Salina, Kansas, August 8, 2016 - Farmers put in long days. Driving to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office every time paperwork needs to be signed is not always productive. With Conservation Client Gateway, a producer can do most of their business with NRCS online. Farmers using Conservation Client Gateway find these three things to be the most advantageous for them.

Advantage 1 - Sign documents electronically. It is a secure way to sign contracts online. Viewing and printing documents at the farmer's convenience saves time. Plus, everything is logically organized and easy to find. For many farmers that have a long drive to the USDA office, or have multiple projects going on with no time to spare, this feature is a tremendous time saver.

Advantage 2 - Keep track of payments. Everyone wants to know when they are getting paid. With Conservation Client Gateway, you can get payment status online without the need for a phone call or waiting for a call back.

Advantage 3 - Request conservation practice certification or technical assistance. Submitting certification online speeds up the process - no need for a special trip to the USDA Service Center. And by asking technical questions online, NRCS is better able to reply with more detailed information that can be read online and available to go back to anytime.

"Many farmers in the surrounding states have really appreciated its time-saving features - use is growing in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Texas. Over 1,700 farmers are using this nationwide. We'd like to see Kansas farmers adopt this to help them get more time back in their day," says Eric B. Banks, Kansas NRCS State Conservationist. We have new initiatives underway to get the word out and show how easy Conservation Client Gateway is to use. Farmers can expect to see more demonstrations at partner events and field demonstrations this year. Saving time, being more productive, and most of all convenience, we hope our farmers and ranchers explore the possibilities with this application.

More information about Conservation Client Gateway can be found online at www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/ and clicking on the Conservation Client Gateway banner on the main page.

Learn more about NRCS or find your local field office by visiting the Kansas NRCS Web site (www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/). Follow us on Twitter @NRCS_Kansas. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers who face threats to soil, water, air, and related natural resources on the land. Through EQIP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) develops contracts with agricultural producers to implement conservation practices to address environmental natural resource problems. Payments are made to producers once conservation practices are completed according to NRCS requirements. Persons interested may file an application any time.

Applicants must:
• Be an agricultural producer
• Be in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions of the Farm Bill
• Develop an EQIP plan of operations which includes; one or more conservation practices in the conservation management system to be implemented to achieve the conservation and environmental objectives and the schedule for implementing the conservation practices.

NRCS works with the participant to develop the EQIP plan of operations. Plan becomes the basis of the EQIP contract between NRCS and the participant. NRCS provides conservation practice payments to landowners under these contracts that can be up to 10 years in duration. Some practices are paid as a 3 year incentive and others as a flat rate one time payment. Cutoff for round one applications will be November 15, 2016.

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional ones on their operations. CSP is a new voluntary conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to conserve and enhance soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land. CSP provides opportunities to both recognize excellent stewards and deliver valuable new conservation.

Applicants must:
• Be the operator of record in the USDA farm records management system for the eligible land being offered for enrollment
• Have documented control of the land for the term of the proposed contract
• Include the eligible land in their entire operation as represented for other USDA programs
• Be in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions.

Benefits: CSP provides participants with two possible payments. An annual payment is available for installing new conservation activities and maintaining existing activities. A supplemental payment may be earned by participants receiving an annual payment who adopt a resource-conserving crop rotation.

With 5-year contracts, payments will be made as soon as practical after October of each year for contract activities installed and maintained in the previous year.

For all contracts, CSP payment to a person may not exceed $40,000 in any year and $200,000 during any 5-year period or entity $80,000.00 per year or $400,000.00 over a 5 year period.

Wetlands Reserve Easement (WRE) is a voluntary program that provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring eligible land from agriculture.

The program offers three enrollment options:
• Permanent Easement in perpetuity. USDA pays 100% of the easement value and up to 100% of restoration costs;
• 30-Year Easement is an easement that expires after 30 years. USDA pays up to 75% of the easement value and up to 75% of the restoration work.
• Restoration Cost-Share Agreement is an agreement to restore or enhance the wetland functions and values without placing an easement on the enrolled acres. USDA pays up to 75% of the restoration costs.
• The current rate cap for WRE is $2830.00 an acre.
• If you have playas that you only harvest a crop once or twice in ten years, this may be an option to consider.

**This article was published on the K-State Horticulture Newsletter

http://www.ksuhortnewsletter.org/newsletters/ornamentals-ten-rules-for-planting-trees

Before you begin spring landscaping, here are some tips on planting trees.

1. Select the right tree for the site. To avoid serious problems, choose trees that are adapted to your location. Consider whether the tree produces nuisance fruit or if there are disease-resistant varieties available. For example, there are a number of crabapple varieties that are resistant to apple scab and rust diseases. Also consider the mature size of a tree to be sure you have enough room. See http://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/recommended-plants/index.html or ask a local nurseryman for suggestions for trees adapted to your area.

2. Keep the tree well watered and in a shady location until planting. When moving the tree, lift it by the root ball or pot and not by the trunk.

3. Before planting, remove all wires, labels, cords or anything else tied to the plant. If left on, they may eventually girdle the branch to which they are attached. The root flare (point where trunk and roots meet) should be visible. If it isn't, remove enough soil or media so that it is.

4. Dig a proper hole. Make the hole deep enough so that the tree sits slightly above nursery level. Plant the tree on solid ground, not fill dirt. In other words, don't dig the hole too deep and then add soil back to the hole before placing the tree.

The width of the planting hole is very important. It should be three times the width of the root ball. Loosening the soil outside the hole so it is five times the diameter of the root ball will allow the tree to spread its roots faster.

5. Remove all containers from the root ball. Cut away plastic and peat pots; roll burlap and wire baskets back into the hole, cutting as much of the excess away as possible. If you can remove the wire basket without disturbing the root ball, do it. If roots have been circling around in the container, cut them and spread them out so they do not continue growing so that they circle inside the hole and become girdling roots later in the life of the tree.

6. Backfill the hole with the same soil that was removed. Amendments such as peat moss likely do more harm than good. Make sure the soil that goes back is loosened - no clods or clumps. Add water as you fill to ensure good root to soil contact and prevent air pockets. There is no need to fertilize at planting. Note: Adding organic matter to larger area than just the planting hole can be beneficial, but it must be mixed in thoroughly with the existing soil. However, adding amendments to just the planting hole in heavy soil creates a "pot" effect that can fill with water and drown your new tree.

7. Don't cut back the branches of a tree after planting except those that are rubbing or damaged. The leaf buds release a hormone that encourages root growth. If the tree is cut back, the reduced number of leaf buds results in less hormone released and therefore fewer roots being formed.

8. Water the tree thoroughly and then once a week for the first season if there is insufficient rainfall.

9. Mulch around the tree. Mulch should be 2 to 4 inches deep and cover an area two the three times the diameter of the root ball. Mulching reduces competition from other plants, conserves moisture and keeps soil temperature closer to what the plants' roots prefer.

10. Stake only when necessary. Trees will establish more quickly and grow faster if they are not staked. However, larger trees or those in windy locations may need to be staked the first year. Movement is necessary for the trunk to become strong. Staking should be designed to limit movement of the root ball rather than immobilize the trunk.