Arkansas Conservation News -- Winter 2006
Conservation Corner
Kalven L. Trice
State Conservationist
Thanks to all of you for your recent work on the
Conservation Security Program. With a true team effort, we have completed one of
our biggest challenges for fiscal year 2005.
As Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns has stated, “this
is a unique program that offers payments for enhancing natural resources,
rewards those farmers and ranchers who are model conservationists and provides
incentives for other producers to meet those same high standards of
environmental performance.”
CSP will have a tremendous positive impact on farmers and
ranchers of Arkansas. CSP’s objective is to “reward the best and motivate the
rest.”
Receiving 676 applications, Arkansas is in the top 10
states for the number of applications. You have spent the last months, working
long hours, inputting these applications in Toolkit and Protracts, and working
directly with farmers and ranchers. Your work has resulted in 548 applications
funded with total payments of $12,591,629 as of Aug. 22. We have 13 Tier I, 533
Tier II and two Tier III contracts. (For a look at one of our CSP farms, read
the article on Page 3.) Last year, Arkansas had 100 percent of the applications
funded.
On behalf of the Management Team, we are proud of your
accomplishments. Your cooperative spirit and dedication was outstanding. Thank
you!!!!
Coming up, we have other challenges to tackle. The next
challenges include Performance Results Systems, Farm Bill Programs
implementation, Watershed Rehabilitation, Public Law 566, Congressional
Earmarks, State Office and Area Offices projects and activities, RC&D, Soils,
etc.
The work you do is critical to carrying out our performance
and business plans. Equally important, we are addressing the needs of our
clients and being good stewards of the taxpayer dollars.
Thanks again and keep up the great work.
Little Red River Irrigation Project
Geologic investigation samples project area’s soil characteristics
The engineering and project planning teams have developed a
plan to provide supplemental surface water from the Little Red River through a
series of flumes, canals and pipelines to 34,000 acres of cropland in southeast
White County.
“Irrigation water is currently supplied by low yielding
wells and surface sources, but these sources are inadequate to sustain the crop
requirements,” said Tony Stevenson, state conservation engineer.
Additional on-farm conservation practices such as
irrigation storage reservoirs, irrigation pit reservoirs, pumping plants,
irrigation pipelines, and grade stabilization structures are a part of the plan.
Although the project is still in the planning stages,
geologic investigations have been completed in the area to determine engineering
dispersion characteristics of the soil.
“The investigation consisted of 52 auger borings ranging in
depth from 10 to 30 feet,” said Roy Crutchfield, geologist. “The total drilled
footage was 565 linear feet, and included continuous sampling for geologic
logging.
“Soils collected for laboratory testing consisted of 19
small bag samples and five undisturbed tube samples. Field crumb tests were also
conducted for potential clay dispersion,” Crutchfield said.
Conservation practices help wildlife flourish, while improving crop
production at Cadron Six Farms on their ... Field of Dreams
By Creston Shrum
Public Affairs Specialist
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. It’s a great feeling,” McKuin said. “The
program is great for business and great for the environment and has opened other
doors for us now.”
“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 by Ron Day,
Conway County district conservationist, 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.
Also benefiting the wildlife and environment are 70 acres
of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. “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 have found if you build it, the wildlife will come.
People just don’t realize how well these programs work,” Torian said.
Tour gives look at irrigation projects
Israeli visitor visits minority-owned farms
Arkansas NRCS and its partners conducted a tour of
minority-owned farms for a visitor from Israel Aug. 2 to provide a good
conservation technical exchange and exposure to various conservation
practices.
Itzhack Moshe, from Israel, and Lillian Woods, from NRCS
headquarters, were shown how similar conservation challenges and solutions in
Arkansas could be applied in Israel.
“We visited areas of the state with declining ground water
levels and showed Mr. Moshe how our programs are benefiting landowners,
agriculture, and the environment,” said Ron Brown, outreach coordinator.
“The minority landowners were either participating in the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program or the Grand Prairie Project,” Brown
said. “We visited landowners who are benefiting from the financial and technical
assistance we provide.”
The tours included information on land-leveling, relift
pumps and culverts, reservoir development, underground pipes and tailwater
recovery systems for water management on the farm.
“The theme of this tour was right on target,” Moshe said.
“I have learned how NRCS provides conservation solutions that may be used in
Israel to help make a difference.”
Volunteers provide crucial CNMP training
Dr. Robert Burns and Lara Moody, Iowa State University
professors, and Dr. Ronald Sheffield, a University of Idaho professor, have
become Earth Teach volunteers to provide Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan
training to NRCS employees.
“The professors donated their time in return for paid
transportation and lodging. Utilizing the professors as volunteers saved NRCS
more $17,000,” said Helen Denniston, state agronomist. Denniston coordinated the
training and requested utilizing the professors as Earth Team volunteers.
Denniston worked with Pat Hoeffken, Arkansas Earth Team
coordinator, and Holly Anderson, state office volunteer coordinator, to ensure
all procedures were followed to officially designate the three professors as
hosted volunteers performing permitted volunteer services.
A hosted volunteer is defined as any volunteer who receives
pay from a source other than NRCS.
As hosted volunteers, the professors received the benefit
of their regular salaries from their respective universities and qualified for
reimbursement of travel and lodging expenses from NRCS.
In accordance with Earth Team procedures in Arkansas, the
office utilizing the volunteers, in this case Ecological Sciences, pays the
volunteer expenses.
