August 2013
CONSERVOGRAM
The newsletter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society
Contents
Society News
2-3
68th International Annual Conference Thank You!
Board Reorganization Proposal
New Board of Directors
Annual Report Now Available
Goodbye, Theo!
Contributions and Legacy Gifts
Chapter News
4
SWCS Razorback Chapter in Arkansas Cosponsors Cover
Crops Conference
Upcoming Events
Members News
5
New Members
Current Corporate Members
From the Leadership
6
Professionalism and Leadership
By Gregory Johnson, South Central Director
Online Journal
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Members Only
CONSERVOGRAM
The newsletter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society
Society News
68th International Annual Conference
Thank You!
A big thank you to all the sponsors, speakers, exhibitors,
panelists, session organizers, tour coordinators, and
volunteers who made the 2013 International Annual
Conference in Reno, Nevada, a great success.
Photos and PowerPoint presentations from the conference
can be found on the SWCS Web site.
Save the date for next year’s annual conference; it will be
held on July 27-30, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. We look
forward to seeing you there!
Board Reorganization Proposal
Following the House of Delegates meeting at the annual
conference, the Board has made some important edits
to the board reorganization proposal. It is posted on the
Members Only page of the SWCS Web site.
Board president Dan Towery and executive director
Jim Gulliford will be hosting webinars to review the
proposal and answer questions from members. We
encourage Society members read the proposal and take
advantage of the webinars to familiarize themselves with
the proposal. Feel free to contact Dan Towery (dan@
agconservationsolutions.com) or Jim Gulliford (jim.
[email protected] or 515-289-2331 ext. 113) with any
questions or comments.
Panel members Tim Worley, Glenn Miller, and Simon Lomax discuss the
implications of hydraulic fracturing during the Fellows Forum.
SWCS Board members at the 2013 Annual Conference.
New Board of Directors
Cheryl Simmons, SWCS Board member, and Michael Baise, Midwest director of American Farmland Trust, make a statement at the
Poster and Exhibitor Reception.
The new Board members began their terms on July 24.
Current Board members are listed with their regions below:
•Bill Boyer—Northeastern Director
•Mark Berkland—Southeastern Director
•Gregory Johnson—South Central Director
•Susan Meadows—East North Central Director
•Pete Nowak—West North Central Director
•Michael Collins—Northern Plains Director
•Cheryl Simmons—Southwestern Director
•Mark Steffek—Western Director
•Tom Prout—Canadian Director
•John Rissler—At-Large Director
•Dan Towery—At-Large Director
•Steve Young—At-Large Director
•Miranda Yoose—Student Director
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CONSERVOGRAM
The newsletter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society
Annual Report Now Available
The 2012-2013 SWCS Annual Report is
now posted on our Web site. It is only
available electronically and can be
downloaded here.
Goodbye, Theo!
Theo Gunther, project coordinator at the SWCS, has taken
a position with the Iowa Soybean Association as a resource management specialist for environmental programs
and services. There, he will focus on grower-oriented
projects that contribute to watershed management and
protection. Theo’s work at SWCS included a Conservation
Innovation Grant–funded partnership with The Fertilizer
Institute to implement nutrient best management practices, quantify corresponding reductions in nitrous oxide
emissions, and identify the potential to credit farmers for
these reductions. He also worked on a McKnight Foundation grant project with the goal of producing a review of
stakeholder identification and perspectives on wetland
and drainage policy in north central Iowa. He will take
these projects with him to his new position. Theo will be
missed, and we wish him well in his new job!
Contributions and Legacy Gifts
Help support the long-term viability of the Soil and Water
Conservation Society through a legacy gift!
Through charitable gifts from supporters like you, SWCS
continues to be a unified voice for natural resource
management on working lands, lands that have provided
food, fiber, and fuel for generations.
Leaving a legacy gift can be as simple as including
SWCS in your will or trust or naming the Society as a
beneficiary on your retirement accounts or your life
insurance policies.
For further details on how you can make a lasting gift to
SWCS, call Chrissy Rhodes at 515-289-2331 ext. 114.
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CONSERVOGRAM
The newsletter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society
Chapter News
SWCS Razorback Chapter in Arkansas
Cosponsors Cover Crops Conference
At the end of July, the
Razorback Chapter teamed
up with the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS), the
Arkansas Association of
Conservation Districts, and
several other supporters
to host the Southern
Agriculture Cover Crops
Workshop in Jonesboro,
Arkansas. The goal of the workshop was to provide
information and a forum for discussion to producers
interested in adopting cover crop management systems
suited for the agricultural conditions of the South.
Over 150 participants from 12 states attended the
workshop to learn about the benefits of cover crops.
Presentations included case studies which discussed
successes and failings in on-farm application. Session
topics included cover crop management, no-till, soil
management, water management, pest management,
disease management, and economics. Several farmers,
crop consultants, and research scientists delivered
presentations, including David Lamm, NRCS National
Soil Health and Sustainability Team leader; Don Tyler,
University of Tennessee Engineering and Soil Science;
Steve Groff, of Cedar Meadow Farms in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania; Ray Massey, University of Missouri
Agricultural and Applied Economics; and Dave Brandt of
Brandt Farms in Ohio.
