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2002 USDA Honor Award Recepient - Michael McElhiney (right) with Ann M. Veneman, 27th Secretary of Agriculture, currently the Executive Director of UNICEF. The Honor Award is USDA’s highest distinction, denoting excellence and high achievement.
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer - Certificate of Appreciation Michael McElhiney
Michael McElhiney and Bill Lyons, Jr. Former Secretary of Agriculture, California Department of Food and Agriculture
Michael McElhiney and Bruce Knight, Former Chief of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Current Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs (NRCS)
Kurt Vanderweide, Turlock City Council and Michael McElhiney
Norman Crow Golden Shovel and Michael McElhiney
Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, California 25th District and Michael McElhiney
2002 USDA Honor Award
2002 USDA Honor Award Coin
2002 USDA Honor Award Coin Side 2
Michael McElhiney with Carter and Award
John Hertle Speaks About Michael McElhiney at Awards Ceremony
Wingsetter Ranch Well along the San Joaquin River in Newman, CA
Hank Wyman, NRCS Interim State Conservationist in California, speaks at Awards Ceremony
Mickey Saso, inventor of the Wingsetter 8-in-1 Duck & Goose Call, seen with Michael McElhiney on Wingsetter Ranch
Ray Souza, Former President of Stanislaus County Fair, Western United Dairymen speaks at Awards Ceremony for Michael McElhiney
Tom Wehri, Past President of California Association of Resource Conservation District (CARCD) left with Glenda, right
U.S. Representative Dennis Cardoza, former California State Assemblyman Resolution presented by aide
Jenna Olsen, Executive Director for the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust speaks next to Norman Crow at the Awards Ceremony for Michael McElhiney
Some of the awards received by Michael McElhiney displayed by Carter, Michael McElhiney, Patrick McElhiney, Diane, and Crystal
The Tuolumne River
Michael McElhiney demonstrates PAM in a field
LOCKEFORD PLANT MATERIALS CENTER - A Technical Summary of Plant Materials Studies at the Lockeford Plant Materials Center
NRCS This Week, Friday, October 6, 2000 Washington, DC. - Poultry Growers Meet in Modesto - Through an EQIP Education grant, the California Poultry Federation held the last of four "Nutrient Management Summits" in Modesto on September 28. The summit provided the poultry industry with an update on nutrient management and covered managing waste from poultry operations, environmental issues, and regulations. Speakers included representatives from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Foster Farms. NRCS District Conservationist Mike McElhiney spoke on resources available through NRCS. Nearly 60 poultry growers from California's Central Valley attended; 300 growers have participated in previous summits. Nutrient Management Seminar Videotapes are available. Your contact is Mike McElhiney, NRCS District Conservationist, at 209-491-9320.
NRCS This Week, Friday, November 30, 2001 Washington, DC. - Chilean Officials Tour California - To learn more about how the NRCS Coordinated Resource Management Planning (CRMP) process can help reduce nutrient and pesticide run-off into rivers and lakes, government officials, university professors, and environmental scientists from Chile recently traveled through central California. In Napa, NRCS district conservationist Phillip Blake and Lockeford Plant Materials Center manager David Dyer explained how riparian buffers, managed wetlands, and stream setbacks not only provide wildlife habitat, but also keep nutrient and pesticide run-off out of streams on Lee Hudson’s vineyard in Carneros, California. Blake also led a tour of the Napa Resource Conservation District’s Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Farm to give added perspectives on how wetland restoration, use of native grass cover crops, and riparian restoration projects keep nutrient and pesticide run-off out of Huichica Creek and other central California rivers, streams, and lakes. The day concluded with a look at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Living River Project that uses restored floodplains, marshplains, and wetlands to manage flood events. NRCS conservationist Mike McElhiney described how NRCS programs are addressing local resource concerns and improving water quality by installing riparian buffers. Mike explained how the Jamestown sewage treatment plant uses poplar trees to absorb treated water and nutrients. Your contact is Jolene Lau, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 831-754-1595.
