Soil & Water, January 2016

CLARION PRINCETON DAILY

The 69th Annual

Gibson County

Soil & Water Conservation

Gibson County SWCD’s Annual Meeting Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2016 • 6:00 p.m.

Wirth Park New Shelter House, 1210 W Morton St., Oakland City

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Annual SWCD meeting Feb. 2 Gibson County Soil & Water Conservation District’s (SWCD) 69th annual meeting will be held at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the new Wirth Park Community Center, Oakland City. Speakers for the night will be Dr. John Foster, Wesselman Woods, and Heath Hamilton, Patoka River National Wildlife Reserve.

Pollination will be their topic.

The SWCD will share 2015’s accomplishments and plans for 2016.

Award presentations for 2015 will include: River Friendly Farmer, Don Pflug Farms, Inc; Conservation Farmer, Winfrid Obert; Friend of Conservation; and Friends of Patoka National Wildlife Refuge.

Tickets cost $8. Call the SWCD at 385-5033, option 3, to reserve tickets or email Tabitha.anthis@in.nacdnet. net. Tickets are payable at the door.

Across Indiana, SWCD’s help Indiana residents conserve land, water, forests, wildlife and related natural resources that encompass the state’s 23 million acres.

2015 Gibson County SWCD Board of Supervisors, staff

Gibson County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors Matt Michel was elected as a supervisor in 2010 after serving as an associate, and was then elected to a second term.

Matt is a graduate of Gibson Southern High School and Purdue University. He is the District Sales Manager for AgriGold Hybrids. Matt serves as board chairman and is unopposed this year.

Dave Greubel is a farmer and school bus driver. He resides in rural Haubstadt with his wife Brenda.

They are the parents of two grown children and have seven grandchildren. Dave serves as the board vice-chairman.

Greg Obert has been an associate supervisor in the past.

He says he is semi-retired from

January 2016

Gibson County Soil and Water Conservation Office staff, l-r, are Tabitha Anthis, office manager; Matt Robinette, technician and Ann Ice, education coordinator.

farming, living in rural Fort Branch with his wife, Rose. They have four grown children and nine grandchildren.

Kenny Page was elected as a supervisor in 2014 and has served as a supervisor in the past. Kenny farms and lives in Oakland City with his wife, Judy.

They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

Dave Weber is a new supervisor, appointed in 2014.

He farms and lives in Francisco with his wife, Mary. They have four grown children and two grandchildren.

Jim Buck (not pictured) is a new associate supervisor, coming on the board in 2014. Jim lives in Oakland City.

Dave Gress (not pictured) is an associate supervisor and has been a supervisor in the past. He is a crop insurance agent and livestock/grain farmer. He and his wife Karen live in rural Princeton.

Ron Hudson (not pictured) has been an associate supervisor for the past several years and has been a supervisor in the past. He farms and lives in Patoka with his wife, Kathy.

They have two grown daughters.

Cleoramae G Stunkel (not pictured) is currently an associate supervisor.

She lives in rural Haubstadt on her family farm and has served as a supervisor in the past.

She is a retired minister and has installed numerous conservation practices.

Princeton Daily Clarion

Page 3

Gibson County’s 2015 Conservation Farmer Winfrid Obert has been named the Conservation Farmer of the Year by the Gibson County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)’s board of supervisors. Winfrid lives on a farm in Fort Branch where he raises corn and soybeans.

Winfrid and Marian Obert have been married for 60 years. They have five children: Mike, Anita, Tom, Steve, and Ann. They have 12 grandchildren (one in heaven) and three great-grandchildren.

Winfrid has installed several conservation practices, including: WASCOB’s (water and sediment control basins), concrete structures, buffer strips, and grassed waterways.

He used legumes for years to diversify crop

rotation, control erosion and build the soil. He often

incorporated them into a strip-crop scheme.

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January 2016

Gibson County’s 2015 Friend of Conservation Friends of the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge is a non-profit organization providing support and volunteer assistance to further the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and their management objectives at Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Indiana.

The Friends group provides environmental education and outreach (filling a demand the small Refuge staff can’t) to the community, maintains extensive wildlife-watching trails, assists in land acquisition for conservation, and coordinates the annual Refuge Appreciation Day. Through monthly environmental education and outreach programs on the Refuge, the Friends

connect with an estimated 1,000 visitors annually, inspiring others to get involved in promoting, protecting, and conserving natural resources.

This year, the Friends created a “Monarch Way Station and Pollinator Garden” at the Boyd’s Trailhead on the Refuge.

