2023 Soil & Water Conservation

SOIL&WATER CONSERVATION

Douglas County Conservation District Year in Review

2022 has been both productive and full of change. COVID has become something we now accept as a part of life and its challenges seem to be practiced procedures as we continue to assist landowners and producers.

This past year we said goodbye to our District Manager Randy Winchester as he retired after 9 faithful years with the District. Randy was a great asset. His knowledge and connections with the farming community will be greatly missed. The new District Manager, Suzy Mooney moved from Education and Outreach into the District Manager position in August.

So, what did we accomplish in 2022?

The district was allocated some additional funds

this year for Cost Share Programs. The District allocated $19,139.60 from the state’s Non-Point Source program and $41,920.50 from its Water Resource program to landowners and producers needing assistance with conservation infrastructure. These funds helped producers and landowners with terrace and tile installations, stream crossings, watering facilities, waterway development, well decommissioning, soil testing, Brush Management, fencing, and even septic repairs.

Working in partnership with the NRCS, the District helped producers and landowners implement 47 Environmental Quality Incentive program (EQIP) contracts valued at more than $1,100,000 and 23 Conservation Stewardship Program Grassland

Welcome to the Service Center

The USDA Service Center located at 4920 Bob Billings Pkwy is home to three government farm and conservation agencies. The Douglas County Conservation District makes its home here, as does the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA).

District Manager Suzy Mooney is the new District Manager as of August of 2022. She was the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the District along with working as part of the NRCS office as an independent contractor.

Suzy grew up on a small farm in Missouri and has called Lawrence home for the last 22 years.

After 9 years with the District as the District Manager, Randy Winchester has retired. He started with the district in 2014. He was born and raised in a small NE Kansas town, where his family operated a grain elevator, cattle feedlot, and farmed several hundred acres of row crops. He also owns a 70-acre farm in SE Douglas County, where he and his family raise Scottish Highland cows.

Thursday, February 16th, 2023, 6:00 p.m.

The Douglas County Conservation District’s annual meeting will be at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Building 21. Come and join us for a great night. Expiring terms for Board Supervisors this year are John Bradley and Lowell Neitzel

Conservation Initiative (CSP-GCI) contracts valued at over $53,000.

Participated in the Kansas Climate Smart Initiative and helped our state to surpass their enrollment goal of 100,000 acres.

The District continued to offer our no-till drills for rent at reasonable rates, with more than 50 people taking advantage of the equipment. Many of those people also took advantage of our seed sale program, purchasing native warm-season grass seed, cool-season grass seed, wildflowers, and forbs. We also provided drip torches, fire mats, and backpack sprayers to people conducting prescribed burns.

We were also able to offer several education opportunities throughout 2022.

Douglas County Conservation District Our Beginning and How We Are Helping Today

Conservation Districts were originated under the Franklin Roosevelt administration in the early 1930s during a time that poor soil conservation practices caused the Dust Bowl throughout the South-Central United States. The creation of Conservation Districts was a starting point in the effort to make sure that America would have healthy farmland in the future.

Severe soil erosion problems in the “Dust Bowl” days prompted the passage of the Conservation District Law by Kansas Legislature in 1937, which lead to the formation of conservation districts in Kansas. Across the state, 105 conservation districts (one in every county) provide local leadership by helping the local people address their natural resource needs.

The Douglas County Conservation District (DCCD) was formed by farmers and landowners at a referendum held on August 1720, 1945. Most farmers believed that a soil conservation district would be of great help in solving the serious erosion problems of the

county. Two farmers, Emil Heck of Lawrence and Wilson Counts of Baldwin, were appointed supervisors by the State Soil Conservation Committee. On January 4, 1946, Homer Gerstenberger of Eudora, George Butell of Baldwin and Leslie Dermeritt of Clinton were elected as supervisors.

On January 11, 1946, the DCCD requested technical assistance from the USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS). M.H. Wertzberger was assigned as a technician to the district. At the beginning of operations, a considerable list of applications was presented. Many needed immediate technical help to facilitate conservation farming. Terrace construction by farmers using their own plows and equipment was by far the most common method used.