Soil Survey of Stanislaus Co., CA, Western Part
Biopolymers from Polysaccharides and Agroproteins
Use of Synthetic Polymers and Biopolymers for Soil Stabilization in Agriculture
USDA Employee News Volume 61 No. 3
USDA News, We Honor Our Award-Winning USDA Achievers - USDA honored a number of its employees, for their outstanding achievements, at its 56th Annual Honor Awards Ceremony, which took place July 8 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, DC. Sandra Anglade, USDA’s Employee Recognition Program Manager with the Office of Human Resources Management and coordinator of the Ceremony, said that USDA honor awards were awarded to 88 recipients, including 29 individuals and 59 groups. 120 nominations, which included 33 individuals and 87 groups, had been submitted earlier to the USDA Honor Awards Evaluation Committee. That group, chaired for the second year in a row by Sherie Hinton Henry, deputy administrator for operations and management in the Rural Development mission area, was composed of Henry and five individuals selected from agriculture, journalism, academia, and the private, non-profit sector. The six-member Committee reviewed those nominations in April and had then made its recommendations to Secretary Ann M. Veneman. At the ceremony Veneman delivered the keynote address and then presented the major USDA awards to the employees. In her remarks she said that “This past year, particularly following the tragedies of September 11, we saw many examples where USDA employees stepped forward to help their fellow Americans. These honorees, and all those recognized through this awards program, represent just a small fraction of the many dedicated and hard- working employees at USDA.”
NRCS This Week NRCS Customer, EQIP Refresh San Joaquin River - Mickey Saso enjoys watching the channels of water flow onto his Wingsetter Ranch, even though he can see little below the rippling surface. "It's usually brown, because of all the topsoil it's collected before it reaches my land," said Saso, whose ranch is below thousands of acres of farmland. "No way to tell what else is in it." It's been that way for a decade, Saso said, since he acquired the 150 acres as his retirement home and recreational refuge. What has changed, however, is the quality of the water as it leaves Saso's land and flows toward the San Joaquin River. It's clear, with insects skimming over the surface and tiny fish swimming underneath. Birds flutter above, alternately drinking and eating water bugs. "The water undergoes an incredible transformation while moving across Mickey's land," said Michael McElhiney, a conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service. Wingsetter Ranch is a piece of an extensive effort to cleanse the San Joaquin River, which runs heavy with a polluted potion of topsoil, pesticides and minerals. It's also an often-cited example of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which offers funding and technical expertise to projects that provide significant environmental benefits. The USDA oversees EQIP and has committed $1.08 billion through 117,625 contracts since it was created in the 1996 Farm Bill. The program pays up to 75 percent of the expenses for certain environmental practices. EQIP allocated $4.9 million to Northern San Joaquin Valley farmers and ranchers in 2003. McElhiney said 104 of the 400 projects submitted in Stanislaus County were approved last year, and they received $1.8 million, an average of $17,307 apiece. He said 500 projects were submitted for 2004, and a local group of USDA officials, farmers, ranchers, farm advisers and others from ag agencies will decide which receive money. EQIP funding has been growing annually, and the proposed federal budget for 2004-05 boosts spending to $1 billion. That's up from $975 million in 2004 and $691 million in 2003. "It's an expanding program because it's popular with growers and produces real results," Mc-Elhiney said. "These projects address environmental priorities." They often receive favorable reviews from environmental groups that stress the need to improve water and air quality. "Wingsetter Ranch and other wetlands are the basis of the food chain," said Atwater's Dennis Baker, a state and national board member for Ducks Unlimited. "Wetlands are homes to huge numbers of not just birds, but mammals and reptiles, too." The same environmental practices that produce homes for animals can clean the water. "A lot of people underestimate the cleaning power of wetlands, perhaps because they don't realize the ability of plants to pull pollutants from the water," Baker said. "It's amazing what nature can do with a little help." The San Joaquin River, which cuts through Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties as it flows to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, can use all the help it can get. There are stretches so polluted by pesticides and sediment that they're unsafe for fishing, swimming and drinking, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency noted in its list of impaired waterways. It's an issue for all Californians because the pollution contaminates drinking water supplies, according to Clean Farms Clean Water, a group of environmental organizations. Wildlife also suffers when rivers grow heavy with