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Soil conservation awardsBy Richard C. Snell Kansas It's that time of year again! No, I'm not talking about football season, although, I look forward to it as well. I'm talking about seeking nominations for conservation awards. Our selection committee will soon be taking a tour to evaluate nominees. We all should be practicing conservation. We actually tend to be pretty wasteful in our modern, abundant American society. Today I want to focus on natural resource conservation. That means soil, water, trees and energy. One of the ways we can promote it brings me to my lead topic of the day--the Kansas Bankers Association Conservation Awards Program. If you know of a farmer or landowner who is doing an outstanding job of conserving the soil and water by good farming practices, let us know, too. We would like to recognize them and encourage others to do the same. The purpose of this program is to stimulate a greater interest in the conservation of the agricultural resources of Kansas by giving recognition to those farmers and landowners who have made outstanding progress in the establishment of soil and water conservation on their farms. Included in the awards program are a soil conservation award and a windbreak award. Points to be considered in selecting soil conservation award winners include: 1) Use of land according to its capabilities; 2) Completeness of farm plan applied; 3) Balance of farm enterprise; 4) Quality of conservation work done and maintenance of practices; and 5) Special practices unique to the farming operation. In addition to traditional soil and water conservation practices, in recent years, we have expanded the awards by adding some new categories. So, please consider nominating persons eligible for energy, forestry, grassland management, pollution control, and wildlife habitat conservation. The wildlife award is actually given through Kansas Wildlife and Parks. The windbreak award considers windbreaks which provide protection from damaging winds for residential (or other structures) areas, livestock, or fields. Windbreaks should be a minimum of three years old. Points to be considered in selecting awards winners include windbreak design, management, location, density, and length. Nominations can be made by any person in the county. They should be sent to Rick Snell, Barton County Extension Agricultural Agent, 1800 12th Street, Great Bend, KS 67530 by Aug. 22.
Try a fall garden Some of you may be like me and have great intentions of getting a garden worked and planted in the spring but just don't get to it. Others may have harvested all of their spring planted crops and are looking for more. A fall garden may just scratch that itch. Fall gardening can increase vegetable production, but it doesn't come without headaches. The key to fall gardening success is to get the newly sown crops up and growing. This can be difficult in dry, sunbaked soil. Adequate soil moisture is essential for germination, seedling emergence and seedling establishment. You may need to thoroughly irrigate the garden for a few days before preparing the seed bed. We've had cooler temperatures recently and some timely rains, so, getting things going may be easier this year. When preparing the seed bed, do just as you would in the spring with one exception--avoid deep cultivation. Deep cultivation may cause the soil to dry excessively in the hot summer sun. Lightly cultivate the soil, then rake it to break up large clods and remove clumps of plant debris which can interfere with planting. To ensure vigorous plant growth, apply and lightly incorporate one pound of an all-purpose garden fertilizer per 100 square feet of area during seed bed preparation. Because of high soil temperatures, it's often necessary to sow the seeds a little deeper than normal. This ensures that the seeds will remain in adequately moist soil during germination and emergence. You should also irrigate the garden as soon as the new crop emerges. The young plants will have difficulty tolerating noontime heat until their roots are established deeper in the soil. Here's a tip to improve your success. Apply a thin mulch over the rows immediately after sowing the fall crop. Mulching keeps the soil cooler, prevents the rapid drying of moist soil, and protects seedlings as they emerge. The mulch must be thin enough to not hinder seedling emergence. Vegetables maturing in the fall often have better flavor because of the cooler growing conditions. Fall crops suitable for starting from seed include snap beans, turnips, leaf lettuce, spinach, carrots and radishes.
Manhattan to host state-wide field day My plans have changed, so, if you would like a ride to the state-wide K-State Agronomy Field Day Aug. 22, then climb aboard. The theme is "Agricultural Solutions to Global Change." Registration begins at 8 a.m. But you can still catch tours later in the morning. Field Day stops and topics will be on no-till cropping systems, water quantity and quality, greenhouse gases and climate, and bio-energy production. Our top agronomists will be on hand to answer your questions. If you grow crops, you will profit from attending. Once again, I will be driving and will have plenty of room. Call me at 620-793-1910 to reserve your spot. Lunch will be available at noon. PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS 
Pictured are last year's winners of the Barton County soil conservation awards. Left to right are: Paul Snapp, First Kansas Bank, who presented the awards; Brian and Melissa Bitter of rural Hoisington. The awards, which included a framed certificate and the sign they are holding, were presented at the annual meeting of the Barton County Conservation District last winter. The Kansas Bankers Association sponsors the program and nominees for this year should be sent by Aug. 22 to Rick Snell, Barton County Extension Agent, awards chairman. (See related story in column). CLAFLIN WINNERS 
Pictured are last year's winners of the Barton County soil conservation awards. Left to right are: Paul Snapp, First Kansas Bank, who presented the awards; Carla Liebl, her husband Todd Liebl, Kevin Liebl, and Kevin's wife, Nancy Liebl. The awards, which included a framed certificate and the sign they are holding, were presented at the annual meeting of the Barton County Conservation District last winter. The Kansas Bankers Association sponsors the program and nominees for this year should be sent by Aug. 22 to Rick Snell, Barton County Extension Agent, awards chairman. (See related story in column). WINDBREAK WINNERS 
Pictured are left to right: Paul Snapp, First Kansas Bank; Larry Moeder and Jan Moeder of Great Bend. The Moeders accepted the 2007 windbreak award for their son Scot, who was unable to attend the annual Barton County Conservation District meeting which was held at Barton County Community College, last winter. The awards included a framed certificate and the sign they are holding, The Kansas Bankers Association sponsors the program and nominees for this year should be sent by Aug. 22 to Rick Snell, Barton County Extension Agent, awards chairman. (See related story in column). 8/18/08 Date: 8/14/08
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