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Kansas Highlights - September 2006Inside this Issue:
New USDA Partnership Reaches Out to Experienced Workers in KansasA new project is underway in Kansas to obtain the services of experienced workers to meet high conservation workload demands. This new initiative allows qualified workers the opportunity to assist United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees to fulfill NRCS' mission to help people help the land. Together, NRCS and the National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC) kicked off the new initiative-- Agricultural Conservation Enrollees/Seniors (ACES). "This cooperative partnership allows qualified persons, age 40 and older, to support NRCS employees in making sure that all producers receive the conservation assistance they need," said NRCS State ACES Coordinator Jane Medina. ACES partners help NRCS employees with survey, design, installation, checkout, and follow-up for NRCS programs; develop materials for agricultural air quality issues; and process data for Farm Bill program ranking, tracking, and payments. Curtis Janssen, NRCS civil engineer, Emporia Area Office (AO), is a monitor for ACES. "When we first heard about the program, we knew right away we could use the help," said Janssen. Retired engineer, Harley Heskett wasn't so sure. "When I retired from NRCS in 2002, I didn't know if I wanted to do engineering again," said Heskett. "But I got away from it long enough, and the more I thought about it, I realized I could use in the job what I did as a career without any training. I could come in and start working right away." Heskett is helping the Emporia NRCS AO with designing and checking out animal waste facilities and watershed dams. "He's doing a lot of what he would be doing if he was employed," said Janssen. Heskett, who is working one day a week, points out, "when they get little odd jobs, it's kind of a pain for the technicians to handle, so it's something I can do when I get into the office. The program is variable enough so that if there's not much going on, I don't need to work; and, if there is more, I'm allowed up to 20 hours a week." ACES partners will provide support to NRCS staff in assisting them with day-to-day assignments and responsibilities. ACES participants earn benefits and work up to 40 hours a week on an as-needed basis. If workers are retired federal employees, their retirement annuity will not be impacted by the amounts they receive from NOWCC. "ACES partners will provide the critical support needed to help meet the Farm Bill workload. This will ultimately result in more conservation on the land and will benefit everyone," said NRCS State Conservationist Harold L. Klaege. According to Medina, Kansas was one of the original participants in the ACES pilot project and has opportunities available throughout the state. Heskett and Janssen worked together prior to ACES. Heskett jokes, "If there is one downfall, our roles have reversed, he's (Janssen) now my boss." NOWCC, a nonprofit organization focuses on employment opportunities and issues for older workers, posts ACES positions on the Web. For additional information, contact Jane Medina, NRCS State ACES Coordinator, at 785-823-4522. Submitted by: Sheila Forrester, Visual Information Specialist, Salina Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Pipeline
Submitted by Tom Flowers, District Conservationist, Meade FO Tick RemovalI had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc. Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for 15 20 seconds, the tick will come out on its own, and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time I've used it, and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me. Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used this method and immediately called me back to say, "It worked!" Submitted by Brad Swisher, SCT, Pratt FO Edwards County Conservation District (ECCD) Is Awarded Top Earth Team HonorsIn 2005, the ECCD worked very hard in the recycling field logging 2,830 hours. For their efforts, the district was awarded the 2005 National NRCS/National Association of Conservation Districts Earth Team Award. The district has two full-time volunteers. As District Manager, I watched this progress since 2002. I never would have imagined recycling and the opportunities it has brought to the ECCD. In October 2003, after a lot of hurdles, my husband Richard and I took over the day-to-day operations of the center. This work is done after normal working hours, usually 4 to 6 PM every night and EVERY Saturday 8 AM until done. Richard had his doubts in the beginning, but as people stopped by to say how great things were looking and how much they appreciated our work; he saw the good that we were trying to accomplish. Other recognition we received included: state and national awards along with three separate grants. In December 2005, Governor Kathleen Sebelius appointed me to the Governors' Solid Waste Grants Advisory Committee. Many people complain about what is not being done in their communities. I believe ECCD has shown what can be done with a little thought, organization, and effort. Each one of us can make a difference; how much of a difference is up to each one of us. Submitted by Stacy Neilson, District Manager, ECCD, Kinsley Stream Crossing in Area 1 Provides Educational Experience
