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Massoth completes RFF environmental assessment
Kansas While completing the River Friendly Farm environmental assessment tool, Glen Massoth, Yates Center, said his eyes were opened. "Watersheds are interconnected and dynamic. What you do has an impact downstream. It opens your eyes to see the bigger picture," he said. "The assessment makes you see that small things have a big impact." Glen is the fourth generation to farm the Woodson County cropland which was purchased by his family in the 1870s. Glen raises corn, wheat,Soybeansand grain Sorghum and is a board member of the Woodson County Conservation District and the Cherry-Plum Watershed District. Glen completed the environmental assessment notebook in the spring of 2004 and said it was a valuable tool for him. He said he enjoyed working with the Kansas Rural Center's Clean Water Farm Field Organizer, Dale Kirkham, on the notebook. Glen was introduced to Dale and the RFF environmental assessment at a Woodson County Conservation District meeting. "His presentation of the notebook really sparked my interest," Glen said. Glen also added that Dale's expertise in many areas was beneficial to him as he tries to improve conservation efforts on his farm. The objectives of the assessment tool are to help to define farm goals and strengthen progress towards goals; reduce costs in the long-term, if not in the short-term; lead to improved quality of natural resources (soil, water, air) and be part of a good neighbor policy; improve quality of life for farmers and families, and maintain confidentiality and farmer control over the process. These objectives are achieved by the farmer completing each section, then applying their answers to a scorecard where the actual ratings are compared to desired ratings. Using the scorecard, the farmer is able to see the issues that require a high priority and list them as well as a course of action on the action plan. An action plan helps the farmer prioritize and plan how the changes will be made on the farm. There are five sections in the assessment notebook: quality of life; soil and natural resource conservation; nutrient management; pest management; livestock waste management; irrigation management, and a farmstead assessment. The quality of life section includes a family goal setting exercise, a family activity calendar, and a family goals worksheet. "I wasn't sure about the goal setting section, but we did set goals as a family and we're working toward those," Glen said. This section is intended to be confidential and is for the use of the farm family only. The soil and natural resource conservation section focuses on developing a soil conservation plan and a strategy to limit the farm's soil loss. Glen said this section was very valuable to him as it caused him to examine the importance of organic matter in the soil. "Organic matter is vital to increase the soil's water-holding capabilities and prevent runoff," Glen said. Since completing the assessment, Glen has worked continually to increase the organic matter in the soil and it is now 2 to 3 percent organic matter. Glen said this effort is ongoing and he will continue practices to increase the organic matter even more such as leaving crop residue in the field. The nutrient management section looks at practices that keep nutrient losses to a minimum, decreasing nonpoint source pollution to surface and groundwater as well as unnecessary expenses. An effective nutrient management plan includes soil testing and applying nutrients accordingly. While Glen has kept soil testing records for over 40 years, he said the notebook allowed him to see the "effect of when you apply the fertilizer broadcast versus incorporating it into the soil." As the RFF environmental assessment points out, every farm with livestock needs careful management of livestock waste and manure. In the livestock waste management section of the assessment, a farmer is able to figure the appropriate ratio of land-to-animal for spreading of livestock waste. In addition, the farmer is able to determine ways to reduce the occurrence of fecal bacteria and nutrients leeching into surface or groundwater. The farmstead assessment looks at four components, including well water; household wastewater treatment; farm and home solid and hazardous waste disposal, and farmstead fuel and petrochemical storage risk. Glen said this section pointed out "the threat for water contamination on your farm if a failing septic system is present." "We were watering cattle below a farmstead with a failing septic system," Glen said. Therefore, he replaced the failing septic system with a waste water lagoon. After completing all sections, Glen was able to list the high priority issues on the scorecard and apply them to the action plan. Glen then realized "there were a lot of things that needed to be done," however there wasn't any cost-share available at that time. "Instead of waiting for funds to become available, I identified the problems and corrected them," he said. In addition, Glen also sought funding from other sources. Glen approached the local Natural Resource and Conservation Service (NRCS) for cost-share to plug two wells, one well on a farmstead and the other in an existing crop field. Glen said the notebook made him realize how detrimental it was to the ground water as they were applying fertilizer and other chemicals directly over the poorly sealed well. Another issue that Glen addressed was the low quail population on his farm. To increase the population of the quail and other wildlife, he leaves filter strips intact and also leaves crop residue such as wheat stubble in the fields. Now, there are several coveys of quail on the farm. The action plan also highlighted Glen's concern for the cedar trees invading the native hay meadow. Glen now uses burning to manage the cedar trees. In addition, Glen was approved for an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) cost-share grant through the local NRCS office. This is a brush management cost-share that Glen applied for to control sireca lespedeza. Glen said the RFF tied right in to his application for EQIP cost-share. "You see how you impact the water and others in your watershed," he said. In addition to the benefit of making these changes to his farm, Glen was eligible for a $250 incentive payment. "The environmental assessment is not only a tool for the farmer to help identify needed improvements and to help prioritize action, but is a valuable educational opportunity," Mary Fund, CWFP project coordinator, said. "The questions themselves provide information on the appropriate level of management to protect resources." About 200 farmers statewide have completed the assessment. Once a farmer completes the assessment, he or she is eligible to apply up to $5,000 in cost-share through the Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project. The cost-share funds can be used in conjunction with state and federal cost-share programs. The completed environmental assessment and action plan can also be used to develop requests for other state and federal cost-share funds, whether the farmer applies for KRC funds or not. To receive a copy of the assessment tool or for more information, please contact KRC at 785-873-3431, or e-mail at ksrc@rainbowtel.net. For a downloadable copy of the environmental assessment, go to the following web address: http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/publications/RFFP.pdf The CWF-RFFP is a KRC project funded by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment via funds from the EPA Section 319 Non-point Source Fund. B 15 1/15/07 1 Star WK Date: 1/25/07
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