Two couples to be honored for good grassland management

The conservation and quality of local water has been proven to be an important step in preserving the natural resources that are available locally.

However, according to Bourbon County Conservation District Vice Chairman Ronnie Brown, maintaining and taking proper care of the local grassland is equally important.

At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, two area couples will be honored for the work that they do to preserve and manage the grassland on their properties. The presentations will be made at the Bourbon County Conservation District's annual dinner.

Edgar and Sharon Elder, Redfield, will be recognized at the dinner for their hard work. At that time, they will be presented with the Kansas Bankers Association's Grassland Award. According to Brown, the Grassland Award is given to those who have managed the grass on their land properly. This management prevents over grazing of livestock and maintains control of noxious weeds, among other things.

The Elders said that maintaining the grassland is important because the grass holds the soil in place. In the end, they said, managing grassland properly contributes to water quality. Since the grass holds the soil in place, it keeps the ground from eroding. Less erosion means less soil that can cause sediment to build up in any nearby water source such at the Marmaton River.

The Elders said that they not only make an effort to prevent erosion on their land, but they also rotate their hay and keep their pastures clean. According to Edgar, it is important to take care of the land.

"If you take care of the land, the land will take care of you," he said.

The Elders' farm has been in Edgar's family for many years, he said. Edgar and Sharon started out with 280 acres of land that belonged to Edgar's parents. Since then, they have purchased more land and expanded their property. Currently, they hay 160 acres of fescue and broam. They said the remainder of their land is fescue pasture. The couple nurtures 85 Limousine and Angus cross cows. The Elders said that they do several things in an attempt to keep their land healthy.

"We spray for brush, control and rotate the hay ground and pasture, so that every three years we've mowed everything with a disc mower to control the small cedar trees," they said.

The Elders explained that they are a part of a farming legacy. Edgar learned how to farm from his father, and now his children help him with his farming.

Sharon, who now works as the Register of Deeds at the Bourbon County Courthouse, said that she enjoyed raising her children on the farm. She said that raising her children on a farm caused the entire family to become very close. This also allowed the Elders the time and opportunity to teach their children excellent values and responsibilities.

Edgar said that teaching his children how to properly take care of the land will benefit the land for years to come.

"Good treatment of the land can affect generations," he said.

Also receiving the Grassland Award this year will be Herschel and Carol George. Herschel said that when he was a youth his father told him that with some grasses farmers should take half and leave half. He said that he has found this to be a true statement. For this reason, the livestock on his property are monitored, so that they do not over graze any one part of his farm.

Although the Georges will be presented with the Grassland Award, Herschel said he and his wife are not really the ones who should receive the award.

"My brothers manage the grazing land. They should be the ones to receive the award instead of myself. They are the ones that do the management necessary to maintain good grass health," he said.

Herschel explained that his brothers, Gale and Darrel, run the cows, help burn in the pastures, spray when necessary, and regulate when cows go in and when cows go out. They also decide how many cows are in the pasture at one time.

Although the Georges do work on the property's fences and maintain brush control, Herschel said that his brothers rent the land from him, do all of the other work, which includes any tillage that needs to be done.

Herschel spends most of his days working for Kansas State University as a watershed specialist. He works with livestock producers to reduce the affect that livestock has on stream water quality. He said that he encourages producers to install alternate water supplies, so that cattle don't have to use the direct access to the stream for drinking water. He said that this will help to keep the water quality. He added that water quality is important for many reason.

"Some people like to fish, swim or wade directly from the stream. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has maximum levels of bacteria that can be in the stream water and still allow direct contact. The stream water quality affects the number and species of fish in the stream. Stream water quality is a proactive approach to water treatment facilities, just as taking vitamins or minerals would be to good health. The sediment that we prevent," he said, "can reduce the load and increase the life of water treatment facilities."

He said that grassland adds greatly to stream water quality.

"If we were to retire the highly erodeable cropland and put it into a permanent grass state, water quality would be positively affected. That is what the Conservation Reserve Program has done for water in our watershed," he said.

Taking the initiative to better care for the land that is allotted is an important step in preserving natural resources. However, it is important for farmers and land owners to continue this care throughout the years. On Saturday, Eldon and Gloria Luker, Fort Scott, will be presented with the Continuing Conservation Award. The Lukers have been practicing healthy conservation practices for many years now. In 1978, they were awarded the Kansas Bankers Award for the work that they were doing on their land. This year, they will be recognized for the continuance of that work. The Lukers said that they keep their terraces plowed up and their waterways maintained. Eldon explained that to keep his waterways, he must keep trees, weeds and sprouts form growing into them. The Lukers have partnered with the Conservation Reserve Program in order to plant native grass and create filter strips on their land. Even though the Lukers own some of the land that they utilize and rent another portion of land, they said that they treat each piece of land the same.

Currently, the Lukers, who have been in the farming business for 53 years, operate a cash-grain system on their land. They grow soy beans and wheat, making sure to rotate the crops each year. This crop rotation helps keep the soil healthy, they said. When planting their crops, the Lukers practice the no-till method to get their crops planted. Eldon said that no-till holds the soil in place. This keeps sediment from getting into the river, which in turn helps local water quality.

He said that floods can cause the soil on his land to end up in the river or on a neighbor's crops if he doesn't take good care of it. The Lukers said that conservation and water quality are very important.

"Everyone who comes near the river needs to be careful about what they put into the water," Eldon said. "That is our drinking water."

Gloria said that when she and her husband were notified that they would receive the conservation award this year she was very surprised.

"I do what I think is right to do, and I didn't expect an award for doing it," she said.

The Lukers said that they have really enjoyed working the farmland through the years. They raised their daughter Marita and son Brent on the farm and said that even though they were very busy while their children were growing up, it was a meaningful time in their lives.