With the assignment of an SCS employee to the district, a partnership of Douglas County landowners, the DCCD, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service was formed to address soil

Continued on page 3

SOIL&WATER CONSERVATION

Conservation District Partners with K-State Research and Extension to Provide Free Soil Tests to Douglas County Residents

Proper soil nutrition is important for optimal plant growth. However, overapplication of fertilizers is both costly and a potential source of non-point source pollution to waterways. The Douglas County Conservation District partners with the Douglas County K-State Research and Extension office to provide free soil tests to homeowners and agricultural operators to help preserve water quality in our wetlands and streams.

Conservation Technician Jeremy Gaines provides technical services to both the District and NRCS. He is our “boots on the ground” person who you will likely see in the field with transit and survey gear nearby. Jeremy is a lifelong resident of Douglas County; he grew up on a multi-generational farm and currently resides in the historic Belvoir Schoolhouse, which was built in 1865. In 2010 he earned his Permaculture Design Certification and started Wakarusa Valley Permaculture in 2016.

Douglas County residents are eligible for free tests for their lawns & gardens and their agricultural Home horticulture users can receive up to two free basic soil tests per year while ag producers can receive up to five free basic tests per year. Extension also has several more technical soil tests available at an additional charge.

Fields that are worked up should have samples taken from 6 inches. Avoid sampling in old fence rows, dead furrows, low spots, feeding areas, and other areas that might give unusual results. If information on these unique areas is desired, obtain a separate sample from the site.

Natural Resource Specialist Brooke Franklin is the Natural Resource Specialist. She focuses her work on urban agriculture opportunities. Brooke grew up in Lenexa, KS, before graduating in 2019 with an M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems from Prescott College in Arizona, where her focus was on increasing native pollinators and school gardens.

In 2022, the Douglas County Conservation District covered the costs for 264 soil samples to be tested across the county.

Where to start? Proper collection of a representative soil sample is essential for the accuracy and analysis of test results. Follow these steps to obtain a good sample:

Decide if your field can be treated as one sample or needs to be broken down into separate smaller samples. If you believe

Soil Conservationist Jennifer Green started this past year. She grew up in Texas. She served 4 years in the Air Force & discharged after her oldest child was born. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Crop & Soil Sciences with a specialization in Agronomy from Michigan State University in 2017. I have worked in NRCS offices in Oklahoma, Texas, & now Kansas. She has three children, ranging in age from 4-10 years old.

Pheasants Forever, INC and Quail Forever, Wildlife Biologist, Hannah Pippert is new to the office. She grew up all over the US because her dad was serving in the USAF and landed in Lawrence, KS to attend college at KU. There she discovered and developed her lover for conservation, specifically prairie conservation. She graduated in 2018 with a degree in Environmental Studies and

Our chairperson, Jordan Olsen, was elected to the District board in 2015. He was born and raised in a farming family in Burdett, Kansas, near Dodge City. After high school, Jordan attended Baker University in Baldwin City, where he earned a BS in Wildlife Biology. Since then, he has been employed in the agriculture insurance industry, but always keeps his passion for wildlife habitat improvement in front of mind! Jordan is married

has been working in conservation since June 2020. NRCS Independent Contractor- David Mooney also started this past year. David grew up here in Lawrence, KS. He has recently enlisted in the United States Air Guard. He enjoys the outdoors, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Photography, and fishing. He is a member of the NICA Mountain Biking Association. He has volunteered at events for the Conservation District and is excited to be a part of the NRCS office. He assists Tim Miller with Contracting and varies office duties.

3Take at least 10 – 15 samples from the field and mix the samples in a clean container to create a representative sample. The more sub-samples you take, the more assured you’ll be that soil test results are representative of your field. Bring approximately two cups of mixed soil to the Douglas County Extension Office in a paper bag. 4

the soil type, and the previous crop and fertilizer treatments are consistent across the field, treat it as one sample. If soil type and topography change across the field, different crops have been planted on different parts of the field, or there are problem spots, break the field down into smaller units to sample.

