Fall 2009

Inside This 

Issue

1 - 2

EQIP Popular in the 

Panhandle

3

Nebraska NRCS 

Selects Earth Team 

Award Winners

4

NRCS Soil Scientists 

Study the Effects of 

Tillage

5

Young Nebraskans 

Learn about Natural 

Resources at Environmental Festivals

6

Soil Mappers Worth 

a Million

7

NRCS Reaches out 

to Hispanic Youth

NEB NEWS

N e w s l e t t e r o f t h e N e b r a s k a N a t u r a l R e s o u r c e s C o n s e r v a t i o n S e r v i c e www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov

Helping People Help the Land

EQIP Popular in the Panhandle

By: Joanna Pope, NRCS public affairs specialist & Marcy Hunter, Nebraska 

Grazing Lands Coalition coordinator 

See “Panhandle” on page 2

Nebraska Panhandle ranchers now raise more grass, cattle and wildlife 

by taking part in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. EQIP 

is a voluntary conservation program available from the USDA Natural 

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to private landowners and operators. 

Through EQIP, farmers and ranchers may receive financial and technical help to 

apply conservation practices on agricultural land. According to Kristin Miller, 

NRCS district conservationist serving Cheyenne, Deuel and Kimball counties, 

EQIP has been a very successful program in the southern Panhandle. 

“EQIP works well for several types of operations because it is so flexible. There 

are incentives available through the program that can help landowners improve 

their cropland, grazing land, forest land and wildlife habitat,” Miller said.

For father and son ranchers, 

Randy and Beau Mathewson, EQIP helped them 

improve their Cheyenne 

County rangeland. The 

Mathewsons wanted to get 

their cattle into a rotational 

grazing system. A 2001 

EQIP contract helped the 

Mathewsons reach that goal 

by installing livestock tanks, 

pipeline, and permanent 

electric fence. A grass 

seeding was also done to 

help improve the quality 

and quantity of grass.

(L-R) NRCS District Conservationist Kristin Miller discusses 

a grazing plan with Randy and Beau Mathewson who used 

EQIP to make improvements to their pastures.

Photo by: Joanna Pope, NRCS
NEB NEWS Fall 2009

2

Panhandle continued from page 1

The Mathewsons later made further rangeland 

improvements through EQIP in 2005 and 2007, 

which included installing two wells and additional 

livestock tanks and pipeline. EQIP provided up to 

65% cost share on the practices installed. 

These EQIP practices allowed the Mathewsons 

to split their 960-acre pasture into three separate 

pastures. The cattle rotate on a schedule that gives 

each pasture a period of rest when the cattle are 

not grazing. This rest period provides the plants 

an opportunity to recover from grazing, hoof action, and other stress from the cattle.

Despite being in a severe drought the past several 

years, the rotational grazing system has already 

had a positive impact on their rangeland according 

to Randy Mathewson.

“We have seen improvements to our grass in just a 

couple years. I know that a full recovery will take 

a long time, but it’s amazing how much wildlife 

we see out here now. We’ve seen grouse on the 

pasture for the first time.” 

Miller says that rotational grazing systems do help 

improve wildlife habitat and will help ranchers 

maintain stability and sustainability over the longhaul.

“The ranchers who were practicing rotational grazing during the drought saw their rangeland maintain plant vigor and health. In normal precipitation 

years, like this year, rotational grazing also leads 

to more plant diversity. 

“EQIP helps make installing a rotational grazing 

system more accessible to more ranchers, which is 

good news for the health and productivity of our 

rangeland,” Miller said.

The Mathewsons are also participating in the 

Nebraska Grazing Land Coalition’s Rangeland 

Monitoring Program. This program, funded by 

the Nebraska Environmental Trust and NRCS, 

provides participants an initial on-site consultation and training session with a rangeland technician who will provide assistance in developing a 

monitoring plan, establishing one monitoring site 

and collecting samples. Participants also receive 

a rangeland monitoring kit, consisting of grass 

shears, scale, tape measure, clipping frame and 

more, to help monitor rangeland health. 

