Master Conservationist Presentations - 2001

We begin the 2001 Master Conservationist program with honorees in production agriculture from District A which includes the Panhandle of Nebraska. I would like to ask Leon and Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel (Kresel) of Gurley who are unable to be present. They operated the family farm in partnership with Fred and Viola Kriesel until 1984 when Leon and Cheryl become sole owners/operators. The Kriesels produce certified wheat, millet, oats, and barley seed on 3200 dryland acres that are owned, rented, or contracted. Since 1984, 45,000 feet of terraces have been installed. Their holistic conservation plan also includes over 57,000 feet of windbreaks of mixed evergreen and broadleaf trees and shrubs. This mixture of plant species is unique in the Panhandle. They built an earthen dam with 11 acre-feet of permanent storage and 70.5 acre-feet of detention storage. Results include reduced soil erosion by wind and water, and increased productivity and wildlife populations. Local and international groups tour the farm. Congratulations to the Kriesels.

Master Conservationist Awards

It is a distinct pleasure to be with you this evening to present the Master Conservationist awards. I appreciate the opportunity to recognize those who have gone the extra mile to enhance Nebraska's natural resources and our way of life. Their efforts take on even more importance in a year like this when drought conditions have threatened field crops, pastures, and rangeland, as well as water for livestock and the citizens of our state. Times like this underscore how important it is for us to recognize the delicate balance of nature. The Master Conservationists we honor tonight have long-recognized the need for windbreaks to protect both crops and soils. They understand the benefits of controlled-grazing to maintain grass and protect the soil, as well as to provide forage in the future. Others have installed terraces and grassed waterways on fragile land, as well as reuse pits for irrigation water. Riverbanks have been restored and wildlife habitats have been developed. These practices and many others always are important, they take on new meaning in stressful periods like the one of 2002.

Opening Remarks for Master Conservationist Presentations

It is a distinct honor for me to help recognize the 2003 Master Conservationists tonight. Tonight's event marks the 20th anniversary of the program sponsored by the Omaha World-Herald and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Master Conservationist Presentations - 2003

We begin our Master Conservationist recognition in Production Agriculture with the Buskirk Family of Hemingford in the Panhandle. Will David and Toni Buskirk, Dean and Sonya Buskirk, Chad Buskirk, and Dustin and Shelly McConville, please come forward? They started with a half-section which has grown to 2,855 acres, as well as a tree-planting business. The family formed a partnership in 1995 and named it “Trees are Us” in 1998. They have used no-till farming on 1,000 acres of cropland since 1980 and planted over 165,000 trees. A low-pressure irrigation system saves about 400 acre inches of water every growing season. They built their own no-till tree planter for differing soil conditions and a machine to install biodegradable weed barriers. Their enthusiasm for trees is contagious as they visit with others and perform volunteer work in the area. Their unique tree planting equipment is made available nationwide, which results in the planting of more than 2 million trees in over 10 states annually. Congrats to the Buskirks.

Wildlife Master Volunteers: A Multi-County Approach to Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts

The Wildlife Master (WM) Program in Colorado was modeled after the highly successful Master Gardener volunteer program. In 10 highly populated suburban counties with large rural areas surrounding the Denver Metro Area, Colorado State University (CSU) Cooperative Extension Natural Resources agents train, supervise and manage these volunteers in the identification, referral, and resolution of wildlife damage issues. High quality, research-based training is provided by university faculty and other professionals in public health, animal damage control, wildlife management and animal behavior. Inquiries are responded to mainly via telephone. Calls by concerned residents are forwarded to WMs who provide general information about human-wildlife conflicts and possible ways to resolve complaints. Each volunteer serves a minimum of 14 days on phone duty annually, calling in from a remote location to a voice mail system from which phone messages can be conveniently retrieved. Response time per call is generally less than 24 hours. During 2004, more than 2,000 phone calls, e-mail messages and walk-in requests for assistance were fielded by 100 cooperative extension WMs. Calls fielded by volunteers in one county increased five-fold during the past five years, from 100 calls to over 500 calls annually. Valued at the rate of approximately $18.00 per volunteer hour, the leveraged value of each WM was about $450 in 2005, based on 25 hours of service and training. The estimated value of the program to Colorado in 2004 was over $45,000 of in-kind service, or about one full-time equivalent faculty member. This paper describes components of Colorado’s WM Program, with guides to the set-up of similar programs in other states.

Opening Comments Before Master Conservationist Presentations

It is a real pleasure to participate in this recognition program honoring the 2004 Master-Conservationists. We are grateful for the partnership with the Omaha World Herald in this unique program. In an effort to keep the program in tune with current developments in soil and waster conservation, a special committee is considering the idea of including conservation easements in the 2005 program. Some members of the committee are in the audience tonight. We appreciate the efforts of members of the Omaha World Herald, Natural Resources Districts, the USDA Natural-Resources Conservation Service and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources in carrying out this program.

Master Coqservationists Presentations - 2007

Before announcing our honorees this evening, I would like to call your attention to results of an independent study done for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the past year. The "At Work for Nebraska" study was done by Battelle, of Columbus, Ohio, which is a nonprofit research and development organization specializing in global science and technology. The independent study found that our Institute provides a 15-to-one return on every tax dollar invested with us. That's 15-to-one conservatively. We all wish we could get that return on all our own investments. I encourage you to browse our At Work for Nebraska Web Site for additional results of the study. You can find out more about this study which relates to our efforts in natural resources and other areas on the web at the address atworkfornebraska.unl.edu. I encourage you to check it out.

2006 Master Conservationist Presentations

Kirk and William Laux (locks) of Bridgeport in the Panhandle will receive the first Master Conservationist recognition in Production Agriculture. Will Kirk and William please come forward? This family limited partnership includes 5,000 acres of rangeland, 160 acres of dryland, 1200 acres of irrigated land, a cow-calf operation, and a feedlot. They began farming in the 1960s and later purchased several "tired" eroded units. These units were improved by “applying" erosion control practices including seeding, cross-fencing, and improved watering.

A Comparative Study of the Information-Seeking Behavior of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Agricultural Extension and Education Students

This study compares information-seeking behavior of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science students in the fields of agricultural extension and education. The authors surveyed Iranian students in departments of agricultural extension and education at four universities in Tehran, Shiraz, Mollasani, and Kermanshah. This study focused on three aspects: (1) comparison of amounts of information-seeking behavior between Bachelor of Science and Master of Science agricultural extension and education students; (2) comparison of information-seeking behavior varieties in Bachelor of Science and Master of Science agricultural extension and education students; (3) Comparison of amounts of available information resources at four universities and its effectiveness on students' information-seeking behavior; and (4) comparison of research and educational outputs in Bachelor of Science and Master of Science students. Scale free technique, division by mean method, principal components analysis technique, Delphi method, t-test, correlation and regression tools were used for data analysis. This study revealed that Bachelor of Science students' information-seeking behavior is for improving educational output, but Master of Science students' information-seeking behavior is for promoting research output. Among varieties of Internet searching skills, library searching skills, and awareness of library information-seeking methods with students' information-seeking behavior, there are not significant differences between two groups of students.