The Marion County Conservation District is continuing its partnership with three WRAPS projects that aim to improve water quality in the Cottonwood River, Mud Creek and at Marion Reservoir. The Marion County Conservation District has worked as a partner with three Water Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) projects to promote the implementation of cropland and livestock conservation practices. The WRAPS […]

Nobody likes us. Every­one’s out to get us. We can’t buy a break. Don’t believe it. It isn’t so. Never has been and hopefully never will be. Farmers and ranchers still rank at the top of America’s most admired professions. This A-list is comprised of those who serve others, including firefighters, doctors, nurses, farmers and ranchers (who feed the world), […]

Dale and Betty Ehlers have made Marion their home since arriving in July 1989. ?Our kids will tell you, this was the best move we ever made,? Betty says. It took more than a nudge for Dale Ehlers to find his occupational destiny. Having grown up on a farm near the Kansas-Nebraska border, Ehlers left for trade school after graduating […]

The Ryan Peters family at home on their farm near Lehigh. Ryan Peters, 38, knows he?ll see ?a lot of land change hands over the next 10 years.? But he also knows that farmers today all have a growing consciousness that they need to keep improving conservation including soil organics for the sake of generations to come. That and the […]

Robert and JoAnn Good turned a difficult situation into an opportunity that will positively impact the grassland for years to come. They developed an existing well to pump water into storage tanks, which enabled a dependable water supply to be delivered to a tire tank Rangeland Award winners Robert and JoAnn Good, who live south of Marion, knew along with […]

Klein Farms & Holding, working with manager David Oborny in northern Marion County, put in 32.4 acres of grass waterways, 70,787 feet of gradient terraces and 880 feet of diversion terraces. Klein Farms & Hold?ings, LLC, is a 2015 Banker Award winner for soil conservation in the Marion County Conser?vation District on land farmed by David Oborny in the northern […]

Steve Bartel has 2.8 acres of grass waterways, 24,551 feet of gradient terraces besides using no-till techniques to leave residue that promotes soil health on his own farm. Steve Bartel says his son, Seth, 22, should receive his share of the share for protecting and improving the soil on the family farm. Because of their work, Steve has been named […]

LaVern Funk plans to keep conservation practices working correctly by contin?u?ally scouting for problems and fixing them before they become unrepairable. LaVern Funk is a Hills?boro area farmer with a long track record of correcting field grades and constructing conservation structures in the Marion County Conservation District. That?s why he?s the recipient for the Contin?ua?tion Conservation Award. He constructed the […]

KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE: Tripp Peterson, Marion Elementary School. KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE: Tripp Peterson, Marion Elementary School. KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE: Ayden Perez, Marion Elementary School. KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE: Ayden Perez, Marion Elementary School. KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE: Cooper Jirak, Marion Elementary School. KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE: Cooper Jirak, Marion Elementary School. GRADES 2 & 3: Leah Decker., […]

by Chloe Creager Kansas State Extension The agricultural industry is entering a period of margin compression, in which revenues are depressed and costs remain elevated, said Bri?an Briggeman, Kansas State University associate professor of agricultural economics. As a result, farming profits are expected to be thin, and net incomes are projected to be down in 2016. Producers can also expect […]