The Mathewsons are part of a group of 60 producers currently participating in the program. As 

part of enrollment, participants will agree to share 

their knowledge and experience - and help the 

program grow - by committing to help one additional rancher or landowner in their region set up a 

similar monitoring program. 

For more information about EQIP and other NRCS 

conservation programs visit www.ne.nrcs.usda.

gov/programs. For more information about the 

Rangeland Monitoring Program visit http://www.

nebraskagrazinglands.org/. 

Nebraska Grazing Land Coalition Range Tech Kort Kemp 

demonstrates how the Mathewsons are using the rangeland 

monitoring kit . 

Photos by: Joanna Pope, NRCS
3

NEWS Fall 2009

Nebraska Selects Earth Team Award Winners

Nebraska has a lot to celebrate when it comes to volunteers! During fiscal year 2009, over 2,700 volunteers 

contributed 72,207 hours to Nebraska NRCS. To recognize those who helped make the Earth Team such 

a success in Nebraska, NRCS employees nominated colleagues and volunteers for Nebraska Earth Team 

awards. Below are excerpts from the winning nominations for the 2009 Nebraska Earth Team awards:

Earth Team Individual Volunteer Award - Marge Rathbone, nominated by Tammy Timms, Five 

Rivers RC&D

“Marge contributes freely of her time and energy to assist the Five Rivers RC&D. She not only gives her 

time, but also her positive attitude. On days when the sky appears to be falling, Marge can be counted on 

to come to the office and help meet a looming deadline. She can really take lemons and make lemonade!” 

Earth Team Group Volunteer Award - Loess Canyons Rangeland Alliance, nominated by 

Doris Burke, Curtis NRCS field office

“LCRA is a group of concerned ranchers/landowners combining resources to improve the rangeland 

conditions in the Loess Canyons through prescribed burning and education. During FY09 LCRA volunteers helped carry out eight burns on over 3,000 acres, which has greatly improved rangeland conditions.” 

Chief’s Field Award - Holdrege NRCS Field Office (3-year consecutive winner!), nominated 

by Curtis Scheele, Holdrege NRCS field office

“The Holdrege NRCS field office recruited summer interns working for the Tri-Basin NRD to assist with 

irrigation management projects during the busy irrigation season. The Holdrege office also recruited 

producers to collect irrigation data for the Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Demonstration 

Network website. Other volunteers helped the Holdrege office with field work, mailings and office management, which freed-up the Holdrege employees to help in the other NRCS offices within the NRD.”

NRD/NRCS Earth Team Award - Tri-Basin NRD, nominated by Curtis Scheele, Holdrege NRCS 

field office

“The Tri-Basin NRD shared their summer interns with NRCS and other partners to assist with the heavy 

irrigation workload during this past summer. The NRD’s willingness to “share” their interns helped all 

agencies involved achieve more water resource management work during the short irrigation season.”

RC&D Earth Team Award - Northeast Nebraska RC&D Council, nominated by Jan Jorgensen, 

Northeast Nebraska RC&D Coordinator

“During FY09 the Northeast Nebraska RC&D Council had 197 volunteers who contributed a total of 

6,239 hours assisting with a variety of projects. For sixteen years this council has grown to become a regional leader involving many active groups of volunteers, all who want to make the area a better place.”

Congratulations to all winners! These nominations will go on to compete for the National Earth Team 

Awards. Those winners will be announced at the beginning of next year. Thanks to all of those who submitted 

nominations. - Joanna Pope, State Volunteer Coordinator
NEB NEWS Fall 2009

4

NRCS Soil Scientists Study the Effects of Tillage

By Joanna Pope, NRCS public affairs specialist

Soil scientists with the USDA 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service are currently working on 

a project that will help farmers 

know how tillage methods impact 

soil quality. According to NRCS 

Soil Scientist Dave Kohake, the 

Dynamic Soils Properties study, 

based out of Lincoln, Neb., is the 

first of its kind for NRCS.