This aesthetically pleasing garden welcomes visitors while providing additional information on the importance of native plants and pollinators, while also providing information on using native plants when gardening at home. An estimated 500 people view the garden yearly.

At the Friends programs and activities, which include wildlife-watching hikes and guided canoe

trips, they provide outreach to at least 500 people a year and, through education, relay the importance of clean water, and the value of conserving natural resources for wildlife and people to enjoy. Guided tours cover a variety of habitat types including wetlands, prairies, and forests, where participants gain an understanding and appreciation of conserving, preserving, and restoring

the natural resources of Southwest Indiana.

The Friends group maintains relationships with both state and federal representatives, keeping representatives abreast on the ongoing events of the Refuge.

They also work with the local county tourism board to promote the Patoka NWR to provide information to the public about visiting the refuge.

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Gibson County’s 2015 River-Friendly Farmer Don Pflug Farms, Inc. of Oakland City has been selected as the 2015 River Friendly Farmer by the Gibson County SWCD Board of Supervisors.

Don and Craig Pflug farm in the Patoka watershed. They conserve soil through no-till, minimum-till, grassed waterways, nutrient and pest management practices, WASCOBs (water and sediment control basins), grade stabilization structures, and stream crossings. They raise corn, soybeans, and wheat.

When asked how conservation practices have improved the quality of water that leaves their farm, Craig responded, “It reduces nutrient and pest runoff, and keeps the soil in place on the farm instead of going down the ditch.”

Their children are involved in 4-H, Craig is on the county council, and involved in county government.

Given an opportunity, Don and Craig speak to landowners and neighbors

about conservation.

The River-Friendly Farmer award was initiated in 1999 as a statewide initiative recognizing farmers who, through good production management, help keep Indiana’s rivers, lakes and streams clean. This award is made possible by the Indiana

Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Indiana’s ninetytwo SWCDs, Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Division of Soil Conservation, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

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Princeton Daily Clarion

January 2016

Weed management workshop

By Ann Ice Gibson County SWCD Education Coordinator

Southwest Soil and Water Conservation Districts partnered with the local Indiana State Department Resource Specialist to hold a weed management workshop in April.

The day-long informational workshop was sponsored by F&M Hardware of Princeton, and The Nature Conservancy, Indiana Chapter.

Speakers for the morning were Ron Rathfon, Extension Forester for the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at the Southern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center, and Patrick Whitson from Aquatic Control, Evansville. They focused on invasive weeds in forest and waters.

Ray Chattin, representing Southern Indiana Cooperative Invasive Management, spoke on the importance of managing invasive plants in

Southwest Indiana.

In the afternoon, the group visited the Patoka Fish and Wildlife Refuge

near Oakland City. Bill McCoy, Refuge Manager and Heath Hamilton gave attendees a tour of the refuge.

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SWCD hires new agronomic technician

By Erica Fischer Pike County SWCD Administrator

Pike County SWCD, in partnership with Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh and Warrick County SWCD’s, secured funding through a Clean Water Indiana grant to hire a relatively new type of technician to the conservation world – an agronomic tech.

After a thorough interview process, the SWCD’s selected Emily Kelly for this new position.

Emily is a December 2014 graduate of Vincennes University and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science

degree and an Associate’s degree in Ag-Business.

Her past work experience includes work as an intern with the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center, Vincennes, a field tech intern

for White River Co-Op, Loogootee, and a garden center associate with Green Thumb Nursery & Landscaping, Jasper.

Emily feels that her background in the agricultural industry and her college courses at Vincennes University will allow her to easily pick up the lingo and aspects of her job.

The grant was written

by Erica Fischer, Pike County, with intentions that this position will work closely with NRCS District Conservationists in the five counties and assist with enrollments/contract management for NRCS/ SWCD programs.

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training to become a certified Conservation Planner; this will allow Emily to help producers address resource concerns and design a plan to implement to improve their soil health.

Once Kelly gets acclimated, she will then split her time equally between the five counties.

In her free time, Emily enjoys four-wheeling, fishing, horseback riding, traveling, and reading.

She is excited about the new position and the five SWCD’s are thrilled that she took on the new job duties. Please welcome Emily as you see her out and about!

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Princeton Daily Clarion

January 2016

Preventive planting workshop hosted

By Ann Ice, Gibson County SWCD Education Coordinator

The Southwest Soil and Water Conservation Districts held a preventative planting meeting at the Red Wagon in Poseyville. This breakfast meeting, sponsored by Byron Seeds, LLC, had speakers to provide information on preventative planting, Indiana State Department of Agriculture updates, and strategic farm marketing.

- Dewayne Colvin, Byron Seeds, started the morning telling the audience how to improve soil performance using cover crops and building microbiology in the soil.

