Supplement to The Scott County Record
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Conservation compliance is still important Alan Boerger, NRCS resource conservationist, Manhattan
Since 1985, millions of acres of agricultural lands have had conservation plans developed on them with assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Furthermore, millions of tons of soil have been saved due to the planning efforts made by NRCS and the producers who implemented the practices outlined in those conservation plans. Even though conservation compliance is not foremost in everyone’s mind in recent years, the regulations of the Food Security Act are still something producers must adhere to if they wish to continue to be eligible for USDA programs and benefits. A few of the USDA benefits and programs that can be affected due to noncompliance issues include: •Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) eligibility ªConservation Reserve Program (CRP) eligibility •Conservation Stewardship Program (CStP) eligibility •Agriculture Easement Conservation
Program (ACEP) eligibility •Other Farm Service Agency (FSA) benefits •Federal Crop Insurance benefits Each year, NRCS field staff is provided a list of randomly selected tracts of land to review to ensure producers are implementing or using conservation systems that meet conservation compliance criteria. During the review process, the current conservation system is evaluated in the field to ensure the system being implemented is properly maintaining or reducing the tolerable soil loss limits for the highly erodible field. In addition to soil loss limits, NRCS staff also reviews whether or not the protection of wetland areas is being observed by producers. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the amount of trees being cleared along riparian areas or issues of stream channels being either filled or straightened. Many of these actions can carry consequences to USDA benefit eligibility. Producers who are thinking of removing trees or manipulating possible wetland areas, need to consult with their local FSA or NRCS office.
Website has info for well owners
A website now provides information about Kansas private well construction, maintenance and testing, thanks to participants in the Kansas Environmental Leadership Program (KELP). The site is available at http://www.kswaterwell.org. It also provides links to relevant Kansas State University Research and Extension publications. The EPA reports that about 15 percent of Americans have their own source of drinking water. The EPA recommends testing wells yearly for coliform bacteria, nitrates and other contaminants.
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Supplement to The Scott County Record
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Conservation district Funding is available meeting is Thursday to rebuild shelterbelts In a break from tradition, the 71st annual meeting of the Scott County Conservation District will not be held in the evening. Instead, there will be a noon luncheon and awards presentation on Thurs., Feb. 11, at the Wm. Carpenter 4-H Building, Scott City. There will also be a brief business meeting prior to the awards program. One member will be elected to the board of supervisors for a three-year term. The term of Kelley Palkowitsh is expiring. Members of the board include Kelley Palkowitsh, chairman; Bill Winderlin, vice-chairman; Trevor Cox, Clint Dearden and Bill Miller. Kasey Robinson is the NRCS district
coordinator and Morgan Barnhart is the Funding is available to Kansas landowners for the renovation of shelterbelts through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI). district manager. Producers and landowners can contact their county NRCS office to sign up. Other staff members include Marty “Many shelterbelts in Kansas and throughout the central Great Plains are old Gugelman, engineering technician, and and are no longer providing the benefits that they used to. This is also true of Rick Rogers, soil technician. forests along rivers and streams,” says Larry Biles, Kansas Forest Service State Key Banker Cody Palen, Western Forester. State Bank, will be presenting awards CCPI provides assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives to the following recipients: Program (EQIP). Bankers’ Award: Joshua and Aaron Individuals can sign up or get more information at their county NRCS office. Beaton. Windbreak Awards: Charles and Sherrie Berry. Sixth grade conservation essay winReports of water usage are due March 1 to the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s ners are: division of water resources. First: Zach Rohrbough Penalties starting at $250 are assessed on overdue reports. Second: Kale Wheeler To maintain water rights in good standing, water use reports must be returned whether or not any water actually was used in the past year. Third: Clare Hawkins
Water use reports are due March 1
Supplement to The Scott County Record
State NRCS launches soil health campaign Karri Honaker, NRCS, Resource Conservationist, Hays
Take a moment to contemplate how agriculture touches your life. Without the soil, there would be no agriculture and that means, no you! It doesn’t take long to figure out that soil is the basis of everything we do, especially here in Kansas with agriculture being one of the top industries in the state. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) would like to focus more specifically on soil health. The Kansas NRCS has launched a soil health campaign to bring this message home. In order to fully support the soil health campaign, NRCS employees throughout Kansas have jumped on board and have carried out several soil health strategies to enhance the soil health message. One of those strategies is looking at health indicators in soil tests. The four soil health tests include aggregate stability, active carbon, CO2 burst method and the solvita SLAN (Soil Labile Amino Nitrogen) tests.
The aggregate stability test runs the soil through a series of tests that will determine the extent to which soil aggregates resist falling apart when moistened. Active carbon tests determine what fraction of the soil organic matter is readily available as an energy source. Microbial activity in the soil gives off carbon dioxide which is measured after drying and rewetting the soil in the CO2 burst method test. The SLAN test measures the available organic nitrogen. Sample depths range from 0-2 inches and 2-6 inches and are a composite of 5-15 sub-samples per acre. In order to completely interpret the tests, information such as cropping history for the previous two years is needed, along with soil maps of the property and global positioning system (GPS) points of where the samples were taken. These specific tests will allow us to gain knowledge on just how healthy the soils in Kansas are and what we can do to continue to improve soil health throughout the state.
Testing private wells If a private well is your only source of drinking water, how safe is it for human or animal use? Testing is the only way to be sure of water’s quality. Because laws requiring water testing apply only to public water supplies, nobody is mandated to test their water. Even though studies show groundwater is relatively safe, annual bacteriological and nitrate tests are recommended. The bacteria test determines if you have potable water (free of bacteria that could cause disease). This test is for coliform bacteria which are found in the intestines and waste material of people and other warm-blooded animals.
The presence of more than one or two counts of coliform in water is assumed to mean contamination from animal wastes and possibly disease-causing organisms. For more information on private well testing or to pickup a test kit, contact the Scott County Extension office. Water testing is available by contacting the Scott County Health Department at 872-5774. Testing is scheduled for the first Monday of each month, so call to get your name on the schedule. There are more than 30 laboratories certified by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment that can analyze water samples.
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Supplement to The Scott County Record
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Bankers’ Award
Beatons learn from the past, how to adapt to ag changes The Beaton family has learned over the years that you can never outsmart Mother Nature. You learn to work with her as much as possible and, on occasion, you might gain the upperhand for a short while. Take no-till and minimum-till farming, for example. Those tillage practices, combined with the use of Round-up herbicide, were among the most significant events to shape agriculture in the Midwest during the past 20 years. They have become an essential combination in maintaining ground cover, retaining valuable moisture, reducing wind erosion and cutting the costs associated with discing operations. The use of Round-up has been a key factor in controlling weeds and the competition for moisture. But as anyone involved in agriculture knows, one has to be able to adapt to change and that’s what Joshua and Aaron Beaton have shown the ability to do on their farming operation in southeast Scott County. Joshua had remained involved in the family farming operation for most of his life before doing so on a full-time basis in 2010. Aaron returned to the farm in 2003 following graduation from Kansas State University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural economics. As the Bankers’ Award winners for 2016, Joshua and Aaron were provided a good road map for successful farming dating back to 1904 when their great-
Bankers’ Award winners Joshua Beaton (left) and Aaron Beaton in a no-till field they farm in southeast Scott County. (Record Photo)
grandfather, William Fairchild Beaton, homesteaded on land where his descendants are still farming today. Their grandfather, William Edward Beaton, was a Bankers’ Award winner in 1955 and their father, John, was an award winner in 1986.
