Purdue Ag Economists Speaks at SWCD Annual Meeting
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Daniel Riordan-driordan@timesuniononline.com
Dr. Otto Doering entertained a crowd of more than 125 people at the 2012 Kosciusko County Soil Water Conservation District Annual Meeting Tuesday night at the 2517 in Warsaw.
Doering is an ag economist from Purdue University where he teaches and is involved in research and adult education focused on the economic analysis of public policy in areas like agriculture.
His message was one that goes against what politicians on both sides of the aisle are currently talking about.
Doering said the recent economic issues facing the United States weren’t like recessions of the past but closer in similarity to the Great Depression.
He said with banks and financial institutions so close to the brink of collapse at one point, the country is still in a fragile state.
“You’re between a rock and a hard place in this situation,” said Doering.
He laid out what the big ticket spending items are for the country. Medicare/Medicaid and a huge pharmacy bill comprise 21 percent of the budget, while Social Security and defense spending both come in at 20 percent. Safety net programs clock in at 14 percent.
“If these things are politically untouchable then you won’t get very far in balancing the budget,” said Doering.
He said that George W. Bush’s tax cuts caused a spike in the deficit but that for the time being they should be extended, and that federal spending should remain at current levels.
Doering’s solution was to slowly start bringing taxes up and spending down in four to five years when the economy is in a less precarious position.
He noted that Indiana is 30th in the country in receiving federal money and 23 percent of the state’s spending comes from federal funds.
Big cuts federally, Doering said, would affect the states.
“The only way to solve this is to name me czar,” joked Doering.
Doering then went on to talk about the pending farm bill.
He guessed that there will be less money in the newest farm bill than last year.
“My concern is we not cut technical assistance,” said Doering.
He said the National Resources Conservation Service has fewer people now than it did five years ago and that programs like it will continue to see consolidation.
He said one thing farmers and policy makers in conservation should think about is convincing the public that soil conservation is a public good like roads or the military.
He also mentioned that cost effectiveness is important and that when people receive federal dollars they be held to stricter conservation compliance.
“If you will receive federal dollars you have a responsibility to do the right thing for highly erodible land,” said Doering.
Several awards were handed out Tuesday night.
Andrew Scheidt, Nic Jansen, Robert White, Cole Trouter and Evan Hansen were recognized as essay contest winners.
The Kosciusko SWCD has been involved in water education for more than 20 years.
As part of that, they put on a rafting program that takes Warsaw Community High School freshmen down Grassy Creek and into Tippecanoe Lake.
This past year, students were encouraged to write about what they learned on the trip and to come up with ideas on how to improve local water quality.
Wawasee High School’s soil judging team earned top honors Tuesday night. The team consists of Seth Helfers, Katrina Simbeck, Brittany Ryckman and Ryan Schlipf. Their coach is Randy Warren.
They were honored as the top soil judging team in the county.
Ron Longyear and AJ Brown Farms were recognized as the Kosciusko County River Friendly Farmers.
They were nominated by the Kosciusko SWCD then selected by a state panel.
It is based on nine criteria that rate conservation practices such as erosion control and nutrient and pest management.
Ethel McClelland and David Homan were honored with the Environmental Education Award.
They were noted for their enthusiasm for community outreach through Wildwood Nature Preserve near Silver Lake.
Scott Fetters was given the Environmental Enrichment Award.
He was noted for assisting the NRCS with the ranking of all Wetland Reserve Program applications and with assisting the Kosciusko office with wildlife management plans on farms, schools and other locations.
Dr. A.G. and Ann Schafer were honored as Master Conservation Farmers.
The couple from the Syracuse area was recognized for their good forest management on 150 acres of woodland. There they have performed selective harvesting and timber stand improvement. They were also noted to have planted thousands of trees.
Finally, Mike Pyle was named the Conservation Farmer of the Year.
Pyle was honored for carrying on a long tradition of good stewardship on his family’s farm and improving the soil health of more than 1,600 acres in Lake and Jackson Townships in Kosciusko and Wabash counties.
Kosciusko SWCD’s Darci Zolman gave the crowd a year in review.
She noted that the program’s 2012 Tree Sale Program runs through April 6.
More information on the tree sale is available by calling the office located on 217 E. Bell Drive at 574-267-7445 ext. 3.
The tree sale is the local SWCD’s biggest fundraising venture of the year.
Zolman highlighted the Mississippi River Basin Initiative as well as the Eel River Project.
She noted that locally $146,000 was spent in conservation in 2010 while that jumped to more than $800,000 in 2011 and budgeting for 2012 has pushed that number to more than $1 million.
Zolman also lauded the construction of several two-stage ditches in the county, saying that Kosciusko County is at the forefront in the state in using such ditches. The county has also become a leader in cover crops.
Jamie Scott was re-elected to the Kosciusko County SWCD board of supervisors Tuesday night after running unopposed. County Commissioner Ron Truex swore Scott in.
Scott also served as emcee for Tuesday night’s event.