sediment. "Many fish have adapted to specific water-quality levels," said Renee Sharp, a senior analyst with the Environmental Working Group. "Fish down in the valley aren't as sensitive, but they are still adapted to a particular sediment load. When that level increases, you're messing with their biology." The results can include a decline in reproduction, shorter life spans and a dwindling food supply, because the sediment also affects bugs and smaller fish that are part of the food chain. EQIP's goal is to clean the water before it reaches the San Joaquin and other rivers. "Certainly, smaller projects provide benefit, not only by cleaning water but as demonstration projects for others to come see," said Kathy Viatella, an economist who analyzes Farm Bill conservation programs for the group Environmental Defense. "A series of small projects strung together along a river corridor can have a significant impact on water quality and wildlife." Saso said his project has consumed more than $500,000 -- EQIP funded a fraction of it, with the remainder coming from his pocket and partnerships with private and public groups -- but he's quick to say he's an exception. "I'd hate to scare people into thinking they're all this big," Saso said. "I put together a lot of small projects to make a big one. Smaller steps can be implemented at a reasonable cost." The key to Saso's system is that he slows the water flow as it reaches his property. Much of the chocolate-colored water is runoff from farms growing tomatoes, peppers and other crops. As gravity pulls the water down furrows, it collects fine topsoil and pesticide particles. Small creeks and decades-old culverts direct some water Saso's way, though much of it is routed to his ranch through a 3,000-foot pipe system. "Irrigation water was draining right into the river, so we put in a switch box to direct it to us," said Saso, who was in the convenience and gasoline business before settling on his ranch. "Now it's clean when it hits the river." That's because Saso has carved meandering streams, dug shallow ponds and developed silt traps -- part of a water system that has a large lake as its centerpiece -- to slow the flow. As the water slows, sediment and other particles tumble to the bottom. Silt is removed once a year and used to reinforce levees and bolster the topsoil, the foundation for native grasses and shrubs that support animals in the water, on land and in the air. Many of those plants also suck nitrogen, salts and other material from the water, using the nutrients to assist in their growth. There is also a blending of safflower, barley and other grains to provide food for quail, ducks and other birds that fly over or live in dozens of nesting boxes. "One of the wonderful things about cleaning up the river, beyond improving the quality of our drinking water, is that it cleans up other parts of the ecosystem," Sharp noted. "Fish, small animals and even soil microorganisms can rebound. People are often surprised when they realize how much of an impact water-quality projects can have on wildlife." Saso said the land was used to grow vegetables and graze cattle before his arrival, and the ag runoff looked the same when it departed as when it arrived. "The water comes from 3,000 to 4,000 acres of farmland, and gravity brings it through us on the way to the river," Saso said. "I had two choices. I could leave it alone and condone the environmental damage, or I could clean it up and improve the environment. Since I live here and enjoy having my friends out to visit, it was a pretty simple decision."
NRCS This Week Friday, May 11, 2001 Washington, DC. - Farmland Losses Are Mounting - International scientists from the Food Policy Research Institute (FPRI) have reported widespread damage worldwide to soil quality and drainage of underground water supplies by irrigation. "The basic story is that agriculture is being pretty successful at keeping the world in food. It's been somewhat less successful in nurturing the natural resources that underpin that production capacity," said Stanley Wood, the report's lead author. Some of the best farmland in the world is in California's Central Valley. "This is a very special valley we live in here, but we take our soil resources for granted," said Michael McElhiney, NRCS district conservationist in Stanislaus County. "Many people may not realize how prime - and rare - the valley's soil is," He said. A summary of the FPRI report at http://www.ifpri.org/pressrel/2001/agroeco_pressrel.pdf emphasizes how rare good farmland is. "Even in the Central Valley, where quality soil runs deep, the soil is showing signs of wear," McElhiney said. But he warned of an even greater threat to ag land here: "We're just paving it over." Depletion of organic matter in soil also is widespread, reducing fertility and moisture retention and increasing emissions of carbon dioxide into the air, which is believed to be a factor in global warming, the report said. While the international organization looked at soils worldwide, NRCS in California just completed their soil survey for western Stanislaus County that can be viewed at http://www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/mlra/wstan/index.html. From a Modesto Bee article by Philip Brasher and J.N. Sbranti.
