons

No-Till

Total diesel fuel cost estimate (in dollars per year) based on $2.80/gallon.
Crop: Soybeans
Acres: 1,200
Total Fuel Cost: $7,056
Total Fuel Use: 2,520 gallons
Potential cost savings over conventional: $9,677

Residue Management

Residue management practices can have significant impacts on reducing soil erosion, improving aggregate stability and increasing organic matter.

Single Year -- Soybeans

Conventional Tillage

Soil Loss: 11.0 tons/ac/yr
* SCI: -1.0
** STIR: 120

No-Till

Soil Loss: 2.40 tons/ac/yr
* SCI: 0.22
** STIR: 7.5

RUSLE2 calculations based on Arkansas County with Stuttgart soil, a 100’ slope and 1percent slope

* The SCI is the Soil Conditioning Index rating. If the calculated index is a negative value, soil organic matter levels are predicted to decline under that production system. If the index is a positive value, soil organic matter levels are predicted to increase under that system.

** The STIR value is the Soil Tillage Intensity Rating. It utilizes the speed, depth, surface disturbance percent and tillage type parameters to calculate a tillage intensity rating for the system used in growing a crop or a rotation. STIR ratings tend to show the difference in the degree of soil disturbance between systems. The kind, severity and number of ground disturbing passes are evaluated for the entire cropping rotation as shown in the management description.

Arkansas' 2007 Team Award winners

Working together for a common goal is working well in Arkansas as is evident by the outstanding applications submitted for this year’s team awards.

The 2007 Team Award winners are:

South Field Service Center of the year: Hope Field Service Center -- Gary Watson, district conservationist; Reggie Cunningham, soil conservationist; Derrek Nokes, soil conservation technician; Donna Newton, district secretary; and Chris G. Hays, water quality technician

Northeast Field Service Center of the Year: Osceola Field Service Center -- Chris Culver, district conservationist; Sherri Godsey, district secretary; and Robby Harpole, soil conservation technician

Northwest Field Service Center of the Year: Salem Field Service Center -- Kelly Shrable, district conservationist; Michelle Ward, district secretary; Derek Hall, water quality technician; and Joe Massey, grassland specialist

Resource Conservation and Development Council of the Year: Northwest RC&D Council -- Richard Drewry, coordinator; Jo Stephens, administrative assistant; and Judge Bob Fowler, council president

Resource Team of the Year: Team 14 -- Gary Watson, district conservationist; Debra Crawford, district conservationist; Che Gordon, district conservationist; Reginald Cunningham, soil conservationist; Terry Reeves, soil conservation technician; Roger Gold, soil conservation technician; Derrek Nokes, soil conservation technician; Donna Newton, district manager; Chris Hayes, water quality technician; Roxie Reel, district secretary; Tia Clark, district manager; Cody Burchfield, district manager; Kim Hopper, water quality technician; Roy Baskin, water quality technician; and Glenda Adams, district manager

Technical Support Team of the Year: Program Support Team -- Randy Brown, team leader; Michelle Clendenin, biologist; Andrew James biologist; Kenneth Lee, resource conservationist; Dennis Mobley, soil conservationist; Tom Neely, management analyst; Aaron Peter, hydrologic engineer; and Kay Graves, secretary
 

Practice payments

New schedule provides improved cost list

A new method of paying for program practices replaces cost-sharing for individual components under the FY 2008 payment schedule.

NRCS is instituting the use of payment schedules in order to achieve four primary objectives:

First, in order to comply with international treaties and IRS regulations, NRCS will use the new cost data to document the direct costs and income losses associated with the implementation of conservation practices and enhancement activities.

Second, NRCS has initiated an effort to streamline the contracting and contract payment processes in order to reduce the amount of time these activities require and increase the time available for district conservationists and planners to provide technical assistance to producers at the field level. This process was developed with the intent of significantly reducing the number of practice/activity line items included in each financial assistance contract.

Third, the development of payment schedules will eliminate uncertainty as to the level of actual payments to producers, enabling prospective conservation program participants to plan advance financial aspects of their contract obligations.

Fourth, creating a clear distinction between section 1 cost data (used for planning purposes) and program payment schedules (used for contracting purposes) will eliminate the problems that have previously existed as a result of both producers and NRCS staffers using "cost" lists, in order to estimate the costs of applying conservation practices and enhancement activities. The "cost" lists are actually program payment lists and were not designed to estimate the cost of applying practices.

The 2007 cost list consisted of 1,685 components on 39 pages. There was an 84 percent reduction from components to practice/activity types.

The headings on the 2008 Cost List will remain the same. Payment Schedule 2009 will have the new heading changes such as: "Practice/Activity Types" will replace the "Components" heading, and "Payment Rate" will replace "Unit Cost".

Even though the 2008 Payment Schedule headings will remain the same, some of their content will have a different meaning such as:

• Component (means Practice/Activity) – This will have the practice scenario(s) as line items. The district conservationist will select one line item for a practice that needs to be installed. For more detailed information about a practice scenario refer to eFOTG Section 1. Components that were on the 2007 Cost List will not appear as line items. The component costs are already figured into the scenario(s) as part of the system.