He encouraged farmers to shift their thinking in managing cover crops and to consider crop rotation to include more than corn and beans.

He discussed the different cover crop

root systems and the different varieties of rye grasses.

Linda Powell Voglund gave an ISDA update. The crowd was informed about CWI cover crop cost share for Posey, Vanderburgh and Pike counties. There was also a reminder about Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) opportunities in southwest watersheds. Linda also covered the Infield Advantage Guided Stalk sampling program that measures corn stalk nitrates; staff will be out sampling the fields soon. There are more than 80 fields in southwestern Indiana this year representing more than 40 growers. There are also five replicated strip trials to be completed.

The Indiana Grown Initiative, a new ISDA program discussed, aims to: · educate consumers about buying local.

· increase networking and sales opportunities for Indiana farmers · expand support for Indiana processors of Indiana grown products.

Dennis Brown, Byron Seeds, talked about the loss of organic matter in soil and how to improve organic matter over time by using soil testing.

Dave Janson, Strategic Farm Marketing, gave an update on the farm bill and crop insurance, and also discussed preventative planting’s effect on APH.

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Women in Agriculture evening at Azalea Path

By Ann Ice Education Coordinator

Southwest Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts hosted Women in Agriculture evening sponsored

by First Financial Bank of Princeton, at the Azalea Path Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Inc. The fall accommodations on the deck of the country garden were made possible

by Beverly Knight.

Priscilla Magee of First Financial Bank, Princeton, provided information to consider when passing the farming operation down to the next generation, saying the most overlooked detail is waiting too long to plan. Other details mentioned were: how many generations work on the farm; children who work on and off

the farm; operation size; children who may be disabled; and sibling rivalry.

Amy Sims, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, provided details on her responsibilities as a Resource Specialist. Her job takes her out in farmers’ fields designing conservation practices, assisting with transect data, and in-office at SWCDs reporting her accomplishments.

Betsy Wilkinson, Natural Resources Conservation Service, shared information on Earth Team Volunteering and ways the public can help.

Volunteers can help from working outside doing conservation projects such as planting trees, to assisting in an office. As Regional Earth Team Volunteer Coordinator, she provided information on how to become a

volunteer.

Sheryl Seib, District 9 Education Outreach Coordinator for Indiana Farm Bureau, shared humorous stories of how she became a farmer’s wife and helped her husband on the farm in their early years together.

She told of her travels to help other women in agriculture and of her recent trip to DC to lobby for agriculture/

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Pasture Walk hosted at cattle ranch

By Julie Loehr Lower Patoka Watershed Coordinator, 319 Grant

In October, Lower Patoka watershed coordinator Julie Loehr hosted a pasture walk with Victor Shelton, State Agronomist and Grazing Specialist.

Eight producers attended the workshop at the cattle ranch of Zach Rogers. It was a very informative evening.

While walking the pasture and discussing forage, stockpiling, and intensive grazing with rotational paddocks, those in attendance were able to share their personal livestock situations and issues and get their questions answered.

In addition, an unidentified plant was found in the pasture.

A sample has been sent off for identification and we are awaiting

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Conservation Breakfast

The Southwest Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts held the annual Conservation Breakfast at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center. The guest speaker was Dr. James Hoorman, Assistant Professor of Ohio State University Extension.

Mr. Hoorman spoke to the farmers on the economics of cover crops, planting recommendations, and he discussed the experimental growing seasons due to the potential climate change.

Page 12

Princeton Daily Clarion

January 2016

29th annual Fourth Grade Farm Fair

By Ann Ice Gibson County SWCD Education Coordinator

Gibson County SWCD held their 29th annual Fourth Grade Farm Fair at the Gibson County Fairgrounds Pavilion. There were 22 sessions of various topics for students to visit.

All Gibson County Fourth Grade students are invited to attend the presentations given by tri-state volunteers. Over 400 students, teachers and school assistants visited the stations. The event was coordinated by Ann Ice. Farm Fair sponsors were Farm Bureau Inc, Princeton; Superior Ag Resources of Gibson County; German American Bank, Gibson County and Farm Credit Services of MidAmerica. Door prizes for presenters were donated by Taco Tierra, F&M

Hardware, Dick Clark’s Family Restaurant, Patoka Valley Honey/Matt Collins, First Place Trophies and Gibson County SWCD. New presenters for this Farm Fair were Andrew Ice talking to the students about his hogs; Ethan Ice assisting with horse-drawn wagon rides, and the Fravel Family. Kyle, Justin, Dalton and Jeanette Fravel brought their Boar goats.