“Helen’s idea of utilizing the professors as Earth Team
volunteers highlights the possibilities for Earth Team when NRCS employees think
outside the box,” Hoeffken said. “Remember to consider Earth Team volunteers
for your next project.”
NRCS, professors develop curriculum
The project is part of a 2003 Memorandum of Understanding
signed by NRCS and Iowa State University, Purdue University, University of
Tennessee, University of Idaho, and Michigan State University.
The universities agreed to work cooperatively with NRCS to
develop a core CNMP educational curriculum and instructor-ready course
materials. NRCS involvement in curriculum development ensures the materials
provide necessary skills to satisfy the NRCS Technical Service Provider
certification standards.
Recent EPA regulations made CNMP development mandatory for
most confined animal operations by 2006.
NRCS will provide much of the assistance to the producers
in preparing the CNMPs. NRCS also hopes to use private TSPs to assist in this
effort.
To test the curriculum and facilitate incorporation of
specific state standards, the professors presented training to employees at Fort
Chaffee, April 11 through 14.
Waterfest
Robinson Middle School event teaches students about water quality, quantity,
conservation
NRCS was the main sponsor of the first-ever Backyard
Conservation WaterFest 2005 held April 22 at Robinson Middle School in Little
Rock.
“The event was designed to involve students, teachers,
parents, agencies and community individuals in the use of backyard conservation
practices to help keep our waters safe,” said Ron Brown, outreach coordinator.
Participants played an active role in outdoor and hands-on
activities to enhance the learning process about water quality and quantity,
conservation, non-point source pollution and other water related issues.
“We hope to inspire action-oriented teams and communities
to become better stewards of the land and water,” Brown said.
More than 400 students and several teachers, parents,
community individuals, and Earth Team volunteers participated in the event. The
theme was: “Building World Class Action Teams”. In addition, 35 partners
participated or contributed to the event.
USDA donates computers to local schools
The USDA in Arkansas donated more than 40 computers to
schools in Little Rock and Pine Bluff in May.
“The donations are part of a USDA effort to distribute
10,000 used computers to school systems nationwide,” said Kalven L. Trice, state
conservationist. “When we upgrade our systems, we are able to give the used
computers to educational institutions.”
Paulette Martin, adult education director for the Pulaski
County Special School District, said her program will use the computers in the
classrooms. She was pleased that the USDA contacted her about receiving the
computers.
Little Rock schools that received computers are Arkansas
Baptist College, Little Rock School District Alternative School, the Adult
Learning Center, and Philander Smith College. In Pine Bluff, Dollarway Jr. High
School and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff received computers.
Did you Know
White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with other
federal agencies, will participate in the White House Conference on Cooperative
Conservation in St. Louis, Mo., August 29-31 to provide a forum for a diverse
group of leaders to exchange information.
The conference, convened by the White House Council on
Environmental Quality, will identify innovative and effective approaches to
promoting cooperative conservation.
LANDCARE Web site
The LANDCARE Publications and Forms Distribution Center Web
page, http://landcare.sc.egov.usda.gov/, is now up and running.
Site visitors can browse the inventory and place orders
on-line.
The center has also recently acquired several agency and
engineering forms.
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
NRCS is forming a team for the 2005 Susan G. Komen Race for
the Cure, to help battle breast cancer.
The 5K race is Oct. 22 in Little Rock.
Registration costs $20 and entries are due by Sept. 12.
For more information or to sign up, contact Leslie Glover
II at (501) 301-3178 or Sandy O’Brien at (501) 301-3180.
TSP open season elimination
Public Law 108-469, which was signed into law December 21,
2004, eliminates the Thrift Savings Plan open seasons and the restrictions on
contribution elections which are tied to open seasons.
Beginning July 1, contribution elections can be entered at
any time and will be processed under the new rules — that is, the elections must
be made effective no later than the first full pay period after they are filed.
For more information, visit
www.tsp.gov.
TSP offers ‘lifecycle funds’
The Thrift Savings Plan began offering “lifecycle fund”
investments Aug. 1.
Lifecycle funds are “target asset allocation funds.”
These funds have a mix of investments of different types
and characteristics, such as domestic stocks, international stocks, and bonds.
The mix is chosen based on the date when employees will need to use their money.
The TSP lifecycle funds will invest only in the five funds
currently offered by the TSP. Thus, the lifecycle funds will be composed of
various percentages of the G, F, C, S, and I Fund assets.
The C, S, and I Funds will provide exposure to domestic and
international equities, while the G and F Funds will provide fixed income and
stable value investments.
The TSP has decided to offer five lifecycle funds,
collectively referred to as the “L Funds”:
For more information on “L Funds,” visit the TSP Web site
at www.tsp.gov.
Calendar of Events
September
5 -- Labor Day
6-8 -- RC&D Annual Meeting, Hot Springs
13-14 -- MO-16 Staff Meeting, Little Rock
14 -- Management Team Meeting, Little Rock
15 -- Central Area Arkansas Association of Conservation
Districts Meeting, Conway
23-24 -- Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative Meeting,
Eureka Springs
October
7-16 -- State Fair, Little Rock
10 -- Columbus Day
11-12 -- Management Team Meeting
November
11 -- Veterans Day
16-17 -- Management Team Meeting
24 -- Thanksgiving Day
< Back to Newsletters
| 
About Us
Back to Top