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Program assists agriculturists in conserving their land


By Christine S. Diamond, The Lufkin Daily News

Sunday, September 18, 2005

These days, saving the family ranch is literally a grassroots effort.

Earlier this year, Hudson rancher Pete Johnson planted a variety of Bermuda grass around some reshaped gullies to prevent more soil from washing away into the creek.

Topsoil, necessary for good crop production, is easily picked up by moving water drops and relocated — usually as sediment in a stream. This is bad because the farmer is losing two limited natural resources — water and topsoil. Like any trail worn deeper and smoother with use, the path of eroded soil increases exponentially.

By implementing simple conservation practices like reshaping gullies and planting vegetation, farmers preserve their supply of topsoil and water. Whether grass or trees, the plant's roots fasten topsoil in place, preventing increased future erosion as well.

Such measures require money, though.

Money for fuel to run the tractor to disc, plow and sow the land. Money for the seed to plant the land. And money for fertilizer to spur the growth of the seed before being overtaken by weedy competitors or withering in the Texas soon.

Conservation practices like these are encouraged through the Natural Resources and Conservation's cost-share "Environmental Quality Incentives Program," or EQIP for short.

These programs aren't subsidies but incentives for agriculturists to try implementing tried and true conservation measures that benefit the surrounding community at large. The program is not free. Applicants who are chosen to participate have to invest a percentage of dollars out of their own pockets. Nor can a farmer or rancher use the same program year after year.

"It's an incentive to try a practice," Ron Harris, a NRCS representative from Livingston, said during a workshop held in Lufkin Tuesday. "For example with chicken litter, you try it one time and if you like it then you're on your own next time."

A longtime local NRCS member and board member, Johnson said he applied to the program for the first time last fall.

Johnson raises Herefords and grows Bermuda grass for feed. He's worked the 44 acres of wornout land for more than 20 years. But the ranch predates Johnson. Those before him grew cotton.

"This was an old, old piece of land that had been cleared in the 1940s through a CCC program," Johnson said.

Since the trees were cleared and the fields established, Johnson said many gullies have developed, washing away the land's productivity.

"The purpose of this planting was to hold soil where it is and keep it from going to the coast," Johnson said. "If you can keep it from washing out, you've got plenty of topsoil."

Last spring, Johnson's application approved, NRCS sent a technician out to look over the land and advise Johnson on how to reshape the gully and how to plant ground covers.

"It's helped a lot," Johnson said. "It really made a change."

EQIP, he said, is a good program.

"The Environmental Protection Agency is anti-everything. They tell you to quit what you are doing," Johnson said. "NRCS works with us. They don't work against us. So many agencies today, it seems, work against you.

"We wouldn't have done it without EQIP. People need to take advantage of it."

On Tuesday, NRCS held its annual regional workshop at the Angelina County Agricultural Extension Office where potential participants determined the top conservation priorities for the county and types of conservation practices that should be encouraged.

"The meeting wrapped up with the agreement of the group that all the conservation practices that we had last year be offered again for the 2006 program," said Tom Holt, district conservationist for the NRCS Lufkin Field Office.

"We are not sure just how much money we are going to get for this program this year because of all the billions needed for the Katrina recovery," Holt said. "We may get more for the taxpayers' money by sticking to the tried and true, tree and grass planting. The rising cost of doing business was discussed at length and it was decided that we will wait as long as possible before submitting our cost share amounts in order to give us more time to see where theses prices are going to be. At best it is a guessing game, no one really knows where prices will be this time next year. We will give it our best effort and hope we can hit the 50/50 cost share amount as close as possible.

"I feel like we had a very good meeting and I really appreciated the folks that turned out to give us there thoughts," Holt said. "The NRCS will do all we can to make the 2006 EQIP a good program year."