“Dad was pretty progressive. He was willing to try no-till when it came around,” says Joshua. “He’s not too stuck in his ways.” No-till and minimum-till methods fit in well with farmers in southeast Scott County who have access to little, if any,
irrigation. They rely on whatever rainfall they can get which means retaining moisture when it occurs. Reduced tillage has been a great means of doing that while also providing ground cover to prevent wind erosion. (see BEATONS on page six)
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 6
What can the SCCD do for you? •Take technical, financial and educational resources and focus them on the needs of individuals. •Prepare resource plans for landowners and operators. •Hire staff to provide technical services and other functions. •Receive federal, state, county or other funding. •Prepare long-range and annual plans for resource management. •Provide education assistance to schools, landowners and others. Conservation districts provide a ready-made vehicle to address local resource problems and to help landowners address efforts to improve water quality, soil quality, grassland health and wildlife habitat, just to name a few.
Beatons
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That’s been critical during the last 5-6 years of drought conditions across Western Kansas. Even with the best of farming practices, the Beatons have seen how fragile the landscape can be, such as last April when strong winds and dry conditions brought back Dust Bowl memories. “Our growing wheat stalks and milo stalks held the dirt pretty well, but the 100 mile per hour winds stripped the wheat stubble land, causing it to blow,” notes Aaron. “But there was still a lot of blowing dirt. You’d hate to imagine what it could have been like if no-till wasn’t being used by so many farmers.” Scott County producers, including the Beatons, got some much needed relief from the drought this past spring and early summer with some timely rainfall. A prolonged dry stretch during the fall and winter was broken earlier this week with a five inch snowfall. The Beatons have learned to adapt to the challenges of farming in their part of the county. Joshua and Aaron farm seven quarters of land on which they incorporate a wheat/ milo/fallow or wheat/corn/fallow pattern. Since they don’t have irrigation, the Beatons have adapted seeding rates in order to make the most of available moisture. “Fertilizer use efficiency is also important,” Aaron says. “That includes the right timing, placement and rate. You have to learn what works best with your operation.” And even if something has worked in the past don’t be afraid to change when change is necessary, says Joshua. No-Till Changes The Beatons have incorporated no-till on their farm for about a decade, but are finding it necessary to make some adaptations as weeds have gained resistance to herbicides. That’s meant using undercutters as a means of going after weeds. “It’s the least aggressive method compared to using a disc or chisel,” notes Joshua. While using an undercutter will have some effect on ground cover and result in some moisture loss, the Beatons feel they have no choice. “If we don’t do anything, then the weeds will take up more moisture than we’re losing through tillage,” notes Aaron. “We have to control the weeds.” The Beatons also keep an eye on changes that will affect their operation. Of particular interest is research taking place with wheat and with more drought resistant corn varieties that could be on the market in the near future. “If we’re going to maintain the feed yards and ethanol plants that also contribute to our economy we have to keep an eye on the future,” Joshua adds.
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 7
Partnership provides windbreaks a new life Many windbreaks in Kansas are old, need repair Developing windbreaks is an important practice for many Kansas farmers and ranchers. Among their many benefits, they help protect the soil and enhance crop productivity. But, many windbreaks in Kansas are old and in need of repair. The Kansas Forest Service (KFS) at Kansas State University identified this concern as a priority in its Kansas Forest Action Plan and a few years ago it organized windbreak assessments in the southwestern and western parts of the state to learn more about the condition of existing windbreaks. “Our traditional forest inventories do not capture the condition or location of
our windbreaks,” said KFS rural forestry coordinator Bob Atchison. “Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Forest Service, we have engaged farmers and ranchers we’ve never worked with before.” The Logan County Conservation District was one of several partners enlisted in 2013 to help organize assessments in the seven-county area. The district helped map windbreaks in need of further study and obtained landowner permission so that KFS could conduct an on-site assessment. A “good” grade required the windbreak to meet all seven criteria; a “fair” grade required five of seven; and a “poor” grade met four or fewer criteria. The results confirmed what KFS had suspected - help was needed. In fact, in 11 of the 14 pilot counties, at least 25 percent of the windbreaks assessed scored a poor or fair rating. The project also aimed to demonstrate
To grade each windbreak, KFS created seven criteria to indicate a healthy stand: •Less than 25 percent of the trees are dead. •Continuous barrier; no gaps. •50 percent density or greater. •No smooth bromegrass or fescue sod. •No livestock activity in the windbreak. •Tree regeneration is present. •Windbreak will live/function another 20 years.
