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<br />00498
<br />
<br />Northeast Prowers SeD
<br />
<br />Summer 1999 Newsletter
<br />BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SCD STAFF
<br />Calvin Melcher, President Shari Wagner, Secretary
<br />Terry Widener, Vice President
<br />Bob Ararnbel, Treasurer
<br />Jean Dorenkamp
<br />David Willhite
<br />
<br />Phone: (719) 537-6506
<br />PO Box 535 /209 S. Main
<br />
<br />USDA-NRCSSTAFF
<br />Barbara Barnett, Soil Conservationist
<br />Susan Lucius, Soil Conservation Technician
<br />
<br />Fax: (719)537-6625
<br />Holly, Colorado 81047
<br />
<br />In the Children's Hands
<br />
<br />The 1999 Stewardship theme for the National
<br />Association of Conservation Districts is "In the Children's
<br />Hands". Many people believe that our children hold the key
<br />to the future of the world, In many ways, especially for
<br />agriculture, this is true, By the time we are adults, we have
<br />already become more or less set in our ways, and are
<br />generally unwilling to try new e"'Pcriences and ways of
<br />doing things, (Think about it,.., when was the last time you
<br />jwnped off a bridge with a rope around your ankles?) Every
<br />day experience teaches us that taking too many risks is bad;
<br />don't stick your neck out and your head won't get chopped
<br />off.
<br />People in agriculture are some of the biggest risk
<br />takers in the world, We invest our future in Mother Nature's
<br />whimsy. But, we aren't totally without control. We use
<br />measures like irrigation water management, conservation
<br />tillage, and planned grazing guide our investments, No rain
<br />this year? Graze fewer cattle, sell calves sooner, or use
<br />supplemental feed, Wet and dry patches? Land leveling,
<br />concrete ditch, irrigation pipe and polyacrilamide all work in
<br />concert to keep the water where you want it. Dryland
<br />farming? Leave standing residue, use herbicides and practice
<br />no or minirnwn till farming techniques to preserve precious
<br />moisture. Each type of conservation measure I listed involves some type risk, yet reduces another,
<br />The biggest risk, and ultimately our biggest investment, is in our children, A poor teacher can ruin a child's
<br />interest in a subject forever, a good teacher can nourish the interest with sometimes phenomenal results, Teach
<br />them well, show them tbe path, but don't force them down it, Let them choose their own future, and many will
<br />return to agriculture with new ideas and visions that will make the world a better place for everyone,
<br />No one individual's life experience and one conservation practice, by themselves protect agriculture and
<br />ultimately the world, from risk. 'But when we combine life's experiences, sound conservation practices, and a
<br />child' hope and vision for the future, we have a shield that when used correctly, can protect us from Mother
<br />Nature's fury and let us face tbe future, which is, in the end, In The Children's Hands,
<br />
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