Volunteers gave the students lessons on many topics. Hans Schmitz, Purdue Extension, talked about soils; Darlene Cromer, laundry and housekeeping in the past; Kanda Walden, recycling; Megan Hoffherr, dairy products; Matt Robinette, water pollution; Pat Sauer, quilting; Bill Tuley, Gibson County Health Department and Brad Willis, food safety; Stan Madison and Krista Hadley from Lyles Station School; Chuck Froehle, conserving currents;

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29th annual Continued from page 13

Julie Loehr, Watershed Coordinator, Water Quality; Tim Jones and Dan Demeree, Consolidated Grain and Barge, farm safety and Dave Kunkel, his antique John Deere tractor.

Presenters in the livestock area were: CJ Sauer, blacksmithing.

Those returning with animals were: Matt and Emma Robling, pygmy goats; Diane Hadley, horses; John Feutz, DVM, and Lisa Bloodworth, with bovine provided by Henry Rexing; Darrell, Becky and Kiersten Rexing, sheep; Chris and Jennifer MacKay, chickens; and Colt Hadley, his miniature donkey. Horse-drawn wagon rides were provided by Mike Ice, assisted by Ethan Ice. Additional helpers for the farm fair were Kenny Page (SWCD supervisor), Dan Lashbrook, Gary Schmidt, Dennis Hadley, Henry Rexing, Stacy Ice (photographer), and Leafy White.

Members from the Gibson County Master Gardeners assisting were: Mary Better Arburn, Doris Glover, June Neyhouse, Joe Padgett, Karen Knapp and Chris MacKay. Presenters are glad to be a part of this educational experience and

look forward to returning each year.

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January 2016

Ag in the Classroom 7th Grade Science Sensation Students play the “Oh Deer” activity led by the Gibson County Master Gardeners. Education Coordinator Ann Ice assisted with the activity that teaches the carrying capacity and balance between the availability of habitat components and the number of animals the habitat can support.

Soil and Water Conservation District employees that attended the Ag in the Classroom update sponsored by Indiana Farm Bureau were, front: Carla Allen, Ann Ice (Gibson County), & Carrie Parmenter. Back row: Judy Duttlinger, Jan Came, Rose Morgan, Jennifer Creager, Becky Steele, and Ryan Hendricks.

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Soil and Water Conservation District employees that are also Ag in the Classroom volunteers attended the National Ag in the classroom Convention in Louisville KY. Left to right: Whitney Sauerheber, Harrison County; Martha Miller, Monroe; Carrie Parmenter, Posey, and Ann Ice, Gibson.

Page 16

Boy Scout Merit Badge The Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Southwest Indiana (Gibson, Pike, Posey, Vanderbugh, & Warrick counties) sponsored a Soil and Water Conservation Merit Badge for Boy Scouts at Thresherman Park in Boonville.

Princeton Daily Clarion

January 2016

Gibson Homeschool team state Envirothon champs The Indiana State Envirothon Competition was hosted April 29 at Camp Illiana in Washington, Indiana.

The day turned out to be beautiful as the best of the best from high schools across the state competed for top honors and a chance to represent Indiana at the National Envirothon later this summer.

Thirteen teams, each with five students per team, gave oral presentations in front of a panel of judges, completed five written tests on environmental issues, and finished a hands -on walking tour test throughout the camp, with scores tallied up at the end to determine who the champions would be.

After lunch, the top five teams were called back to represent their oral presentations on the state’s current topic, the Emerald Ash Borer beetle and its effects on the state’s Ash tree population. Those five teams were: Washington High School, Mitchell High School, Gibson Homeschool, Bedford North Lawrence High School, and Kankakee High School. Once presentations were completed for a second round, scores were tallied with Gibson Homeschool taking top overall honors. Finishing a close second was the Mitchell Bluejacket team, and third place was the Kankakee Valley FFA. A special thank you to Erica Fischer, Pike County SWCD, for being the state competition coordinator and

for planning the logistics of the event. Another shout out goes to the staff of the Gibson, Knox, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Clay, Daviess, Dubois, Kosciusko, and Vigo County Soil & Water Conservation Districts for volunteering the time to make the event such a huge success, and to the Camp Illiana staff for letting the competition be hosted at their wonderful facility!

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January 2016

New face at FSA

Gibson County SWCD says thanks!

by Janet Ault, County Executive Director – Gibson County FSA

You may have already seen or heard from her, but we are excited to announce that the newest employee to the Gibson County FSA Office is Anna Ellerman.