“In the past, studies have dealt 

more with the soil’s intrinsic 

properties. This project will 

focus more on the dynamic soil 

properties affected by management,” Kohake said.

The Dynamic Soil Properties 

study is focusing on two tillage 

methods – conventional tillage and no-till. For this study’s 

purposes, a field is considered to 

have been conventionally tilled 

any time the soil has been disturbed with full-width tillage implements (i.e. disks, chisel plows, 

field cultivators). A field is 

considered to have been no-tilled 

if it has not had any manipulation 

to the soil’s surface within the 

past 15 years. A couple organically farmed sites will also be 

evaluated.

The Dynamic Soil Properties 

study team, which, in addition to 

Kohake, includes Casey Latta, 

Cindy Stiles, Deb Harms and 

Bruce Evans, identified five sites 

for each tillage method across 

southeast Nebraska with similar 

soil types. The team has been 

traveling around 

to these selected 

sites throughout the 

fall to collect soil 

samples.

Once at the site, 

the soil scientists 

prepare the test 

location by setting 

up a grid. Within 

the grid, five sampling pits are dug. 

The pits are all 16 

inches deep. This 

is the depth where 

the impact of 

different farming 

techniques can be 

detected. 

The soil scientists then begin 

identifying the different layers 

of soil. A sample of each layer 

is taken to the USDA’s National 

Soil Survey Center’s laboratory, 

located in Lincoln, Neb., for 

analysis.

The NSSC lab will check each 

site’s soil samples for several 

properties including bulk density and organic carbon content. 

Organic carbon, according to 

Kohake, is directly related to soil 

health.

“The amount of organic carbon 

content found within soil is the 

best indicator we have for soil 

quality. The higher the carbon 

content, the higher the soil quality or health,” Kohake said.

This study will compare the lab 

results to show how conventional 

tillage, no-till, and organic farming methods impact soil properties. The results from this fall’s 

study should be available by next 

planting season. 

Kohake said, “This study should 

provide some useful information 

on how different management 

systems are affecting various dynamic soil properties. Hopefully 

the information can be used to 

make better management decisions in the future for improving 

soil quality.” 

For more information about soil 

quality, visit your local NRCS 

office or the Web Soil Survey at 

http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.

gov/app/. 

NRCS Soil Scientist Casey Latta identifies soil properties 

at one of the Dynamic Soil Properties study’s test sites in 

Lancaster County.

Photo by: Joanna Pope, NRCS
5

NEB NEWS Fall 2009

Young Nebraskan’s Learn About Natural Resources 

at Area Environmental Festivals

By: Bev Smedra, Ord District Secretary, with portions taken from the NARD newsletter

Environmental Festival

“The Power of Wind” was the theme for the 16th 

annual Environmental Festival in Ord, Neb. 

About 220 fourth graders from 12 area schools 

attended the event. Festival sponsors include 

Extension, Lower Loup NRD, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, Loup Basin RC&D, US 

Geological Survey, and the Loup Basin Public 

Health Department. 

The session “Wind Jeopardy” was led by NRCS 

employees and the US Geological Survey. The 

Loup Basin RC&D and Extension presented 

“Blowing in the Wind,” and had each participant 

make a pin wheel out of recycled material. The 

Lower Loup NRD presented “Put the Breaks on 

Wind” which discussed the benefits of windbreaks.

The Ord FFA Chapter provided 11 members as 

Earth Team Volunteers to serve as group leaders 

and helpers for the presentations. Each student 

and teacher were given a goodie bag at the end of 

the day with more activities and information from 

presenters. The Lower Loup NRD provided a tree 

seedling to each participant to plant at their home 

or school.

Water Jamboree

Nearly 750 students from 40 schools throughout 

Adams, Clay, Fillmore, Thayer, Nuckolls and 

Webster counties attended the two-day Water Jamboree held at Liberty Cove recreation area southwest of Lawrence, Neb. 