NRCS This Week Friday, June 23, 2000 Washington, DC. - Sustainable Ag Goes Straight to the Heartland - The future of farming was the topic on the table at the first Heartland Conference and Fair held at California State University (CSU), Stanislaus, and a nearby ranch. Nearly 300 people heard lectures on how to achieve better crop yields, small-scale food production techniques, and integrated pest management. Glenda Humiston, USDA's Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, added an historical perspective with a audio-visual presentation showing the importance of sustainability in maintaining healthy natural resources and societies. The Committee for Sustainable Agriculture and the university's BioAg Project sponsored the event. Your contact is Michael McElhiney, District Conservationist, Modesto Service Center, on (209) 491-9320, or at Michael.Mcelhiney@ca.usda.gov To get the scoop on USDA and sustainability, click into http://www.usda.gov/oce/sdsf/
NRCS This Week Friday, January 25, 2002 Washington, DC. - Modesto Hosts Japanese Students - Earlier this month, 25 students from Japan visited the Stanislaus, California, County Agricultural Center in Modesto. The students are in a three-year education/work program designed to provide them incentives to become active in Japanese agriculture. The visit highlighted the various Federal, State, and local government agricultural assistance and support systems in place in the United States. Michael McElhiney, NRCS district conservationist gave an overview of USDA's role within the Federal government, an explanation of NRCS's mission, and the principles of "locally led conservation" as they apply to the agency's partnership with conservation districts. The students especially enjoyed Mike's interesting demonstration of an irrigation erosion reduction practice used on farms in western Stanislaus County where an additive to the irrigation water causes soil particles to precipitate out, reducing erosion and improving water infiltration.
RUNOFF California Chapter Newsletter - Soil and Water Conservation Society - President's Message Spring 2004
RUNOFF California Chapter Newsletter - Soil and Water Conservation Society - President's Message Fall 2004
From Farms To Floodplains and Filtration Systems - Estuary Newsletter - March 31, 2004 Most of these lands were flooded at least three times during the past decade in heavy rains, explains NRCS's Mike McElhiney. Previously, says McElhiney, farmers would apply to the Farm Service Agency's Emergency Conservation Program, which would help them replace irrigation ditches or other floodplain structures that had been damaged in floods. Often times, those structures would just be blown out again in the next flood. Some of the farmers, says McElhiney, "came to the trough too many times," so the USDA decided to come up with a better, non-structural approach to the problem, such as purchasing perpetual floodplain easements from willing sellers. Most of the farmers were tired of fighting the river, says McElhiney, but were worried that conservation easements might mean too much government control over their land. After the devastating 1997 flood, NRCS worked hard to develop a sense of trust with the landowners, and has since purchased 14 perpetual conservation floodplain easement/restoration projects in Stanislaus County, including Saso's, along the river between Vernalis and Crows Landing. Saso's property has become a showpiece, a demonstration project through which others learn about the NRCS programs.