how windbreaks affect crop yield. There is often a decrease in yields immediately adjacent to the windbreak due to shading and root competition; however, conservation professionals note significantly higher production may occur two-to-15 times the height of the windbreak downwind. “In addition to reducing wind-blown soil,” Atchison said, “research documents that windbreaks can increase crop yields from 8 to 23 percent for corn, soybeans
and wheat.” Last fall, KFS once again turned to conservation districts to help with the second phase of this project. KFS provided form letters and funding for the district to mail to all landowners identified in the assessment as having windbreaks in fair or poor condition. Each letter contained a brochure covering the benefits of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which offers cost-share assistance to landowners looking to renovate existing windbreaks. “Districts in our state know the local farmers and ranchers,” Atchison said. “They have the trust of those people. To be able to use that network was critical to our success.” The response rate has leaders excited. Of the approximately 120 letters sent out by the Logan County Conservation District in September, 12 landowners (see NEW LIFE on page 23)
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 8
Cropland conversion could have troublesome effect on conservation Examining the impact of the biofuels boom MANHATTAN - Federal agricultural and energy policies introduced as part of the biofuels boom of the late 2000s may have had adverse effects on conservation, according to a recent study from the University of Wisconsin. The research paper, “Cropland Expansion Outpaces Agriculture and Biofuel Policies in the U.S.,” documents how policy thought to be good for the
environment can sometimes have undesirable consequences. In fact, regional satellite-based studies suggest that the U.S. landscape could be experiencing the greatest transformation to cropland since the “fencerow-tofencerow” farming era of the 1970s, and the Dustbowl of the 1930s. The study found that between 2008 and 2012, an estimated 7.34 million acres of land was converted to crop production. Land sources of recently converted cropland varied within the study, but grasslands pulled ahead as the source of most new cropland at about 77 percent. Eleven percent of the land was converted from shrub land and forest, 8 percent from idle land, and 4 percent from wet-
lands or other land. The study doesn’t take into account conversions of 15 acres or smaller. In 31 of the 47 states that saw conversion, corn was the first crop planted on newly converted land. Corn and soy were the most frequently planted crop on newly cultivated land in the agricultural belt of the Midwest. The study also suggests that an estimated 42 percent of the expansion of cropland may have come from land leaving the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which raises another policy question. The CRP, administered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, is a costshare and rental payment program that pays a yearly rental amount to farmers in
exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production. According to the USDA FSA’s document “Expiring Contract Options for CRP,” landowners with expiring contracts have various options for managing the land aside from returning it back to crop production, including converting it to wildlife habitat or conservation easements. Both actions would provide for the continued protection of natural resources and benefit conservation. Effect on Kansas Why does this matter to Kansas and other states? “These land-use changes (see CROPLAND on page 18)
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 9
Quail making comeback in Western Ks. Jason Wagner KDWPT wildlife biologist, Hays
Bobwhite quail have been making a very strong recovery in Western Kansas following a prolonged drought. Quail populations in western Kansas are boom or bust because they are closely tied to the timing and amount of precipitation. The timing of precipitation the last three years have allowed for prime habitat conditions for quail during nesting and brood rearing times. Quail hatch peaks in late June and early July. Quail also have a tenacious renesting behavior, which allows them to continue to attempt to raise broods until they are successful. Bobwhite quail are known as an edge species. They thrive in areas that have abrupt changes in habitat. These areas are generally where woody vegetation, like shrubs, meets
native grasslands, cropland, or weedy areas. One key component of quail is woody escape cover, preferably shrubs that are three to six feet tall. Quail need residual cover of native warm season grasses to nest in. In order to raise a brood, bobwhites need bare ground with good overhead canopy cover and lots of insects for the broods to forage on. Areas of brood rearing habitat have abundant forbs. During the winter months, quail need areas of woody or weedy cover to get out of the extreme weather of Western Kansas. Managing for quail is not difficult. They need three basic habitat elements to thrive: native warm season grasses, forbs, and woody escape cover. There are numerous habitat practices that can help improve quail populations in western Kansas.
Good quail habitat begins with properly managed native warm season grasses. Proper grazing management will allow for both good nesting and brood rearing habitat for quail. Quail can benefit from common grassland practices like prescribed burning. Trees like honey locust, elms, and cedars should be removed from grasslands that are being managed for quail. Shrubs like sandhill plum, American plum, and fragrant sumac should be left for escape cover. Shrub thickets should be spaced apart about as far as a softball can be thrown. If there are no shrubs present, planting a variety of shrubs in rows or thickets along the edges of crop fields or rangeland can also improve quail habitat. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has helped boost quail populations in Kansas since it began in 1985. There are numerous conservation practices avail-
able through CRP that can benefit quail. Continuous CRP practices like CP33, Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds, are an excellent way to improve quail habitat. CP33 buffers can be planted around the edges of crop fields or on pivot corners. Mid-contract management in CRP really helps revitalize the quail habitat in any CRP. Strip disking and prescribed burning provide the most benefit to quail because of the flush of annual weeds that follow these CRP management practices. Interseeding forbs into CRP will also improve the quality of habitat for bobwhites. Grassed terraces or native warm season grassed waterways are also excellent ways to improve quail habitat on crop fields. Any native grass strips should be at least 30 feet in width. (see QUAIL on page 16)
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 10
Windbreak Award
a family project Berrys instill windbreak value in their grandkids
When Charles and Sherrie Berry began planting trees around their home and indoor livestock arena northwest of Scott City, they added a personal touch. Different sections of windbreak projects have been planted in honor of their grandchildren. Pine trees along the west side of the farmstead have been designated for Chayston Berry while pine trees to the north are for Peyton Berry. Three rows of junipers are for Charlee Berry and the spruces are for Preslie Berry. The pond is Austin Thon’s project. “We have a new granddaughter, so we’ll be starting a row for her,” noted Sherrie. It should not be a surprise that this year’s Scott County Conservation District “Windbreak Award” winner realizes the importance of sharing the value of trees with the next generation. Sherrie has always lived on a farm, growing up in what was commonly referred to as “the valley” southwest of Shallow Water. Her grandfather had an orchard in the same area, so Sherrie would spend her summers around fruit trees. The Berry’s undertook their first major windbreak project while living in the former Beaver Flats school in northwest Scott County. They learned a couple of
Charles and Sherrie Berry with some of their grandchildren at their farmstead windbreak project. The grandchildren are (from left) Austin Thon and Peyton, Preslie, Charlee and Chayston Berry. The next tree planting project will be for their newest granddaughter, Hartley Berry. (Record Photo)
valuable lessons during that time. First of all, soaker hoses are ideal for helping young trees get started and in maintaining strong growth for the first several years. Secondly, cedars are a poor choice for windbreaks. “When we had the rain and the hard freeze several years ago it split the cedars and killed them. They weren’t hardy
enough for something like that,” noted Charles. A lesson was learned. Cedars wouldn’t find their way into another Berry windbreak. When the Berrys left Beaver Flats and relocated to their current home in 2008, that meant starting another windbreak minus the cedars. The project included three rows of ju-
nipers - 75 trees in each row - along the north side of their farmstead. The plantings also included a row of pines to the outside and a row of spruces on the inside. The north rows are about 300 feet in length. The west windbreak - which is about 200 feet long - consists of two rows of pine trees. (see BERRYS on page 16)
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Grassed waterways can carry more water, limit erosion potential Martin Gugelman, NRCS, Civil engineering tech, Scott City
Remember when you farmed through that low spot? Where did that ditch come from that you just bounced through? As we “hopefully” receive rain to ease the drought that we have been experiencing, the water will run and form ditches. Terraces and/or diversions will help with most of the erosion issues. However, some fields will have a drain running through them that carries foreign water or conveys water from the terrace or diversion outlets. In these situations a grassed waterway can help carry the water concentrations without causing excessive erosion and help to protect or improve water quality downstream. A grassed waterway is a constructed channel that is shaped and graded to required dimensions and established to suitable vegetation. They can be constructed in a trapezoidal or parabolic shape.
The material that is removed from the channel will be spread away from the waterway to allow drainage into the waterway. All grassed waterways should have a stable outlet that will handle the anticipated flow. When possible, waterways will have the vegetation established prior to allowing runoff to flow through them. If the slope is gentle enough, the waterway could be annually vegetated so a crop can be harvested from it; otherwise it will be established to a permanent vegetation. Another benefit to grassed waterways is that they provide wildlife habitat. This can be greatly enhanced with additional habitat plantings along the sides of the waterway. A good maintenance program will need to be established to maintain the capacity, vegetative cover, and overall stability of the waterway and its outlet. If the need for a grassed waterway is present in any of your fields, your local NRCS office has the appropriate expertise to guide you through the process of installing one.