2

Using a soil probe, dig vertically to a depth of 4 inches for established fields such as brome, alfalfa, or a no-till field.

Supervisory District Conservationist Tim Miller leads the Lawrence Management Unit, consisting of six counties: Douglas, Johnson, Wyandotte, Miami, Shawnee, and Franklin. Tim began working for the NRCS in 2001 as a Rangeland Management Specialist. In 2003 he transitioned to the position of Area Range Management Specialist, and in 2014 he accepted the position of Supervisory District Conservationist for the Lawrence Management Unit.

Garrett Pounds is the new County Executive Director (CED) in Douglas and Shawnee County.

Garrett grew up in north central Kansas and spent most of his free time on the family farm. Garrett earned an Associate Degree in Accounting

to Kalie (Harris) Olsen, a Baldwin City native. They have a two-yearold daughter, Natalie, and one more on the way!

Samples should be dry. You can let samples air dry, but do not use heat to dry your samples. 5

from Cloud County Community College. He then went on to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Agriculture from Fort Hays State University. Garrett has spent the last five years in banking, as well as working on his family farm in Delphos, Kansas. Garrett joined our FSA family in December of 2021 to complete our County Executive Director in Training (CEDT) program. Garrett will split his time between Douglas and Shawnee Counties, as we are now a Shared Management Unit.

Bring the soil sample(s) to Douglas County K-State Research and Extension, 2110 Harper St. Lawrence, KS 66046. Once submitted, you should have your results in 2-3 weeks. For additional information, please use the following link. https://www.douglas.kstate.edu/crops-livestock/testing/Soil_Testing. html

FSA Program Technician Debbie Chappelle was born and raised in Kansas and lives in Baldwin City. She has worked for the Farm Service Agency for 34 years and knows just about everything regarding farming and farms in Douglas County.

FSA Program Technician Jessica O’Trimble is a native of Kansas, born and raised in Perry, KS. She began working for the Farm Service Agency in 2014 for Jefferson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties. In 2016 Jessica accepted a position with the Douglas County FSA.

Meet the Douglas County Conservation District Supervisors

ranch in Douglas County prioritizes water quality, time management, and animal health.

If you are looking for technical, financial, or planning assistance, or maybe, just where to get started, come by our office. We likely have a program to meet your needs.

In partnership with Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) awarded the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts (KACD) a grant in 2022 to help producers plant cover crops across Kansas. Awarded under NFWF’s Midwest Cover Crop Initiative, this grant supported implementation of beneficial Other partners participating in this effort included the Kansas Department of

Our Vice Chairperson, Lowell Neitzel was elected as a member of our Board in 2017. He grew up on 1,500-acre wheat, sunflower, and corn farm 10 miles from the Colorado border in Cheyenne County. He is now in a partnership with his wife’s family and is part of Bismarck Farms, which produces corn, soybeans and hay here in Douglas County.

Agriculture’s Division of Conservation and the Kansas Soil Health Alliance.

Named the Kansas Climate Smart Initiative, the goal was to plant 100,000 acres of cover crops this year. Kansas producers stepped up and enrolled over 100,000 acres. Producers receiving contracts were given the option of single year or multi-year contracts and paid $10/acre to plant a cover crop that met NRCS practice standards and specifications.

Our Treasurer, John Bradley was elected in 2020. Dr. Bradley is a native of Lawrence, KS. He earned his doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University in 1987. He then completed formal smallanimal internship training at the University of Illinois. Dr. Bradley practiced in California and Virginia before coming back to Lawrence and taking over the family practice, Bradley Animal Hospital. His

David Brown, was elected to the board in 2015. He was born in Douglas County and raised on a farm in the Vinland area. After college, he returned to the farm, where he continues to raise crops and has a cow/calf operation. In addition to farming, David spent 32 years with the Sheriff’s Office retiring as a lieutenant in March of 2008. He and his wife Twila have two grown children that live in Douglas County. For years David has supported 4-H programs and helped with the fair. In his free time, he enjoys sports and the outdoors.