The rock channel crossing consists of three layers of different-sized rock on top of a geotextile mat. The geotextile mat keeps the rock from sinking into the stream bottom. Everyone at the demonstration helped either by standing on the sides to keep the mat from falling into the water or by rolling it across the bank inside the excavated trench. After the mat was placed, rock was added. Rock creek crossings are used to decrease the number of cattle trails up and down the stream bank by providing a firm, non-erosive crossing point where cattle will prefer to cross the stream. By installing a safe place for cattle to cross, water quality is protected, and benefits to cattle are provided. All student trainees agreed the process of the rock layering was interesting and would like to see how it works in the future. Submitted by Jill Pfannenstiel, Office Automation Assistant, Hays AO Area 3 Photo Contest
Submitted by Ann Brooks, Office Automation Assistant, Hutchinson AO When Bad Turns to WorseOn a nice spring day in May, a bad thing happened, but the next day it could have turned worse. Brandon Baugh, State Conservation Commission Soil Conservationist, Dodge City FO, had a brief encounter with barbed wire. While measuring a livestock pipeline, Baugh's ATV ran over a barbed wire, which sprung up and caught his hand and arm. The cut was bleeding, and he needed to get medical attention. Baugh drove himself to the hospital, received stitches, and has now recovered. But, the next day, Kent Fravel, NRCS Soil Conservation Technician, Dodge City FO, had a brief encounter of a different kind. Fravel went to the same field to finish measuring the pipeline. He completed the job and loaded the ATV in the pickup. As he was tying down the ATV, he felt several slaps on his lower leg. Fravel looked down and saw about 20 inches of the tail of a prairie rattlesnake slapping his leg. He had parked the back tire of the pickup on top of the rattlesnake. Luckily, the dangerous part of the snake was under the pickup tire. When asked about the size of the snake, Fravel quipped, "He wasn't very big by the time I got done smashing him." Fravel noted the snake was between two and three feet long. Submitted by Delores Eberle, Soil Conservation Technician, Cimarron FO USDA Showcases Efforts to Help Underserved Communities in Northwest KansasIn late July 2006, an event held in Hill City, Kansas, focused on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies and programs that have made outreach and economic development contributions in underserved communities. Jack Schultz, a premier authority in economic development, spoke to nearly 130 people who attended the day-long event. Schultz authored the book Boomtown USA, the 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns and has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles sharing his enthusiasm for the future of America's small towns. "His book is a very common-sense approach to community development, especially for small, rural communities," said Roger Hrabe, Rooks County Economic Development Director. Edgar Hicks, Chairman of the Nebraska Rural Development Commission and President of the Kansas Black Farmers Association, helped organize the event. "I wanted the speakers from Washington, D.C., to make a personal connection with the farmers in rural Kansas and to know where we are and see first hand the challenges we face. I also wanted the farmers from this area to have a positive outlook on what USDA is doing."
Brian Olson, Assistant Professor and Extension Agronomist, and Sarah Evert, Graduate Assistant, both with Kansas State University, Manhattan, shared highlights of their teff research in Colby and Nicodemus. Teff is an Ethiopian cropa cereal grain popular as an alternative to wheat for gluten-sensitive consumers. She worked with the area black farmers, experimenting on growing teff at different planting rates and techniques to see what worked best. Merle Vigil, Soil Scientist, USDA Agricultural Research Services, Akron, Colorado, held everyone's attention with his discussion on no-till crop rotation. Other speakers for the event were Dempsey Lewis, Senior Member, Board of Appeals and Reviews for Grain Inspection, USDA Packers and Stockyards Administration, Kansas City, Missouri; Sherda Williams, Superintendent, Nicodemus National Historic Site, National Park Service, Nicodemus; Chuck Banks, State Director, USDA Rural Development, Topeka; Roger Masenthin, NRCS Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Coordinator for the Sunflower RC&D Council, Harper; and Tamara Tiemann, Nutrition and Community Services Manager, Kansas Department of Aging, Food and Nutrition, Topeka.
Submitted by Teresa Griffin-Webb, Clerical Support, Solomon Valley RC&D Kansas Droughts
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Kansas Water Science Center What's Happening
Last Modified: 09/29/2006 |
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This
summer, Kansas NRCS student trainees from Areas 1 and 3 were able to see
first-hand the installation of a stream crossing in Russell County across Big
Creek. Kevin Arnet, Sharon Springs; Sarah Birdsell, Hill City; John Hulse Jr.,
Osborne; and Cody Solomon, Lincoln, all pitched in and provided assistance to
complete the project. 
Speakers representing the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
included Larry Clark, Deputy Chief of Science and Technology and Larry Holmes,
Director for Outreach Division. USDA staff made up a panel that explained the
work their offices are doing and fielded questions from interested producers.
Panelists included Geraldine Herring, Special Outreach Program Coordinator,
Office of Outreach, USDA Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; Al
Drain, Director of USDA Small Farms Coordination, National Agricultural
Statistics Service; Jim Hamilton, Risk Management Specialist, Risk Management
Agency, all from Washington, D.C.; and Bill Fuller, Kansas State Executive
Director, USDA Farm Service Agency, Manhattan. 
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