Arkansas Conservation News -- Summer 2007

Conservation Corner

Kalven L. Trice
State Conservationist

Dear Arkansas NRCS Staff,

As the end of another fiscal year quickly approaches, I want to express my thanks and appreciation for the Arkansas Natural Resources Conservation Service employees’ diligence and dedication. At times, it has been an interesting and challenging year for us. No matter what obstacle we have had to face, you never failed to rise to the occasion. You persevered through tight budgets, increased workload, and 2002 Farm Bill deadlines.

While in Washington, D.C. attending a leadership meeting, I met with the chief, associate chief, and the regional assistant chief. We discussed how Arkansas addressed the 2007 budget shortfalls. We also discussed Arkansas’ 2008 budget, state efficiency plan, and workload analysis. Overall, they stressed the need for us to evaluate budget trends and projections and develop staffing and budget plans that are reflective of Congressional and Administration priorities, meaning we should not expect increased staffing levels. There is no doubt that we have had to make adjustments due to the loss of 26 employees since October 1, 2006. We must wisely manage both our financial and human resources so budget shortfalls will not have drastic impacts on our operations.

I recently asked each Management Team Member to develop a workload analysis for each of their areas of responsibility. Each Management Team Member determined workload needs with corresponding budget needs by program. With this information, we will determine the appropriate number of staff and offices, which will feed directly into the state efficiency and 2008 performance plans. We want these plans to be proactive in order to help us make good decisions as we face the challenges of the future.

I encourage you to stay up to date as the debate continues on the 2007 Farm Bill. The House passed its version of the Farm Bill and it is now posted to the "Thomas" website (http://thomas.loc.gov). Overall, the investment in conservation is impressive; however, the House version does not streamline programs as the Department had proposed. It also contains some additional initiatives (i.e., payment limitations on commodity and conservation programs, energy initiatives, additional assistance for limited and socially disadvantage farmers, and others). The Senate has not taken up the 2007 Farm Bill yet; a version could be on the Senate floor perhaps the third week in September. More Farm Bill information from USDA is posted on this website: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1UH?navid=FARM_BILL_FORUMS.

It is hard to say exactly what this next fiscal year and Farm Bill will bring, but I know Arkansas NRCS employees are resilient and adaptable. There is no doubt in my mind, employees make NRCS successful. I appreciate you.

I look forward to seeing and interacting with you in October and November as we celebrate your accomplishments at Areas and State Office Awards Programs. Keep up the great work.
 

Turning produce into profit

Program equips small farmer with wells, irrigation system

Through hard work, using conservation practices and alternative crops, a small farmer in Rondo, Ark., turned his operation into an example other farmers want to follow.

Since Harvey Williams’ main source of income comes from farming, he has converted his farm from a primarily row crop operation to high-value vegetable crops. He specializes in growing sweet potatoes, squash, greens, okra, sweet corn, peas, butter beans, tomatoes and other vegetables on 150 acres.

"Many small farmers, and some large, come and ask questions about my farming practices," said Harvey Williams. "I expect to pass it on. I expect to help create a situation where more farmers convert to produce. It is a crop and a business we know we can grow in this area."

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program helped Williams turn his produce into profit.

"When I talked to Williams in 1999, he had an EQIP contract for a well and 400 feet of irrigation pipeline to water 20 to 40 acres of vegetables," said Angela Gibson, Lee County district conservationist. "When he converted to all vegetables in 2002, he had some areas he could water and others he couldn’t. We sat down and developed a plan to address his complete operation."

An additional EQIP contract resulted in the installation of another well and 800 feet of irrigation pipeline. The pipeline and wells enable him to irrigate 100 acres. Thirty acres were also land leveled to help with water conservation.

To address water quality concerns, Williams installed a filter strip on two sides of his farm.

Williams’ conservation work and farming practices helped him become the first farmer in Arkansas to become USDA certified for meeting "Good Agricultural Practices."

Williams’ farmland, field harvest practices and processing facility were all certified.

Ozan Creeks project reduces watershed flooding problems

A work plan for watershed protection and flood prevention in the Ozan Creeks Watershed was finalized in 1975 with the Hempstead County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Since that time, eight of 22 planned floodwater retarding structures and about 250 acres of land stabilization measures have been completed.

The newest project, a 15-acre reservoir with a 205-acre drainage area, is underway north of Hope.

The project was designed by Pat Henry, project engineer at the Hope Construction Office.

The design features the reservoir with a 32-foot dam, a 2-foot principal spillway pipe and a 50-foot wide emergency spillway providing 114 acre-feet of floodwater storage.
 