Kansas Water Facts •Household water use has jumped 500% in the past 50 years. The wash cycle on the family’s automatic clothes washer uses more water in 30 minutes than a pioneer family used in a whole day. •Just one inch of water over one acre of land equals 27,152 gallons. •One acre of irrigated corn in Western Kansas uses over 400,000 gallons (16.3 acres/inch) of water per season during a dry year. •Each additional inch of water made available to a growing wheat crop on dryland will increase yields by four bushels per acre, or 640 bushels for a quarter section of land. •It takes 150 gallons of water to grow enough wheat for one loaf of bread. •A steadily dripping faucet can waste 2,000 gallons of water a year. •With dryland farming, contour level benches for moisture conservation can increase sorghum yields by 18 bushels per acre. •Level basin terraces on cropland in Western Kansas will hold one inch of runoff. This would be over four million gallons of water per quarter section of land.
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Supplement to The Scott County Record
Researchers look for ways to slow runoff, erosion in farm fields The same rain that helps farmers grow crops can also cause a few headaches as that water works its way from agricultural fields. Researchers at Kansas State University say they’re learning more about what causes ephemeral gullies - or tracts of land that are carved out when runoff pushes soil off of the farm field and into nearby waterways. “We have a lot more to learn, but we have developed models that can monitor water movement in a field as well as the detachment of soil particles, which leads to soil erosion,” said Aleksey Sheshukov, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering. Left alone, gullies grow larger with each high intensity rain event. For farmers, it’s not just a scar on the field, but also a sign of losing money on land that is not farm-able. “Soil erosion is a big issue in Kansas,” Sheshukov said. “A significant percentage of the sediment that goes into waterways is due to soil erosion from gullies of nearby fields,” which can also cause destruction of streambanks and pollute water. “We are trying to learn about what causes ephemeral gullies and how to prevent them,” Sheshukov said. “We are beginning to assess those practices, but because of the differences in geography and soil and other factors, we haven’t developed complete strategies yet.” Thus far, conservation practices on farm fields are designed to slow the
push of water through the channel that is formed by the gully. Terraces, no-till farming and winter cover crops are some of the practices that farmers already are using. Sheshukov hopes to find more to help farmers in Kansas and beyond. “Reducing flow within the channel would help to minimize the power of the runoff, so we’re looking at creating obstacles and increasing vegetation in the gully to reduce the power of the flow,” he said. Other options may include making the sides of the gully less steep, double-cropping in the gully, or creating artificial swales. Regardless, Sheshukov said one practice won’t fit all situations because conditions in any given field vary by soil type, management, temperature, rainfall pattern and other factors. Researchers are certain, though, that fields with loose soils, a higher slope or larger drainage area are more susceptible to soil erosion. “In computer models, we can implement practices and get an average percentage of sediment load reduction,” Sheshukov said. “But the range of what will be the actual reduction all depends on individual fields and individual pasture. “Overall, there has been a lot more exposure recently to this problem, so I think we are gaining a better understanding of the issue. I hope in a few years we will be able to predict with more certainty the reduction rates for a given practice.”
Well owners . . . get valuable information by visiting http://www.kdheks.gov/envmicro/testing_of_private_ wells.htm
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Supplement to The Scott County Record
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Supplement to The Scott County Record
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Conservation trees available from K-State Have you ever thought of planting a woodlot, habitat for wildlife or a tree windbreak? State forester Larry Biles, who oversees the Kansas Conservation Tree Planting Program at Kansas State University, has begun taking seedling orders for spring delivery. County Extension offices have order blanks that list the species for sale: •Bare-root shrubs: American plum, caragana, common ninebark, choke cherry, elderberry, fragrant sumac, golden currant, lilac, Peking cotoneaster and sand hill plum. •Bare-root deciduous trees: bald cypress, black walnut, black walnut stratified seed, bur oak, chinkapin oak, cottonwood, hackberry, honeylocust, lacebark elm, northern red oak, pawpaw,
pecan, pecan stratified seed, persimmon, redbud, red mulberry, shumard oak, sycamore and silver maple. •Bare-root evergreen trees: Ponderosa pine, Eastern white pine, Eastern redcedar, Rocky Mountain juniper and oriental arborvitae. •Container-grown evergreens: Ponderosa pine, southwestern white pine and eastern red cedar. Prices are $20 for units of 25 bare-root trees and shrubs. Stratified seed is $13 for each unit of 100, and container-grown trees are $50 for each unit of 25. Additional offerings include a songbird bundle for $16, a quail bundle for $60, a pheasant bundle for $80, marking flags for $12.50, rabbit protective tubes (25) for $12.50, root protective slurry for $8.50 and weed barrier fabric for $50 for 25 pieces.
Bare-root seedlings grow one or two years in a field nursery, then are lifted and shipped bare-root without soil on the roots. Container-grown plants start in a greenhouse. They leave the greenhouse with roots holding the soil in a plug. Biles said container-grown seedlings usually have improved survival and growth rates. He also noted that K-State grows many of the seedlings offered in the conservation tree program from the best known sources. These Kansas-grown seedlings should perform better in the Kansas environment than seedlings started in other states. As a cooperative federal and state program there are certain restrictions on the sale of plants through this program. Plants must be used for conservation purposes.
Approved uses include windbreaks, woodlots, wildlife habitat, Christmas trees, erosion control, noise and dust barriers, snow fences, riparian protection and other conservation purposes. There are no restrictions on the ownership of property or its location (i.e. rural vs. urban). The only restriction is that the plants cannot be used in landscaping or for resale for landscaping. Trees can be ordered online at www. kansasforests.org/conservationindex. shtml. Extension personnel can also provide spacing recommendations for the various conservation projects, leaflets for the songbird and wildlife bundles, tips on planting and installing weed barrier fabric, and ways to use rabbit protective tubes.
