Conservation practices abound in Marion County
Staff reporter
It was obvious to those taking the field tour that strides are being made by farmers to stop erosion and utilize fields to their fullest potential.
Approximately 40 county and city officials and interested residents took the tour July 24 around Marion County, specifically in the northwest portion within a few miles of Marion Reservoir.
Led by Gary Schuler of National Resources Conservation Services, the group saw methods producers are using to stop various forms of erosion.
Schuler showed how a grass waterway can stabilize and hold soil by running excess water at a slower velocity through the field.
"Central Kansas has the highest intensity of rainfall," Schuler said, when cool fronts meet moist air.
Another property owner uses a terrace with water drains to move water to another part of the field.
"Some producers do a little, some a lot, and some in between," Schuler said.
Lack of participation may be due to the producers' portion of the expense, a landowner does not live in Marion County, or the owner does not want to participate in a government program.
Currently, producers are offered assistance with 70 percent of the cost.
The next stop on the tour was at an area by the reservoir where Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks would like to create a wetland.
Matt Farmer of KDWP said wetlands were used for flood control before the reservoir was built. It acts as a "big sponge," he said.
In the area where the wetlands could be located, trees would have to be remove to allow more wildlife. The area would be improved to allow a better wildlife habitat, cause absorption of sediments, nutrients, and pollutants, and provide flood and erosion control.
Another stop showed no-till fields which reduces erosion.
"Rain is like a miniature bomb that explodes when it hits the soil," Schuler said.
Grass strips can be used to reduce the amount of erosion. Alfalfa is a good crop to reduce erosion because it leaves a cover over the soil all year, shielding it from rain.
A field border around a CRP field is good for wildlife and reduces the speed water flows into and out of fields.
Concrete structures also are used to drain water in a more efficient way to stop or at least reduce erosion.
Filters separate sediments from the water flow instead of everything from the field being deposited in a local creek.
Another field showed where a wetland was developed on farm land. A pipe regulates the water flow. A native grass buffer was planted to keep sediments out of the wetlands area. The project might last 20-30 years. The average depth of water is 18 inches.
Farmers have come a long way in the past 10-20 years with more education and federal funding made available.