Conservation Planning

Ecological Sciences staff holds training field day

The Ecological Sciences staff met in Searcy July 12 with district conservationists, soil conservationists and technicians in northwest Arkansas for a Conservation Planning Field Day Training.

After a morning of classroom instruction, 23 participants traveled to the Ryan Pace farm in White County where instructors led the class in addressing resource concerns. The staff also gave options Pace could consider to improve his farm.

Training session are planned in Drew, Fulton, Yell and Monroe counties in the next few months. Programs have already been held in Sevier and Lawrence counties.
 

Heifer Project International receives Conservation Innovation Grant

Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey today announced the award of $237,732 to Heifer Project International, Inc., for the "Enhancement of Resource Management on Livestock Operations of Limited Resource Farmers through Training on Prescribed Grazing, Animal Habitat, and Animal Well-Being."

The project will teach limited resources farmers to be trainers for their communities, providing instruction and support on prescribed grazing, resource management, livestock health, and other topics.

Through hands-on, practical preparation conducted at Heifer Ranch; illustrated manuals; and other training tools the project will empower limited resource farmers in Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma with the skills and tools needed to develop economically stable and environmentally sound livestock-based farming systems. Technical support will also be provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Heifer, and other professionals.

Heifer’s award is part of nearly $20 million in Conservation Innovation Grants given to 51 projects in 36 states. The projects are designed to develop and refine cutting-edge technologies and approaches that can help producers maintain viable agricultural operations.

CIG funds pilot projects and trials that can last from one to three years.
 

Called to court and confused?

If you are called to court, do you know what your responsibilities are? Here are a few pointers on what to do.

Expert Witness

If you are subpoenaed to testify as an NRCS expert witness, for example on a case between neighbors, you need to call your supervisor and Molly Voeller in the state office.

It is not usually in the best interest of the government for us to testify as NRCS expert witnesses but only the state conservationist can make the final decision as to weather or not an employee testifies as an NRCS expert witness.

You cannot refuse to accept service of a subpoena, which means when a law enforcement officer or process server asks you to sign for a subpoena, you must do so.

The federal government can refuse to honor a subpoena on cases not in federal court. Many lawyers are surprised by that.

Let your supervisor and the state office handle the subpoena so you can get back to your regular work and not have to be involved in a local area conflict.

When you appear as a witness, either in your capacity as a NRCS employee or in your personal capacity, and you are on administrative leave, you may not keep a witness fee. You must turn the fee over to your supervisor who will turn it over to your area’s administrative specialist.

Individual Testimony

If you are subpoenaed to testify as an individual, for example you witnessed a car crash or have knowledge about a personal matter like a divorce or custody case, your position with the federal government has no effect on you attending the hearing, but you still must inform your supervisor of the subpoena.

You must take leave when attending the hearing – you may be given administrative leave, the same type of leave you take when doing your civic duty serving as a jury member.

Jury Duty

If you are requested to be a jury member in federal or state court, your position as a federal government employee is not an excuse to not show-up for jury duty.

Your employment may or may not make any difference to the selecting parties and it does not warrant you any special treatment. Tell your supervisor the date(s) you are requested to be on jury duty.

You may take administrative leave when serving on jury duty. While on administrative leave, you may not keep any payments made to you by the court but must turn the checks over to supervisor who will turn it over to your area’s administrative specialist.

The legal language can be unclear and confusing so when in doubt, ask. For more information on USDA NRCS employees appearing in court, see Code of Federal Regulations 7, Agriculture, Subpart K.
 

Soil’s importance has always been easy to understand as a farmer’s daughter.

But, the thought of pursuing a career in soils never crossed my mind until I met Glen Laurent at an FFA land judging contest.

He explained that setting up the contest was part of his job as a Natural Resources Conservation Service soil scientist. I remember thinking, "what a cool job."

During the summer of 2001, I started with NRCS as an NRCS Earth Team volunteer. I learned about conservation and the farm bill programs.

The following two summers I worked as a soil conservation technician in the Conway County field office. I noticed for conservation planning the land area was always located on a map from the soil survey book.

The opportunity to become a soil science trainee arose in 2004. It was exciting to learn how the soil survey books are actually made.

The summer of 2004 field work was still being completed for the Grant County soil survey.

I worked alongside Ken Crader, walking across the land, digging holes to view the soil, and drawing the extent of the different soils on a map. The experience made me appreciate how much time and energy went into compiling the information for the soil surveys.

In 2005, I had the privilege of sitting in on the Soil Survey Cooperative Planning Meeting for the state of Arkansas.

This meeting allowed me to meet some of the people who use the soil survey. It was also my introduction to the Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) concept.