Supplement to The Scott County Record
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Supplement to The Scott County Record
Berrys To the south are lilac bushes. Sherrie wanted something that wouldn’t obstruct the view of their horses. Charles has no problem making sure that credit is given where it’s due. “She planted everything and she nurses them,” says Charles with a grin. “They are like her kids.” That goes back to Sherrie’s deep appreciation for trees that was instilled in her as a youngster and which continues to be an important part of her life. “I’ve always had a connection with the outdoors,” she says. Keys to Success The pine trees planted in the north windbreak were 5-6 feet tall when acquired. Nearly six years later they are standing 15-18 feet in height. The pines on the west side were about 2-3 feet in height when planted. “They’re growing about 12 to 18 inches a year,” said Charles. “It’s amazing how fast she got them to grow.” In the spring of 2009, the Berrys purchased the junipers and spruces as onefoot seedlings from Kansas State University Extension. “When I got them the first thing I’m thinking is that I’m going to be so old before I get any good out of them,” jokes Sherrie. Today, they stand about seven feet tall. One secret to that success has been the use of soaker hoses rather than a drip irrigation system, Sherrie says. She’ll leave the hoses in place for two days before moving them to the next row. By the time a rotation is complete, trees will be watered about every 10 days. “We’ve seen that the pines and spruces soak up the water so much better. We’re getting to their roots better than with a drip system,” observes Sherrie, who feels that has been particularly evident during drought conditions which gripped the
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area for about six years, starting shortly after the windbreak was established. All along the soaker line there’s better water pressure which means trees at far end of the row are still getting the full benefit. Rather than putting down a weed barrier, Sherrie has opted for regular chemical applications to prevent weeds and stickers. The immaculate condition between the trees and each row is testimony to how well that effort is paying off. “I want my grandkids and dogs to be able to enjoy the windbreaks,” she emphasizes. “We don’t want weeds or stickers.” And she’s a believer in allowing plenty of spacing for trees. If the diameter of a fully grown tree will be 10 feet, then she plants them 10 feet apart so they don’t crowd each other out. The health of the Berry’s windbreak stand is further evident by the high survival rate. “We had maybe a 25 percent loss at Beaver Flats, but it’s only been about 10 percent here,” notes Charles. “I’m really happy with how well the spruces and Australian Pines have done,” Sherrie says. “We had a mite show up a couple of years ago, but we got on top of it right away.” While their grandchildren are enjoying the benefits of the windbreaks, Charles and Sherrie feel they are gaining a more valuable lesson. “Our grandkids are proud of their trees. They like to brag about whose trees have grown the most,” Sherrie says. “They’ve had a connection with these trees from the start, so they know how much work has gone into planting them and helping them grow.” As a result, Charles and Sherrie have assured that the windbreaks they’ve planted are being enjoyed and appreciated by their family now and by generations to follow.
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Quail An easy way to create escape cover for quail is cutting unwanted trees like locust, cedar, and elm and then loosely stacking them in brush piles that are about 1,500 feet. Old windrows and hedgerows can be renovated to further help the local quail population. Trees in windrows can be cut and left where they fall. Osage orange trees can be cut off at ground level and the stump left unsprayed. The tree will resprout at the stump and create the woody escape cover quail require. The edges of riparian areas can be feathered by cutting trees along the edge
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and leaving the cut trees where they fall. Odd areas or strips in crop land can be left unsprayed and untilled to allow for weed growth that would benefit quail. Any odd areas or weedy areas should be left along the edge of crop fields and positioned close to permanent native grasses or woody vegetation. Leaving a strip of ground along fencerows or roads undisturbed will create areas of edge for bobwhites. Cover crops may also benefit quail by providing brood rearing habitat, a food source, and escape cover.
Cost-Share Money Available Cost-share money is available for upgrading septic systems and plugging abandoned wells. Contact the Scott County Conservation District • 1410 Main, or call 872-5312
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Expiring CRP acres will require makeover Producers in Kansas have enrolled millions of acres of highly erodible cropland into the popular Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) over the last 25 years. As contracts have expired, some producers have chosen not to reenroll the acres or some acres are no longer eligible to be enrolled. “As this CRP land returns to production, there are some management decisions to consider,” said Brad Shank, District Conservationist, at the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Hays field office. “It is better to have a plan than just pull the disk out of the weeds and break out the native vegetation. Some of these acres probably should not have been broken out in the first place.” Shank suggested a couple options for those areas that may not be feasible to farm: use Continuous CRP (CCRP) to keep those acres in grass or consider grazing the land rather than disturbing the sod. Bryan Gottschalk, an Ellis County farmer, was contacted by a landowner who wanted to know if he would be interested in farming some expired CRP land. Gottschalk evaluated it and thought maybe there were some acres that could be farmed and some that should be left in native vegetation. “Farm the best and protect the rest” is how Gottschalk determines in his operation what acres will be productive cropland and those that might be better left in CRP. “Gravelly, rocky, poor soil is not fun to farm,” says Gottschalk. “You have a lot of wear and tear on you equipment, and you cannot make it pay.”
servation plan to a mix of grass buffers and cropland. Gottschalk visited with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and NRCS staffs to see what kind of conservation plan could be developed that would include cropping the best part and protecting the rest. According to Shank, the land had a conservation plan that was developed when it was enrolled into the CRP. Originally, some years prior to CRP enrollment, the landowner had installed a waterway and terraces, and they were still in good shape. “Since the ground was already in CRP, new grass did not need to be established,” said Shank. The makeover used two practices of CCRP: State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) CP38 and field borders CP33. USDA’s CCRP provides an opportunity for producers, at any time, to enroll eligible acreage into conservation buffers that are highly beneficial in protecting water quality, preventing soil erosion, and improving wildlife habitat. The SAFE practice targets habitat restoration for bobwhite quail, ringneck pheasant, greater prairie-chicken, and other grassland-associated wildlife by creating nesting/brood-rearing habitat on portions of crop fields. According to Shank, the nice part for the landowner about this makeover is the existing CRP cover does not need to be reestablished on the poorer, rough ground that could be enrolled into the CCRP through SAFE and habitat buffers for upland birds - sometimes referred to as field borders. Both practices allow removing some of the sharp points in the field to improve the farmability of the A CRP Makeover To adhere to Gottschalk’s farming phi- remaining cropland. Much like the general CRP but on a losophy, the land that had been in the CRP for over 15 years was about to get smaller scale, the landowner receives (see MAKEOVER on page 22) a “makeover,” adjusting the original con-
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 17
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Cropland often occur in areas where we need permanent vegetation such as trees and grasslands to protect our streams and rivers,” said Bob Atchison, rural forestry leader for the Kansas Forest Service at Kansas State University. “This vegetation improves our water quality and sustains our water supplies.” Removal of streamside forests has been documented in northeastern Kansas. According to geospatial data collected and analyzed by the Kansas Forest Service, on one stretch of the Delaware River an estimated 21 acres of streamside forest have been bulldozed. The Delaware is a major tributary of the Kansas River and forms Perry Reservoir, a major regional lake for outdoor recreation and watersports 20 miles northeast of Topeka. Without streamside vegetation present to stabilize riverbanks and reduce sediment entry into the reservoir, the lake is slowly filling up with dirt. “Reducing sediment from our water supply is an important job because more than two-thirds of Kansans get their water from federal reservoirs, and that
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 18
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percentage is growing,” said Mitch Lundeen, former water quality forester with the KFS. “As sediment replaces water, this leads to loss of capacity in these reservoirs, and as the demand for water grows, shortages could become a possibility.” The expense to dredge these lakes is enormous, as is the cost of building new ones, so it’s imperative that conservation practices are put into place before it’s too late. “Streambank stabilization is so important, as it is cheaper to keep the sediment out of the lake in the first place, instead of having to deal with it after it’s already there,” said Katie Ingels, communications director for the Kansas Water Office. “Once lakes get to a certain point though, you have to address the sediment that’s already in place. This is where we are with John Redmond now, and where we’re heading with other lakes here in the near future.” The John Redmond Reservoir, about 70 miles south of Topeka, is currently
the subject of a dredging project due to sedimentation and loss of capacity. “As of today, the total cost when you factor in dredging costs for removal of 3 million cubic yards of sediment, leasing of sediment disposal sites, construction of those disposal sites, and re-vegetation after use, has the project at nearly $19 million,” said Ingels. “The current sedimentation situation at Redmond, and how that loss of capacity impacts downstream water users has prompted the need to address this situation now.” “Our government has invested, and will be investing huge amounts of money to dredge federal reservoirs and stabilize streambanks above those reservoirs, Atchison said. “It only makes sense from an economic perspective to develop policy and incentives that protect riparian forests above these reservoirs.” According to the University of Wisconsin study, loss of shelterbelts and windbreaks is also occurring throughout Kansas and the Great Plains due to cropland expansion. In Western Kansas and the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma,
many highly-concentrated areas of cropland expansion can be observed. In these places, establishing centerpivot irrigation over the rapidly depleting Ogallala aquifer, which stretches across eight Great Plains states, is of substantial concern. “This practice raises huge sustainability questions,” Atchison said. “The research supports that shelterbelts can actually increase crop yields and are often the last conservation practice to prevent soil erosion during a drought.” “Protecting streamside forests and shelterbelts from cropland conversion will provide both public and private benefits to all Kansans,” Atchison said. “Good, sound policy is needed that supports our agricultural community which provides us our food, and at the same time, protects our natural resources and benefits conservation.” A conclusion suggested by the results of the Wisconsin study was that removal of adverse incentives, and proper implementation of U.S. agricultural and biofuel policies would go a long way toward achieving this end.