A full news release from the NRSC about the
conference is posted on the SWCS Conservation Blog.
PowerPoint presentations from the sessions are available
online at the Arkansas Association of Conservation
Districts Web site. For additional information about the
conference, contact Razorback Chapter member Adam
Eades, [email protected].
Upcoming Events
2014 SWCS International Annual Conference
Chicago, Illinois
July 27–30, 2014
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CONSERVOGRAM
The newsletter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society
Members News
New Members
Welcome members who joined in July!
California/Nevada
Lilly Adams
Gary Cottle
Michelle Langsdorf
Colorado
Michael Karr
Connecticut /Massachusetts/Rhode Island—Southern
New England
Jason Normandin
Delaware/Maryland—Pokomoke
Jennifer Nelson
Iowa
Mike Franklin
Amy Kaleita
Anna MacDonald
Sarah Porter
Rodne Wendt
Indiana—Purdue University Student Chapter
Rebecca Perry-Hill
Meenu Ramadas
Kansas
Dean Krehbiel
Massachusetts—University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Dylan Mroszczyk-McDonald
Michigan
Dawn Reinhold
Missouri—Show Me
Shiloh Beeman
Montana
Anna Jones-Crabtree
Ohio—All Ohio
Peter Bucher
Christina Tonges
Ohio—Ohio State University TerrAqua Student Chapter
Emma Matcham
Olivia Staman
Oklahoma—Oklahoma State University Student
Chapter
Jordan Davis
South Dakota
Sharon Papiernik
Texas—Southwest Texas
Rosendo Trevino
Virginia
Judith Charles
Steven Dressing
Current Corporate Members
GOLD
Agri Drain Corporation
DuPont Pioneer
Hickenbottom Inc.
SILVER
Agren Inc.
The Fertilizer Institute
BRONZE
Conservation Technology Information Center
Ecosystem Services Exchange
Forrest Keeling Nursery
The Nature Conservancy
Validus Ventures
White River Irrigation District
For more information about corporate
membership, please contact
Chrissy Rhodes
515-289-2331 x 114
[email protected]
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CONSERVOGRAM
The newsletter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society
From the Leadership
Professionalism and Leadership
By Gregory Johnson, South Central Director
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
defines professionalism as “the
conduct, aims, or qualities that
characterize or mark a profession
or professional person.” It
requires specialized knowledge,
competency, honesty and integrity,
accountability, self-regulation,
and maintenance of an image or
brand. It is easy to get caught up in
producing daily widgets, such as
a certain number of conservation
plans or contracts, or making sure
the funds are spent, and then some. Then we turn out the
lights and go home after a long, hard day of production.
Over the long term, getting caught up in this maze of
widgets will turn a professional into more of an assembly
line producer.
To me, professionals must belong to professional
organizations, such as SWCS, to keep their edge and
provide the kind of leadership our customers expect
in helping them manage our natural resources. It
is incumbent upon SWCS and other professional
organizations to provide the stage and venue for
professional natural resource specialists to maintain
their edge, stay abreast of emerging issues, learn about
emerging technologies, partner and use joint ventures, and
network to foster professional relationships.
During July, I had a whirlwind schedule and enlightening
dose of the professional opportunities that SWCS
membership affords at both the chapter and international
Society levels. It has left me very invigorated and
optimistic about the current and future state of SWCS.
For me, July started with the annual summer meeting
of the Kentucky-Bluegrass Chapter. The highlight of
this meeting was discussion and voting concerning the
Chapter’s endowment fund. Their endowment fund
draws interest from which they fund scholarships for
students attending universities or colleges in Kentucky.
It is something I encourage other chapters across our
membership to look into as a long-term, sustainable way
to fund chapter activities.
Next, I attended the SWCS Annual Conference in Reno,
Nevada. This was an outstanding conference, but to me
there were two highlights from a chapter and membership
perspective. My observations were that there was a
definite increase in attendance of young professionals.
While at my age young can be considered anything
less than 50, I am referring to the 20- to 30-year age
class of professional. It is very refreshing to see young
professionals sincerely interested in continuing to learn,
honing their leadership skills, and taking advantage of
networking opportunities. The second highlight for me
was the breakout session covering how chapters can
leverage with the Certified Professional Erosion and
Sediment Control (CPESC) chapters in their respective
states for training, continuing education opportunities,
and membership. Earl Norton, of the Alabama Chapter,
discussed these opportunities and how the Alabama
Chapter has cultivated this relationship for the betterment
of both SWCS and CPESC professionals in Alabama to the
benefit of our soil and water resources.
So, ask yourself, are you a professional or an assembly
line widget producer? Have you lost your edge and don’t
really know it? What is your current level of professional
competency, knowledge, and enthusiasm for your chosen
profession? Has your professional network grown stale
because you’re “not out there?” Now may be the time to
consider reinvigorating your professional aptitude, your
career, and your network and either revisit becoming
a member in a professional organization or perhaps
become more active in the ones you’re in. Professional
organizations also need you; they need diversity in
membership and will benefit from the energy, leadership,
knowledge, skills, and abilities that you bring to the team.
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