KANSAS ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS RECEIVES GRANT & SURPASSES GOAL

operation. After obtaining degree in Agronomy and Animal Science from Iowa State University, she returned home to her family operation, May-Way Farms, Inc. She operates alongside her parents and brother where they continue to produce corn, soybeans, wheat and hay and run their purebred Angus cattle seedstock operation in southern Douglas County.

Dan Meyerhoff, KACD Executive Director said, “This program promotes sustainability and regenerative agriculture practices. The

MacKenzie Flory is our newest board member elected in 2022. She was born and raised in rural Douglas County and grew up on a diversified row crop and cattle

ultimate goal is to create more value for the crops farmers are growing regeneratively. This was a total team effort but the majority of the credit goes to our local conservation districts. They were the driving force behind making sure local producers were made aware of this opportunity and taking applications to get them enrolled.”

Meyerhoff went on to say, “Plans are to continue and potentially expand the program in 2023. KACD is working closely with all partners involved and we are hoping to get the program rolled out shortly after the first of the year.”

Effective supervisors are vital to conservation districts’ operations. They are our voice in the community as well as providing points of contact for county businesses and residents. They volunteer their time to attend monthly meetings, make themselves available for engagement at district events, and provide guidance and direction to district staff. District boards perform services vital to the effective operations of conservation districts.

David Mooney

Continued from page 1

Garrett Pounds Jess O’Trimble

Debbie Chappelle Brooke Franklin Tim Miller

David Brown

Jordan Olsen MacKenzie Flory

John Bradley, DVM

Lowell Neitzel

SOIL&WATER CONSERVATION

Conservation District Partners with K-State Research and Extension to Provide Free Soil Tests to Douglas County Residents

Proper soil nutrition is important for optimal plant growth. However, overapplication of fertilizers is both costly and a potential source of non-point source pollution to waterways. The Douglas County Conservation District partners with the Douglas County K-State Research and Extension office to provide free soil tests to homeowners and agricultural operators to help preserve water quality in our wetlands and streams.

Douglas County residents are eligible for free tests for their lawns & gardens and their agricultural fields. Home horticulture users can receive up to two free basic soil tests per year while ag producers can receive up to five free basic tests per year. Extension also has several more technical soil tests available at an additional charge.

In 2022, the Douglas County Conservation District covered the costs for 264 soil samples to be tested across the county.

Where to start? Proper collection of a representative soil sample is essential for the accuracy and analysis of test results. Follow these steps to obtain a good sample:

Decide if your field can be treated as one sample or needs to be broken down into separate smaller samples. If you believe

the soil type, and the previous crop and fertilizer treatments are consistent across the field, treat it as one sample. If soil type and topography change across the field, different crops have been planted on different parts of the field, or there are problem spots, break the field down into smaller units to sample.

Using a soil probe, dig vertically to a depth of 4 inches for established fields such as brome, alfalfa, or a no-till field.

Fields that are worked up should have samples taken from 6 inches. Avoid sampling in old fence rows, dead furrows, low spots, feeding areas, and other areas that might give unusual results. If information on these unique areas is desired, obtain a separate sample from the site. 3

Take at least 10 – 15 samples from the field and mix the samples in a clean container to create a representative sample. The more sub-samples you take, the more assured you’ll be that soil test results are representative of your field. Bring approximately two cups of mixed soil to the Douglas County Extension Office in a paper bag. 4

Bring the soil sample(s) to Douglas County K-State Research and Extension, 2110 Harper St. Lawrence, KS 66046.

Samples should be dry. You can let samples air dry, but do not use heat to dry your samples. 5

Once submitted, you should have your results in 2-3 weeks. For additional information, please use the following link. https://www.douglas.kstate.edu/crops-livestock/testing/Soil_Testing. html

Meet the Douglas County Conservation District Supervisors

Our chairperson, Jordan Olsen, was elected to the District board in 2015. He was born and raised in a farming family in Burdett, Kansas, near Dodge City. After high school, Jordan attended Baker University in Baldwin City, where he earned a BS in Wildlife Biology. Since then, he has been employed in the agriculture insurance industry, but always keeps his passion for wildlife habitat improvement in front of mind! Jordan is married

to Kalie (Harris) Olsen, a Baldwin City native. They have a two-yearold daughter, Natalie, and one more on the way!

