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Conservation security sign-up extendedBy Richard C. Snell Barton County Extension Agent, agriculture Kansas I don't know who comes up with these names that nobody has ever heard of before, but leave it to the government. Whoops, I guess I work for the government. That being said, hold tight and read on down the page for dollars in your pocket, while I explain myself. My case in point is the Coon-Pickerel Watershed Conservation Security Program sign-up. It should have been called the Middle Arkansas River Basin watershed. It could have even been called the Walnut Creek, Pawnee River, Buckner Creek Watershed or something the local farmers had heard of. But, hey, no matter, it is an opportunity for farmers to capitalize on good conservation measures they have practiced. The deadline to sign-up for the Coon-Pickerel Watershed CSP has been extended until May 30. This area involves roughly the southern half of Barton County, plus portions of Rush, Rice, Pawnee, Stafford, Edwards, Ford, Hodgeman, Kiowa and Gray counties. Many of you attended the meeting they had in April to explain it and some even attended a couple of years ago when they first talked about it, but didn't have funding. The CSP is a voluntary program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service. It provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers who advance the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on private and Tribal working lands. Such land includes cropland, grassland, improved pastures and rangeland, as well as forested and other non-cropped areas that are an incidental part of the agricultural operation. Unlike the EQIP program which gave incentives to start new practices, the CSP rewards those who have been doing things like no-till all along. The program sign-up was to have ended May 16, but has been extended so that more farmers may apply. To apply for the CSP, potential participants need to complete the 2008 CSP Self Assessment workbook--available on the Web or through your local NRCS office. When completed, the producer submits the workbook during the sign-up period and meets with NRCS personnel to go over any additional needed documentation. The NRCS will then determine if eligibility requirements are met and provide options for the producer's decision on enrollment category placement. I have heard from producers that the workbook is fairly lengthy, so if you wish to apply, get it as soon as possible, as it may take a couple of days to get it completed, especially during this busy time of field work. Wouldn't it be nice if they did this in the winter time? You can check to see if you are in the eligible area by going to http://www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp/2008 and view a detailed map under the Coon-Pickerel heading. You can view or print the 2008 CSP: Self Assessment Workbook by going to http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp. So, you probably won't hear the term Coon-Pickerel, except in NRCS circles. I guess they named it that because they may have put several watersheds together and this was all encompassing. Just keep in mind that since money is involved, it is a sweet name none the less.
May is Beef Month May is always Beef Month. Seldom does a year go by that I don't write about it in my column. Well, the month is almost over but I still want to mention that May is Beef Month. Beef is one of the two top commodities in Kansas and Barton County and is important to our economy. We love to eat it. So, fire up the grill this Memorial Day weekend and put on the beef.
K-State to hold beef cattle welfare international symposium The Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University would like to invite you to Manhattan, May 28 to 30 for the International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare. Experts from around the world and many Federal officials will be on hand to discuss the state of the beef industry as it relates to the welfare of cattle. Activities will include a pre-symposium cattle handling session with live arena demonstrations by leading experts in the United States. Active participation by stakeholders such as you, the beef producer, will help direct discussions about future research and policy. On site registration including the cattle handling session is $140. For just the symposium, it is $100 at the door. Students can attend for $45 for the demonstration and symposium and $25 for just the symposium. I highly recommend the cattle handling demonstration with nationally known veterinarians Lynn Locatelli and Tom Noffsinger. It will be worth your time and money. There will be many educational talks during the symposium along with good food and refreshments and time to interact with the speakers and other people in the livestock industry. For complete details, visit www.beefcattleinstitute.org and scroll down to International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare and click on it.
Barton County wheat tour I won't have full details until next week, but reserve June 6 on your calendar for our annual Barton County Extension wheat variety plot tour. We will begin at 7 a.m., just north of Ellinwood and then around 8 a.m., we will have breakfast. We will visit our Claflin plot. Then we will finish up around noon with lunch and our plot near Galatia. 5/26/08 Date: 5/22/08
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