FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2011
For More Information Contact: Paige Buck, State Public Affairs Specialist, (217) 353.6606
                                                

2010 NRCS Team of the Year Goes To…

Champaign, IL—Each year Illinois Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) selects one county Field Office as the “Team of the Year. For 2010, the Vermilion County Team in Danville, Illinois claims the prize. The winning Team is recognized for their hard work and accomplishments at the local level where they serve Vermilion County’s private landowners and help them protect their resource base.

The 2010 NRCS Team included Glen Franke, former NRCS District Conservations & Team Leader; Kelly German, NRCS Soil Conservationist; Sheila Lane, Vermilion Co. Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Administrative Coordinator; and Cindy Johnston , Vermilion Co. SWCD Resource Conservationist. The Danville Team was selected based on a number of accomplishments and their consistent commitment to the people they serve, the partners who help carry the workload, and their passion for protecting natural resources of Vermilion County.

As a federal government agency, NRCS uses performance measure programs to track agency activity and accomplishments. Data for 2010, which includes the wet fall of 2009, shows the Danville Team had high interest from local producers. The conservation professionals installed a large amount of effective conservation solutions on the ground for 2010 include:

• 7 new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts covering 7,120 acres--6 on Agricultural Land and 1 on Non-Industrial Forest Land;
• 8 new Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contracts, covering 451 acres—includes 2 contracts on NRCS’ newest conservation practice--Seasonal High Tunnels;
• 2 new Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) contracts, covering another 202 acres;
• Conservation plans developed on 17,400 acres with plans applied on the land in 14,900 acres;
• 33 acres of new grassed waterways;
• 5 new grade stabilization structures installed;
• 7 water and sediment control basins constructed;
• 2,000 feet of terraces constructed; and
• 66 acres of filter strips seeded

Glen Franke served as the County District Conservationist in Danville for more than eight years. When he learned his team was picked by the State Conservationist, he was immediately humbled. “We simply do the job we are asked to do. If you look around the county and the state, it’s really amazing to see all the great things that NRCS, our farmers and all our conservation partners do. And we all do it in the name of protecting and sustaining the natural resources we have been blessed with,” Franke explains.

According to IL NRCS State Conservationist Bill Gradle, “All the data and all the good press we’ve seen shows me without a doubt, how well the Danville team works with local producers and their local partners. They visit client’s farms, diagnose resource problems out there, and then work with landowners and operators to develop technically sound solutions.”

Franke recognizes what a great staff the field office has. “They are talented and committed to their work,” says Franke. Commitment levels really shined during 2010 when staff members were detailed to other positions and locations. Franke himself was detailed to Champaign to serve as the Acting Area Resource Conservationist for NRCS for seven months, and Kelly was detailed to Charleston as Acting District Conservationist and later to the Programs staff over in NRCS’ State Office. During these details, other Danville team members picked up the workload and continued the steady pace of providing quality planning assistance and application of conservation practices for local clients.

Vermilion County conservation partners are a critical link in the delivery chain, according to Franke. “We rely on our partners to get quality conservation on the ground,” Franke explains. The local staff for USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) helps through the continuous CRP program – not only with new contracts, but with re-enrollment of expiring continuous contracts as well.

More than 100 CRP contracts expired and were re-enrolled in each of the two past years. The Vermilion County Soil and Water Conservation District was instrumental in achieving the number of conservation plans written with their support and expertise. “Our local partners really helped free up time for NRCS staff to focus on other programs and priorities such as CSP, EQIP, and WHIP,” adds Franke.

Vermilion County SWCD Director Rick Kentner confirms that his SWCD and other local grass-roots organizations such as the Lake Vermilion Water Quality Coalition successfully promote and drive water quality efforts, primarily in the Lake Vermilion watershed. “The water quality efforts secured here spill over to other areas and to neighboring counties. Our dedication to these resource priorities helps spread acceptance, use, and long-term benefits of protecting water quality through the use of nutrient management, cover crops, buffers, and conservation tillage,” Kentner adds.

Franke is especially glad the Danville Team is a successful and high-performing team since he accepted a new position with NRCS just two months ago. Franke now works in Champaign where he serves as NRCS’ newest Resource Conservationist on their State Ecological Sciences Staff. Franke knows his winning team will continue to get the job done and will embrace his replacement—the new District Conservationist—when he or she arrives.

To learn more about NRCS or how Vermilion County’s “Team of The Year” can help you achieve your conservation goals, give them a call at (217) 442-8511 or visit NRCS at www.il.nrcs.usda.gov today!

The Vermilion County NRCS Field Office Team included
 (L to R) Glen Franke, Sheila Lane, Cindy Johnston, and Kelly German.

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