Our Vice Chairperson, Lowell Neitzel was elected as a member of our Board in 2017. He grew up on 1,500-acre wheat, sunflower, and corn farm 10 miles from the Colorado border in Cheyenne County. He is now in a partnership with his wife’s family and is part of Bismarck Farms, which produces corn, soybeans and hay here in Douglas County.

Our Treasurer, John Bradley was elected in 2020. Dr. Bradley is a native of Lawrence, KS. He earned his doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University in 1987. He then completed formal smallanimal internship training at the University of Illinois. Dr. Bradley practiced in California and Virginia before coming back to Lawrence and taking over the family practice, Bradley Animal Hospital. His

ranch in Douglas County prioritizes water quality, time management, and animal health.

David Brown, was elected to the board in 2015. He was born in Douglas County and raised on a farm in the Vinland area. After college, he returned to the farm, where he continues to raise crops and has a cow/calf operation. In addition to farming, David spent 32 years with the Sheriff’s Office retiring as a lieutenant in March of 2008. He and his wife Twila have two grown children that live in Douglas County. For years David has supported 4-H programs and helped with the fair. In his free time, he enjoys sports and the outdoors.

MacKenzie Flory is our newest board member elected in 2022. She was born and raised in rural Douglas County and grew up on a diversified row crop and cattle

operation. After obtaining a degree in Agronomy and Animal Science from Iowa State University, she returned home to her family operation, May-Way Farms, Inc. She operates alongside her parents and brother where they continue to produce corn, soybeans, wheat and hay and run their purebred Angus cattle seedstock operation in southern Douglas County.

Effective supervisors are vital to conservation districts’ operations. They are our voice in the community as well as providing points of contact for county businesses and residents. They volunteer their time to attend monthly meetings, make themselves available for engagement at district events, and provide guidance and direction to district staff. District boards perform services vital to the effective operations of conservation districts.

David Brown

Jordan Olsen MacKenzie Flory

John Bradley, DVM

Lowell Neitzel

What does native gardening mean and why is it important? Native plants are not only gorgeous in the preserved prairies and woodlands of Douglas County, but they are starting to make appearances in traditional gardens throughout the country. The definition of a native plant is outlined by the USDA as “adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur”. Native gardening then is just using native plants in landscaping. The practice of native gardening is important because it adds plant diversity in places that have lost or are rapidly losing biodiversity. This loss is happening across the country as more land is developed for housing and businesses and as farming practices change. Deciding to include native plants in your landscape is a positive change that anyone can make.

I’m Hannah Pippert, Wildlife Biologist working for Pheasants Forever in Kansas here in Douglas County. I’ve been here for close to a year and have been working in conservation in East/Central Kansas going on three years. These experiences have shaped the way I look at natural and cultivated green spaces. You will often find me standing in fields or in front of a garden attempting to identify plants I find interesting. My love for native plants began when I started to learn their names and continues to grow as I learn more about them.

I love looking at a collection of plants and seeing all of the ecosystem services that are being provided. Blooms covered in bees, butterflies, and beetles all summer mature into food for seed eaters as the days grow shorter. The same stems that supported those flowers become hollow and provide shelter for solitary bees and larvae over the winter. As the days grow longer, plants green up and the wildlife returns to our view.

Native plants provide food and shelter for all kinds of pollinators and birds. Bees, butterflies, beetles, and wasps all rely on pollen and nectar during the growing season (May-October in USDA Plant Zone 6) and use the plant material for shelter during the dormant season (November-April). This is one of the reasons that we ask people to leave the leaves and stems until spring when all of the beneficial bugs have had time to wake up and move out. Native plants support bird populations all year long as well. Baby birds get most of their nutrition from soft-bodied insects, which are often the larvae of pollinators. Seeds from plants like echinacea and sunflowers provide food for adult birds during the colder months.