Native pasture doesn’t mean native range Dwayne Rice, NRCS rangeland management specialist, Lincoln
Converting expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields to productive pasture takes a little planning. Cattle won’t graze seeded pastures the same as native range. Cattle are selective and if given a choice, experience has shown they will graze the native range much more heavily than the seeded pasture. The differences in grazing preference may last for several decades. Every situation is different but keeping the CRP
field independent of the native range is usually the better option. Additionally, the grass plants in most CRP fields are not vigorous enough to be grazed the first 3-4 years at a full stocking rate relative to native range. Years of non-use have resulted in plants with limited root systems and soils still low in organic matter. The low forage production can be improved over time with a management plan designed to increase stand density, develop a deeper, more extensive root system, and improve soil health. Due to the lower forage production,
start with a low stocking rate the first couple of years and adjust the stocking rate upward a little at a time as production improves. A grazing system that provides some timely rest during the growing season will also be beneficial to stand and production improvement. A prescribed burn or dormant season grazing can be used to reduce the amount of standing mulch and litter prior to spring green-up. Removing this old dead material will allow sunlight to reach the new shoots early in the growing season which should increase tillering and stand density.
Dormant warm-season grasses are inherently low in protein so a supplement may be necessary to maintain intake and performance when grazing the old growth. Fencing and water development may be required to keep the seeded CRP fields separated from the native range. These practices are eligible for cost-share assistance on expiring CRP fields through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 19
Sixth Grade Essay Contest Winners
Many types of conservation practices First Place
by Zach Rohrbough
“A drop of water saved is a kernel of grain raised.” - Richard Dirks Conserving our natural resources is important for our environment. How do the laws and fire affect the state park? Terraces and windbreaks are two different ways to help with conservation. Water conservation is very important
at the dairy. Our natural resources are necessary to conserve. When the park rangers start a fire it can destroy any invading grasses or weeds and will give other plants a chance to grow. This helps conserve the grasses that aren’t growing as fast and gives them a chance to grow.
Conservation can take many forms by Clare Hawkins
“Plans to protect air, and water, wilderness, and wildlife, are in fact plans to protect man - Stewart L. Udall Conservation is important because it saves the earth’s natural resources. Conservation of water is a large part of taking care of the earth. Conservation of habitat saves animals and helps the environment. Soil is conserved with farmers when tilling and harvesting. So, conservation is used in many instances, like those listed. People use conservation techniques all the time, for example the dairy. To start, the workers at the dairy give the cows water and clean them. Each cow drinks 30-40 gallons of water every day. After that, they reuse that water to flood the pens, using 170 gallons of water every day. Next, the water that was used to flood the pens goes to a lagoon. Finally, the fertilized water is pumped from a lagoon to a farmer. The farmer then uses that water to irrigate his/her crops. Therefore, conservation of water is used at dairies. Farmers use one of these two methods - no-till and conventional when working their ground. Both types of farming are used among farmers. And both types of farming work for farmers.
Third Place
(See FORMS on page 23)
Park rangers enforce laws at the state park so one kind of animal won’t overpopulate another. It will help species that are small in numbers to grow larger. Also, with the laws it can help the smaller fish grow bigger and repopulate. In the end, the fire and laws help and affect the lake in different ways. Terraces and windbreaks both help with soil conservation, but do it in different ways. Windbreaks are important with
wind control and stop dust from blowing. However, terraces stop the water and topsoil from rushing away. Terraces can hold 3.2 feet of water, but when it snows, windbreaks can hold the snow in place during the winter. While windbreaks can be a good habitat for wildlife, terraces can pay for themselves because they hold the water in place and can irrigate the crops for no (See PRACTICES on page 22)
Protecting habitat, reusing water are part of conservation by Kale Wheeler
Is conserving water, soil and wildlife habitat really that important? Soil, water and wildlife habitat conservation is necessary if we still want to have a reliable ecosystem. Fire can help bring back many wonderful things in nature. Both Shelbourne and drape headers can cut wheat. The dairy conserves thousands of gallons of water every day. All of our resources will vanish if we do not conserve our environment. Using fire can help conserve many features in nature. People like Lake Scott State Park Ranger Tad Eubanks use controlled fires to take care of weeds and nuisance species of plants. Using fire like this will also bring back native grasses. This will provide new habitat for animals, birds and insects.
Second Place Most use controlled burns around April and May. Burning places where the weeds are out of control can help our ecosystem in many ways. Shelbourne and draper headers are both used to cut wheat. Shelbourne headers only strip the head off. Shelbourne headers have replaceable sections. Drape headers cut the head and part of the straw off, unlike the Shelbourne that only gets the head. Draper headers tend to cost more than Shelbournes. An advantage to draper headers would be you can cut more of a variety of crop. Shelbournes are a good way to conserve water. The dairy reuses water every day. First the dairy gives the water to the cattle. Each cow drinks from 30 to 40 gallons of
water a day. Then they use the water to clean the tanks. The dairy uses up to 180,000 gallons a day. They reuse about 40,000 gallons a day. After that, they take the water they used to clean the tanks to clean the carousel. The carousel is what they use to milk multiple cattle at once. Next they take the water they used to clean the carousel to clean the pens. Last of all, they give the water to farmers to fertilize their fields. Reusing water and giving it to farmers is a good way to conserve water. Conservation of water, soil and wildlife habitat will help strengthen our ecosystem. Controlled burns, reusing water at the dairy and modern farm equipment all will help conserve water. The food you eat every day all requires conservation.