• Unit Cost (means Payment Rate) – A district conservationist will select one line item under the component heading and that cost will be the payment rate to install that entire practice.

• Cost Type – There will be one cost type: PR (payment rate). The share rate will display 100 percent to indicate that payment is calculated as the payment rate shown and not subject to a cost share percentage. This allows the district conservationist to tell the farmer exactly what rate he will receive under unit cost for that practice.

District conservationists can rely on the cost data information in eFOTG to ensure they are selecting the right practices scenario(s). They should review all payment scenarios with landowners, so landowners can have a say in the proper system for their operations.
 

Milton Anderson is a retired county appraiser and former savings and loan vice president. He has been an NRCS state office Earth Team volunteer since April 2005. Since that time, he has assisted the state office on several projects with his greatest contribution being his availability on short notice. Anderson logged 15 hours of volunteer time this year.

In March 2007, he cleaned, repaired and repainted the watershed dams model. The model had been in disrepair for several years and was in desperate need of attention. With less than five hours of work, Anderson had done the repairs, painted and reattached "trees" and replaced "shrubbery." He had the model looking good and back in the state office in time for the engineers to use it for their presentation at Water Fest 2007.

Also in March, Anderson was the only Earth Team volunteer to attend the enviroscape presentation training presented by public affairs at the state office. At Water Fest 2007 on the campus of Lakewood Middle School, he manned a station and presented watershed pollution and conservation concepts to middle school students. Several of the comments forwarded to the Water Fest committee from the students’ critiques specifically mentioned the success of his station.

Then, in May 2007, he worked again with the Enviroscape, making three presentations at the Museum of Discovery event "Watersheds, Wildlife and Wonder," co-sponsored by NRCS and the Pulaski County Conservation District.

NRCS is particularly pleased with Anderson’s work in 2007 as he has shown that, with only a small NRCS investment in training, Earth Team volunteers can be active and successful in assisting NRCS in public outreach events involving the presentation of technical and scientific material. His work and talents contributed to the success of two important NRCS state office outreach events which introduced the NRCS conservation mission to more than 500 Arkansas public school students.
 

Congratulations to the following Arkansas Earth Team Awardees for Fiscal Year 2007:

CRYSTAL GLOBE AWARDS:

Arkansas Volunteer of the Year -- Janie McEntire Group, Marshall Arkansas

NRCS/AACD Earth Team Partnership Award -- Logan County Conservation District

NRCS/RC&D Earth Team Partnership Award -- Ozark Foothills RC&D Council

NRCS EARTH TEAM AWARDS:

Field Service Center of the Year -- Salem FSC

NRCS Employee of the Year -- Gary Watson, Hope

RC&D Coordinator of the Year -- Bob Young, East Arkansas RC&D

Earth Team Coordinator of the Year -- Pat Hoeffken, State Volunteer Coordinator

AREA VOLUNTEER AWARDS:

Northeast Area Volunteer of the Year -- Arkansas County Farm Safety Field Day Group

Northwest Area Volunteer of the Year -- Logan County FFA Field Day Group

South Area Volunteer of the Year -- Clyde Mitchell, Hamburg

State Office Volunteer of the Year -- Milton Anderson, Little Rock

The AACD Earth Team Partnership Award will be presented at the annual Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts meeting in December.

The RC&D Earth Team Partnership Award will be presented at the state RC&D meeting in December.

All other awards were presented area ceremonies in November.
 

Calendar

Novemeber

14 -- Program Managers Meeting, Little Rock

15 -- Management Team Meeting, Little Rock

22 -- Thanksgiving Day

December

7 -- Farm Family of the Year Luncheon, North Little Rock

10 -- RC&D Annual Meeting, North Little Rock

10-14 -- NOPBNRCSE Training Conference, New Orleans

11-12 -- AACD Annual Meeting, North Little Rock

25 -- Christmas Day

January

1 -- New Year’s Day

16-17 -- Management Team Meeting, Little Rock

21 -- Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday
 

Comings & Goings

• Nolan Beck, soil conservationist, transferred to Paris from Monticello.

• Tom Collins is the new district conservationist at Wynne.

• Wes Duvall, construction inspector, transferred to Danville from Atkins.

• Shaun Ford is the new district conservationist in Hot Springs.

• James Harness, civil engineering technician at Lonoke, retired Aug. 4.

• Robert Hotchkiss is the new Northwest Area assistant state conservationist for field operations.

• Justin Keith is the new district conservationist in Warren.

• Amanda Mathis, soil conservationist, transferred to Fayetteville from Paris.

• Lowell Moody, construction inspector, transferred to the Boonville Project Office from Atkins.

• Suzanne Polson, soil conservationist, transferred to Searcy from Bentonville.

• Willard Ryland, district conservationist, transferred to Marianna from Forest City.

• Neil Sparks, construction inspector, transferred to the Boonville Project Office from the Fort Smith Project Office.

• Earniece Young, soil conservationist, transferred to Pine Bluff from Fayetteville.

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