Students participated in various hands-on activities 

demonstrating the importance of preserving natural 

resources. High school students, who themselves 

were former Water Jamboree participants, volunteered to escort the groups of younger students to 

their rotation of eight different stations.

NRCS employees presented “Going with the Irrigation Flow,” which was one of the most popular 

events at the festival. The students learned about 

irrigation techniques while trying their hand at siphoning water from a horse tank through irrigation 

tubes. According to employees, there was a lot of 

splashing and laughing going on! 

This festival was free to the participating schools 

and costs are off-set by the Little Blue and Upper Big Blue NRDs. Program organizer Marlene 

Faimon with the LBNRD said, “ The two days 

are for the kids to learn in a great environment, 

through hands-on experiences, about the world 

around them.” 

NRCS Conservation Program Manager Mark Sintek 

presents “Wind Jeoprady” to area students at the Environmental Festival held in Ord last month.

Photo by: Bev Smedra, Lower Loup NRD
NEB NEWS Fall 2009

The National Cooperative Soil Survey is closing 

in on its goal of mapping all soils in the United 

States. Thousands of soil scientists have contributed to this endeavor, several mapping over a million 

acres. 

Nebraska’s “Million Acre Mappers” were honored 

in October at a luncheon. Of the 34 soil scientists 

who have mapped over 1 million acres, 13 were 

present at the luncheon. 

NRCS State Soil Scientist Cam Loerch cohosted 

the event with Mark Kuzila, UNL school of natural resources professor. Each million acre mapper was presented with a certificate signed by the 

Chief of NRCS and a specially designed lapel pin. 

NRCS State Conservationist Steve 

Chick spoke to the group, “Out of 

the 40 million acres in Nebraska, 34 

soil scientists contributed to nearly 70 percent of 

total land area mapped. That is an indication of 

the dedication needed to dig in and complete the 

task at hand.”

Several of those honored also said a few words, including UNL Professor Emeritus Dave Lewis, who 

congratulated the group on their accomplishment.

“Our livelihood and everything we depend on 

comes from the soil. You’ve added a lot to the 

world, so for heaven’s sake, be proud of yourselves,” Lewis said. 

Nebraska’s Million Acre Mappers are (front row L-R) Wayne Vanek, Gary McCoy, Louie Buller, Paul Bartlett, Bob 

Pollock, Jim Culver (back row L-R) Charles Mahnke, Dan Shurtliff, Roger Hammer, Jay Wilson, Mark Willoughby, Larry Brown, Steve Scheinost. 

Photo by: Joanna Pope, NRCS

6

Soil Mappers Worth a Million
NEB NEWS - The newsletter for the Nebraska Natural Resources Conservation Service is issued quarterly. 

For more information on how to submit a story, comments about NEB NEWS, or to unsubscribe, contact 

Joanna Pope, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at (402) 437-4123, or at joanna.pope@ne.usda.gov. If you 

have a story idea, feel free to contact her at the number above.

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 7

NEB NEWS Fall 2009

Omaha middle school students had the opportunity to learn how the Papio-Missouri 

River NRD worked with NRCS and other 

partners to restore a local stream.

Through the Nebraska Hispanic Employment Council, area professionals reach 

out to local Hispanic students to introduce 

them to potential career opportunities. 

 

On Nov. 10, students 

from the Norris and 

Bryan middle schools 

toured the Whitted 

Creek Stream Rehabilitation Project in Bellevue, Neb. Students 

learned about the 

project from engineers 

with NRCS, the NRD and 

a private firm who all 

designed and/or assisted with the stream 

rehabilitation project.

Michael Perry, resource conservationist 

in the Minden field office, who serves as 

the Hispanic Special Emphasis Program 

Manager, represents NRCS on the Hispanic 

Employment Council. NRCS Civil Engineer 

Chuck Leinen, helped organize the tour of 

the Whitted project.

NRCS Reaches out to Hispanic Youth

Photo: Chuck Leinen, NRCS