Conservation is your gift to future generations
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 20
Some ‘weeds’ valuable in rangeland Doug Spencer Rangeland management specialist
Start a discussion about “weeds” and you’re likely to get several participants involved in a hurry. Questions such as “What does it look like?,” “Do livestock eat it?” and the more popular one, “What do you spray it with?” I’m amazed at how passionately some producers are about killing “weeds.” Passion is a great thing when targeted towards a true “weed” that is invasive to an ecosystem, but I often see plants that are native to the system be wrongfully targeted. These targeted native plants that so many call a “weed” might be wonderful! I’ll tell you why. In a grazing land setting with cattle as the grazer, if it isn’t grass, a lot of producers will call it a weed, even if it is native. “What do cows eat?” is a question I ask
grade school students at field events and the resounding answer is, “grass!” Yes, but cows are picky as to what types of grass they’ll graze and actually consume a fair amount of “weeds” or “forbs” (native broadleaf plants) as the grazing season progresses. A study on the subject of grazing cows on native grassland had some interesting findings. The cow’s diet in June, when the grass is lush, consisted of approximately 85 percent grass and 15 percent forbs. By October, when the grass was more mature, the cow’s diet shifted to approximately 75 percent grass and 25 percent forbs. Some key native forbs selected were heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides), dotted gayfeather (Liatris punctata), and purple prairie-clover (Dalea purpurea). That begs the question, “Who would purposely spend money to remove 25 percent of their livestock’s preferred
diet?” The forbs we sometimes call a being facilitated by a mycorrhizal myce“weed” are actually feed. lial network. Research specifically looked at tracing Maintaining Plant Diversity phosphorus in Indiangrass and Lousiana Soil health is the talk in many agricul- sagewort. It was found that when either ture publications. One of the key prin- plant was the donor, phosphorus showed ciples discussed is plant diversity. up in the receiver plant. It was also noted Several cover crop trials have been that Indiangrass was the stronger comcompleted where plants were grown as petitor for the phosphorus. a monoculture and then as a mixture of If this network below ground facilithose same plants. Often the mixture tates the transfer of nutrients that are outcompetes the monoculture plots in taken up from a forb (that many would production. call a “weed”) and it shares with a grass Diversity in our rangeland and pas- that cattle readily graze, why would it be tures is just as important. In some removed from the system? instances, there are times that cows don’t It’s interesting to read publications eat a particular forb species, but a look that discuss how diverse mixes should below the soil surface tells the whole be used in cover crop plantings and in story. the same publication advise how to kill Grass and forb roots are different in your cover crop, now called weeds, in their root structure, rooting depth, the the native rangeland so we can have just root exudates, and the symbiotic relation- grass. ships with microbes they make. Studies The forbs we sometimes call a “weed” have shown nutrient transfer in plants allows the plant community to succeed.
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Tree diversity is essential to healthier neighborhoods MANHATTAN - The Kansas Forest Service has partnered with Heartland Tree Alliance in a project to encourage a greater diversity of tree planting in Kansas. The purpose of the project is to show the public examples of what these trees look like. Along marked walking trails, signage at each tree provides the scientific name and its mature height and spread. “People tend to stick with what is familiar and most comfortable to them,” said Kim Bomberger, district community forester with the Kansas Forest Service. “They choose landscape plants and trees by the names they recognize, like Bradford pear, maple, pampas grass, rose or oak. However, this is not a wise approach given the insect and disease threats and severe weather that affect trees in Kansas.” Planting only one species of tree in a community can be disastrous when disease hits. Since the 1950s, Dutch elm disease has killed millions of American elm trees. Scotch and Austrian pines have been severely damaged by pine wilt since late 1970s. Most recently, hundreds of millions of ash trees across the eastern U.S. have been devastated. “The emerald ash borer
is now considered the most destructive forest pest ever seen in North America,” said Deborah McCullough, entomology professor at Michigan State University. According to the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the emerald ash borer was first detected in Wyandotte County, Kansas, in 2012, and has now been confirmed in Johnson and Leavenworth counties. This wood-boring insect attacks and kills all species of North American ash and can be especially ruinous where a monoculture of ash has been planted in towns and landscapes. While insects and disease can devastate a population of trees comprised of one species, severe storm events can also be a threat. Silver maple, hackberry, Siberian elm, cottonwood, Bradford pear and ash are particularly susceptible to high winds. The Kansas Forest Service recommends choosing a wide array of tree species for planting in your home landscape and community. To learn which trees will fit best in your area, visit http://www.kansasforests. org/resources. To see locations of where you can view tree specimens, see the arboretum map on at http://www.kansasforests.org/ events/diversity.html.
Cost-Share Money Available Cost-share money is available for upgrading septic systems and plugging abandoned wells. Contact the Scott County Conservation District • 1410 Main, or call 872-5312
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 21
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Makeover
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 22
(continued from page 17)
incentive payments and a payment for the acres enrolled into the CCRP. In the fall, Gottschalk hayed all but the roughest areas. In the spring he began disking the cropland lightly, repeating that process four or five times, going deeper each time and then letting the land lay. He did not plow the terraces. In the fall he undercut with sweeps to bring up the roots, applied fertilizer, and then planted wheat. Gottschalk farms on the contour and works the ground less with no-till or minimum till to minimize wind and water erosion. “Leaving the rough spots and edges in native grass combined with planting a crop provides a diverse feed source and provides good wildlife habitat,” said Shank. Shank provided the following suggestions to landowners taking expiring acres out of CRP: •Check out Continuous CRP options for expiring CRP as well as new acres for enrolling into the program. •Be sure conservation compliance is maintained on the land - that the terraces are functioning and that the right amount of residue is left on the surface. •Check the nutrients of the expired CRP land being brought into production, because the soil has few nutrients.
Practices
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money. In the end, both help with conservation, but do it in different ways. How does the dairy help with water conservation? First, the dairy will water the cows (dairy cows can drink up to 40 gallons of water a day). When they’re ready to clean the pens, they take some of the extra water from the cows and will clean the pens. Then all the manure and water goes to the its. After the pits get full, they give it to farmers for fertilizer for their crops. In the end, farmers give some of their crops to the diary to use for feed. Water conservation has a very important role at the dairy. Conservation is very important to our natural resources. Fire and laws, windbreaks and terraces, and reusing water are all conservation practices. Next time you take a shower, try to sing two songs and not three or four.