Anna is originally from northern Gibson County, but currently resides in Vincennes with her husband, Ryan, and her son, Chase, on the family farm. Be sure to introduce yourself the next time you are in the office.

Thank you to Richard Ritter and the Gibson Southern High School Ag Mechanic class for renovating Gibson County SWCD’s education trailer.

The trailer is displayed at the Gibson County Fair during fair week to spotlight award winners,

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events, district accomplishments, and cost share opportunities. The trailer has Plexiglas-front cover crop seed boxes mounted on the back which show root growth of different cover crops (photo below).

We also extend thanks to the Gibson County Fair

Board for the opportunity to display our trailer and to Joe Ziliak for housing the trailer.

Thank you to every one of our sponsors throughout the year. Whether the donation be money, time, or kindness, it is very much appreciated.

One Meal Per Family

New Patio & Daily Lunch Specials

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January 2016

Princeton Daily Clarion

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Page 19

2015 SWCD poster contest winners

by Tabitha Anthis Gibson County SWCD Office Manager

Gibson County SWCD held the annual poster contest for all Gibson County 5th grade students. Posters were judged on conservation message, visual effectiveness, originality, and universal appeal by supervisors, staff, and conservation partnership employees.

Poster contest winnters, l-r: Third place, Kiersten Bottoms; second place, MyKayla Spindler and first place, Kinsley Heichelbech.

Maddon Williams, Kaitlyn McClellan, Honorable Mention Honorable Mention

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Princeton Daily Clarion

January 2016

Stream cleanup makes progress

By Julie Loehr Lower Patoka Watershed Coordinator, 319 grant

In March, several volunteers helped clean up illegal dump sites along the Patoka River in northeast Gibson County. By April 5th, the recently cleaned site had more trash items that had been illegally dumped. This prompted an additional Stream Clean-up to be held on May 21.

Watershed Coordinator Julie Loehr, is asking for help in preventing further trash and illegal dumping along the Patoka River.

If you see illegal dumping, please report it. “A vehicle description with a license plate number can be turned into the sheriff’s department,” Loehr states.

These bags of household trash thrown by the roadside could be dropped off free of charge at Gibson County Solid Waste sites.

Since Gibson County has approximately 500 square miles (320,000 acres), there are a lot backroads and remote areas that make it hard to protect our waterways. “It’s important to take action when you see illegal dumping,” Loehr stated, “it’s your drinking water that is becoming contaminated.”

If you would like to learn more about soil health and/

or water quality, the 319 Grant cost-share program, or how to get involved in making positive changes to the environment and our water supply, please contact Julie Loehr at the Gibson SWCD office. Loehr’s office hours are irregular, so call or email before stopping by. She is available to make an appointment to speak to anyone in the watershed. Email her at julia.loehr@in.nacdnet.net or call 812-385-5033 ext. 116.

• Native Grass Seeds • Wildlife Food Plots • Erosion Control Blankets • Hydroseed Mulch & Supplies

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7:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. M-F Closed Saturdays until April 1st Call Anytime For Info, Ordering & Deliveries January 2016

Princeton Daily Clarion

Page 21

Farm Service Agency recap for 2015

By Janet Ault County Executive Director, Gibson County Farm Service Agency

What a year 2015 was!! The Gibson County Farm Service Agency started the year implementing a brand new 2014 Farm Bill. This implementation had many steps resulting in producers visiting the FSA Office multiple times. This was all completed just in time for producers to begin signing contracts for the 2016 ARC/PLC

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program that began on December 6, 2015. As a reminder, if a producer hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t signed contracts for the 2016 crop year, they may want to contact the FSA office for an appointment to get the process started. The deadline to sign up for 2016 ARC/PLC Program is August 1, 2016.

The 2014 Farm Bill authorized several changes to different programs, including the Margin Protection Program for dairy producers. The new, voluntary risk management program replaced the Milk Income Loss Contract program. The MPP-Dairy offers protection to dairy producers when the difference (the margin) between the all-milk price and national average feed cost falls below a certain producer selected amount.

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Program underwent some positive changes under the new Farm Bill. The new options provided greater coverage for losses when natural disasters affected specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass, ginseng, honey, syrup, and energy crops. Similar to commodity crop insurance, specialty crop growers were able to purchase similar levels of protection ensuring these farmers could adequately protect themselves from factors beyond their control and is also critical for consumers who enjoy these products.

Reduce Soil Compaction with

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CGB offers a wide range of delivery opportunities and contracting options.

Lyles Station also buys beans for the Soybean Processing Plant in Mt. Vernon Indiana.

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Page 22

Princeton Daily Clarion

January 2016

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Princeton Daily Clarion

January 2016