Arkansas finished initial mapping in 2005 and started looking at updating soils information in the state.

The summer of 2006 I worked with Glen Laurent in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We presented soils information to a variety of audiences from NRCS employees to high school students.

The topics varied but we always tried to increase awareness about the Web Soil Survey, which makes soil information available to people via the internet.

The hands on knowledge I gained during the summers as a soil science trainee helped me to better understand information in the classroom, because it allowed me to apply the information in the book to what I had seen in the field.

I completed my bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville in Environmental, Soil and Water Science in May 2007.

Today, I am employed as a NRCS soil scientist at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, MLRA Soil Survey Project Office, and I love my profession. The work is rewarding because the information we collect is made available to the public.

My duties allow me to build on the skills I learned as a soil science trainee, a soil conservation technician, a student and a farmer’s daughter.

It is amazing to reflect on the experiences and people I have encountered thus far, but even more exciting to dream about what the future might hold.

The more knowledge I gain about soil, the more I realize it is so much more than "dirt."
 

Are you a volunteer? More than a fourth of the U. S. population volunteers somewhere.

That means 65 NRCS employees in Arkansas donate their time and talents to an organization.

And, it is likely that you have been volunteering for several years.

A study by the Corporation for National and Community Service shows about 61.2 million people volunteered in 2006. On average, two-thirds of volunteers who served in 2005 continued to serve in 2006.

The old adage, "If you want something done, ask a busy person" applies here and NRCS employees are busy. In 2006, Arkansas NRCS implemented over $50 million in Farm Bill programs and was ranked number two in the nation with almost 200,000 acres enrolled in WRP.

Yet, more than a fourth of you donate your free time to a worthy cause somewhere else.

Your local communities are fortunate and benefited to have your time and talents. And, you are a better person for having given part of yourself to a greater cause.

To all of you who volunteer so that your part of the earth can be a better place, you are saluted.
 

Special Emphasis Programs help under-represented groups

The Arkansas NRCS Civil Rights Advisory Committee (CRAC) ensures under-represented groups are made aware of employment opportunities for career positions, temporary summer employment and special appointments.

CRAC accomplishes this task through Special Emphasis Programs.

The Special Emphasis Program focuses on issues such as employment, promotion, training and career enhancement affecting NRCS employees and those applying for jobs with NRCS.

The Special Emphasis Program includes the Federal Women’s, Hispanic Employment, Disability Employment, Veterans Employment, American Indian/Native Alaskan Employment, Asian American/Pacific Islander Employment and Black Employment programs.

In Arkansas, the Multicultural Emphasis Program Manager oversees all the Special Emphasis Programs, except the Federal Women’s Program and the Black Emphasis Program.

To learn more about the specific programs contact:

• Black Emphasis Program manager -- Corey Farmer, (501) 758-2544x3

• Federal Women’s Program manager -- Rose Webb, (501) 301-3169

• Multicultural Emphasis Program manager -- Rhonda Foster, (479) 442-4160x3

For more information, contact a Special Emphasis Program manager or Rich Joslin, Civil Rights Advisory Committee chairman, at (501) 301-3179. More information is also available on the Web at http://www.ar.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civil_rights.html.
 

Calendar

September

4 -- Labor Day Holiday

6 -- Conservation Planning Field Day, Russellville

6 -- Program Managers Meeting, state office

6-8 -- CIG Training for Heifer Ranch, Perry County

12-13 -- Management Team Meeting, state office

18 -- Prescribed Burning Prerequisite Course, Little Rock

18-19 -- Grazing Management Workshop, Conway

20 -- Conservation Planning Field Day, Monroe County

21 -- Sheep/Goat Grazing Management Workshop, Monticello

24-28 -- Prescribed Burning for Natural Resources Management Training, Camp Robinson

26 -- Grazing Management Workshop, Randolph/Lawrence counties
 

October

8 -- Columbus Day Holiday

17 -- Program Managers Meeting, state office

18 -- Management Team Meeting, state office

25-26 -- Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation Annual Conference, Fargo
 

Comings & Goings

• Claudette Barbee is the new contracting officer in the state office.

• Brittany Kaufman is the new soil scientist at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, MLRA Soil Survey Project Office.

• Larry Kichler is the new senior soil scientist in the state office.

• Cissy Reid is the new secretary for soils in the state office.

• Jimmy Rietzke, a civil engineer in the state office, retired June 3.

• Mozell Williams, the district conservationist at the Marion Field Service Center, retired July 3.

• Alicia Wyles is the new human resources specialist in the state office.

< Back to Newsletters