From the Chair

By Martin Kerns

Even with all the spring rains, the 2005 planting season is now completed. This has to be a good sign as it means our programs are working as planned. Just remember when dealing with grants and government programs, patience is needed. If your project is going too slow for you, maybe the KSWCD can help.

Our two no-till drills got a workout this spring and if the weather had cooperated, even more acres could have been planted. Actually we will have customers throughout the summer as folks come up with ways to utilize no-till concepts. No doubt this fall many will want to use the drill to plant fall grains for forage, cover or winter barley and wheat crops. Just think how much time and money you can save by a one-trip planting process.

It is easy to get lost in our daily work. This means we don’t take enough time to plan for future “known” challenges. We should all take time to figure out how we are going to prepare for the coming power rate increases. Today’s challenge is how do we raise high quality crops and livestock while being able to make a profit with today’s high energy costs and markets. Certainly no-till technology is a winner. Pump testing will be beneficial to see if your pump is doing it’s best or whether a whole new pump system may be needed. Don’t miss out on the free pump testing that is coming to the basin. Remember – think outside the box!

Recently available is a government program known as the Conservation Securities Program (CSP) that will pay the producer to maintain and in some cases improve the conservation practices that have been established in their operations. This will take some prior preparations to qualify and initially will only be available for producers in the Lost River watershed. We will try to keep you informed.

Hope you all have a productive summer whenever it shows up and keep the water rolling.