If you are interested in native plant gardening but desire a more formal and structured garden, native plants chosen and placed strategically make beautiful gardens as formal or wild as you want. Listed below I’ve included some plants that do well in a garden setting and where they might be most appropriate.

Several species of native grasses stay below waist height and grow in a clump, making them nice anchors in a garden. Little bluestem, the tallest of the grasses I recommend, is a perennial and continues to get bigger each year. Some other perennial

Seed Drills and More

Small acreage or large, the District has the seed drill to meet your needs. Our LandPride 606NT no-till seed drill plants a 5.5-foot width. With three seed boxes, it will accommodate large grain seeds, small legume seeds, and fluffy native warm-season grass seeds. Landowners with tractors of 30-40 horsepower and rear hydraulics can rent the drill from the district and get their seeding projects completed on a schedule that meets their needs. The drill can easily be towed behind a pickup truck for travel to and from sites. The rental rate is a $100 check-out fee, plus $10 an acre.

grass options include side oats gramma and prairie dropseed. Both are wispier than little bluestem, stay much shorter, and the grass blades tend to droop outward, creating a good cover for birds.

When choosing native flowers, it’s always important to consider structure, bloom time, color variation, and height. This is a limited list and all of the species listed below do well in a garden setting. For ground cover, rose verbena has columnar pink flowers and sprawling leaves that smother weeds before they can come up. Flowers in the 6-18” category include Lanceleaf Coreopsis and Black-Eyed Susan; both are bright yellow with dark centers and can bloom for the entire growing season.

In the 1-2’ window, a lovely option is Butterfly Milkweed. The milkweed family is the only egg host for the Monarch Butterfly and the blooms can be any color from bright orange to butter yellow. Moving vertically, Echinacea and Monarda occupy the 3-4’ space and generally have purple flowers. Both provide important nectar and pollen in the summer and shelter in the winter. Echinacea is more spender with long stems holding just one purple flower. Monarda grows in a more dense clump with a shower of light purple flowers at the end of each. The tallest plant that I will recommend today is the lovely Sunflower. The state flower of Kansas has many species to choose from and comes in a variety of heights from tall to extremely tall. This will be a late summer bloomer that provides food for birds throughout the winter. One more element to consider in a garden is a shrub, and we can again look to the prairie for inspiration. White indigo is a native plant that emerges early in the spring and in the early summer blooms form in a white tower. The flowers mature into pods full of seeds that provide food over the winter.

If attracting more wildlife to your home sounds interesting to you but you don’t know where to go to find more information, there is a wealth of resources here in Douglas County, including many knowledgeable people. You can find me in the USDA office in Lawrence along with the local Conservation District. The K-State Extension Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners are also great people to reach out to with questions. There are many digital resources available for identifying plants and learning about what we have in Douglas County, www.kswildflower.org is a database with descriptions of and ranges for many of our plant species here in Kansas. I also regularly use the phone apps Seek and iNaturalist for identifying plants found in the field.

If you don’t have a tractor, the District has a smaller seeder. Perfect for small areas, the Dew Drop Drill is a small-scale seed drill/ planter designed to be pulled by an ATV or UTV. With a wide stance, low center of gravity, and large, aggressive tires, planting access is limited only by your ATV. The twin seed boxes can handle a variety of seed types, including but not limited to warm and cool-season grasses, small and large grains, wild-flowers, forbs, and legumes. The rental rate is $50 per day.

You may also need to purchase seeds to run through those drills. The District can meet most, if not all, your seed requirements and can sell individual seeds in bulk as

well as seed mixes. Your order will often be delivered the same week it is placed. Please stop by the office or ask us to email you our seed order sheets for a complete list of seeds. All profits from seed sales are used to purchase and maintain equipment or fund our annual meeting.

We also have prescribed burn equipment, including drip torches, backpack sprayers, and flappers for loan, with a $50 refundable deposit. Contact the District at douglasccd1@gmail.com for more information.

Hannah Pippert Wildlife Biologist working for Pheasants Forever in Kansas