Visit the Scott County website at www.scottcountyconservationdistrict.com
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Forms
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 23
(continued from page 19)
No-till farming leaves the topsoil in place because stubble from harvest is left behind and covers the soil. Because of this, erosion is prevented. Also, no-till farming does not disturb the ground so moisture is left in the soil. However, conventional farming stirs up the topsoil and it becomes bare and can be eroded easily. Conventional farming dries up the ground. In conclusion, no-till and conventional farming are both very different. At Scott Lake, fire can be beneficial and help in many ways. Fire burns grass, then old grass is replaced with new, fresh grass. Also, fire gets rid of extra stubble and unneeded grass. Fire increases species by giving the existing animals better grass and the grass is food and shelter. So, fire helps the environment in many ways. Conserving our natural resources is very important. Reusing and conserving water, saving habitat and using no-till farming instead of conventional farming are all ways of saving our earth with conservation. Next time you use water think about how much water is being used.
visit our website at scottcountyrecord.com
New Life
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responded. Nearby Wallace County Conservation District sent out 136 letters and received 25 responses. KFS district forester Bryan Peterson met with landowners in November to develop plans. So far, 20 landowners have filed applications for cost-share assistance to renovate their windbreaks through EQIP. “I am positive the high number of applications this year was due to the mailing and field visits made by Bryan,” said Dana Charles, manager for the Logan County Conservation District. “My main concern is that there will not be enough funds to assist all the landowners interested in cost-share.” The windbreak restoration project has helped to expand relations between KFS and the state’s conservation districts. According to Wallace County
Conservation District manager Bev Elder, because of the success of this project, her district is in the planning process to host a tree workshop in cooperation with KFS sometime this upcoming spring. The windbreak project scope has shifted to the south-central part of the state where Atchison said assessments are currently underway in another seven-county block. Once completed, KFS will enlist conservation districts to assist with landowner outreach in those areas. “It was a no-brainer to use conservation districts as an outreach partner,” he said. To learn more about this project, contact Atchison at 785-532-3310 or atchison@ksu.edu. Learn more about the Kansas Forest Service at https://www. kansasforests.org.
Supplement to The Scott County Record
Thursday, February 4, 2016 • Page 24
Our congratulations to winners of the Scott County Bankers’ Award for outstanding conservation practices
Aaron and Joshua Beaton join the list of previous winners 1945 Roland W. Harkness Norman C. Buehler Henry D. Parkinson George H. Mulch William E. Melson 1946 C.E. Conine Forest C. Brookover Harold Kirk Otto Geeseka 1947 Richard Christy C.T. Hutchins 1948 Richard Hollister Carl Kramer 1949 Dennis G. Buehler Howard Cheney Roy O. Murphey Glen E. Ryan Lloyd Stockwell 1950 C.W. Dickhut, Jr. Otto H. Woodrick Austin Been Fawn Rose 1951 Bernarr H. Nelson Charles W. Shearmire Russell Unruh 1952 Mrs. Ruby H. Wilkens Albert H. Skibbe John Wiechman 1953 Ralph Grothusen F.W. Krause Jess Bright 1954 E.R. Patton I.J. Spitzer Don Christy
1967 Alan Stewart Alva Dearden Homer Janssen Virgil Lorg (A.H. Bierman)
1955 Roger Heim William Beaton Leslie Yager 1956 Norman Harper Sam Frick B.B. Harkness
1968 G.T. Riner Chas. Winderlin Primus Suppes (Morrison and Long) Frank Snyder
1957 Delmar Huck Harold Crist W.J. Wasinger Floyd Krebs Alvin Rodenberg
1969 Walter Yost Elmer Carson Robert Hoeme
1958 Alfred Winderlin 1959 Clarence Tucker S.W. Filson and Louis Parkinson 1960 Glen Ramsey Ted Crist G. Wiechman 1961 Ronald Beach Oliver Bebermeyer Armin Strickert 1962 Dale Conine Lester and Bill See Marion Hutchins 1963 Harry Dirks 1964 John Hrbek Duwane Patton 1965 Marvin Wiechman Chas. Socolfsky 1966 Robert Koehn Chester Scott Andrew Hoeme Melvin Clark
1970 Harold Ellis 1971 B.H. Kimball Roy Watkins Lee Brown 1972 Bill Carpenter Wilmer Krug Clarence Powers Wilford Crist Paul Winderlin 1973 Garold Been Clifford Scheuerman Loren Janzen Maurice Dirks 1974 Clyde Schinnerer Robert Harkness Earnest Fick Merlin Conine 1975 Delmar and Gene Hess Wallace Robinson lll Sol Scheuerman 1976 Charles Ramsey Jon Ramsey Floyd Fairleigh
1977 June Pickett Edw. Reifschneider Ervin Nightengale
1987 Mike Ellis Vance Wiechman
1978 Lowell Rudolph Albert Dague Ray Schmidt Dan Carter
1988 Marvin Farr Jon Buehler Charles Moore, Sr. Charles Moore, Jr.
1979 Herbert Stevens Larry and Galen Decker George Armantrout
1989 Ervin Nichols Bernard and Terry Rose Berl Minnix
1980 Wayne Rudolph Don Wiechman Lester Rodenberg
1990 Leona Numrich Griffith Cattle Co.
1981 Loyal and Woodrow Hoffman
Larry Huck Earl and Larry Vulgamore 1982 Gary Haupt Clarence and Ashley Luke Richard Ramsey 1983 Robert Winderlin Mike Scheuerman Robert and Wm. Novak 1984 Sam Brookover Keith Janzen Ron Riner 1985 Bill Huseman Jack Frick Terry Faurot Ronald Eaton 1986 John Beaton Bruce Wilkens Jerald Doornbos
506 Main, Scott City • 872-7224
Larry Ryan
1991 Merle Mc Kean Robert Dearden Raymond Dearden Lonnie Dearden 1992 Fred and Eva Young Warren and Nellie Deeds 1993 Edwin Allen Paul and Pauline Strickert 1994 Richard Randall 1995 Daryl Dirks 1996 Mike and Kay Harkness 1997 Prairie Trout Farms 1998 Rick Kahl Lonnie Dearden Dennis Allen Jason Allen 1999 Terry and Jon Berning
2000 Steve and Jack Schmitt 2001 Randy and Cindy Scheuerman 2002 Gary and Laylene Janssen Rick and Lori Krause 2003 Dave Novak 2004 Stacy Hoeme 2005 Allan and Anita Hoeme Craig Hoeme Robert and Patricia oeme, Jr. 2006 Richard and Rita Buehler Alfred and Sally Janssen 2007 Craig and Larry Hughes 2008 Brian and Myles Vulgamore 2009 Norman Keyse 2010 Will See Cattle Co. Duane and Molly Williams Scott and Aleta See Alan and Tonja Williams 2011 Dennis Bontrager 2012 Chris and Letha Winderlin 2013 Chris Winderlin 2014 Bob and Donna Eitel 2015 Devin Hutchins