Integrating Forage Production with Dairy Manure Management in the San Joaquin Valley, Final Report - August 2003 University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. Technical Advisor Michael McElhiney, USDA-NRCS, Modesto, CA
Association of State Wetland Managers, Wetland Breaking News, February 26, 2002
Michael A. McElhiney is the author of Soil survey of San Joaquin County, California / United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service ; in cooperation with the Regents of the University of California (Agricultural Experiment Station) and the California Department of Conservation. [Washington, D.C.?] : The Service, [1992] U.S. Library of Congress Call Number S599.C2 M38 1992 FT MEADE SpecMat
Soil Survey of Stanislaus County, California, Western Part By Charles A. Ferrari and Michael A. McElhiney, Fieldwork by Charles A. Ferrari, Michael A. McElhiney, Guy J. Romito, Jon P. Schlegal, and Steven E. Slusser, United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, in cooperation with the Regents of the University of California (Agricultural Experiment Station) and the California Department of Conservation
NRCS This Week, May 31st, 2002 - The Ecological Farming Association recently held its third annual Heartland Conference and Fair in Modesto, California, where NRCS displayed its San Joaquin series soils monolith. NRCS district conservationist Michael McElhiney also presented "The Great Soil Demonstration," hands-on exercises in soil quality, land judging, story index, and prime farmland classification systems. The Heartland Conference and Fair included over 100 workshops and demonstrations for all ages.
Nutrient Management Summitt Well Attended, Sept. 28, 2000 - A receptive audience of more than 50 industry members was on hand to hear California Poultry Federation President Bill Mattos and four other speakers discuss the challenge offered by dealing with animal waste. Those speakers included Louis Pratt, California Regional Water Quality Control Board (CRWQCB), Al Vargas, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), Brad Nelson, Foster Farms, chairman of CPF's Nutrient Management Committee, and Michael McElhiney, District Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Runoff Into Rivers Faces New Restrictions - California Farmer Magazine, March 1999, Education For Environmental Responsibility, Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES), Many experts believe that use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) could go a long way to reduce non-point source pollution into surface waters. In fact, one USDA agency provides not only expertise in BMPs but has some funding available for farmers to implement the practices. "We work best management practices into every conservation plan we write," says Michael McElhiney, Stanislaus County Conservationist for the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation District. "These plans alone have a lot of value, especially if someone points a finger at you about a certain farming practice." Conservation plans include detailed description of everything from irrigation practices to how pesticides are handled and applied. Last year, grower and ranchers in Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties received more than $600,000 in funding from the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). McElhiney encourages growers to apply for those limited funds to help defray the cost of changing farming practices. "We have a whole suite of BMPs that meet a variety of conditions that exist on a farm. They may not solve all the problems but if we can get stewardship ingrained into farmers, we know the trend will get better," says McElhiney.
STANISLAUS CONNECTIONS Working For Peace, Justice, and A Sustainable Environment Online Edition: September, 1998 Vol. X, No. I A Modesto Peace/Life Center Publication - If you care about restoring riparian habitat along the Tuolumne River and helping wildlife flourish there once again, here's a final appeal to take action. They say three times are a charm. May it be so. Because the stakes have risen dramatically in the last month. And what we do will now make an even greater difference. In Connections' April and May issues I appealed to readers to donate toward a fund supporting floodplain easement projects. At that time Michael McElhiney of the USDA's local office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service was working to arrange an easement agreement with one farmer whose land borders the Tuolumne River in the western part of our county. During the last two years, this land was flooded for months. A perpetual easement means the farmer will keep owning the land but agrees, in perpetuity, not to farm it and to let it return to its natural state. This is a win-win situation: the farmer gets paid the market rate for the land in exchange for agreeing to the easement, and the public benefits from having to spend less money on emergency federal help and on rebuilding structural flood control measures like levees, since the river will be allowed to flood the land in high water years. In addition, all benefit from the renewed wildlife and riparian habitat resulting from the agreement. Nature will be allowed to rebound--in all its infinite and marvelous variety. Finalizing this deal depends on funding. Various federal agencies like the USDA and US Fish and Wildlife, along with state agencies and nonprofit groups, are coming up with most of the money, but more is still needed. That's where we come in with our donations. In spring, the Peace/Life Center mailed out 570 appeal letters. As of early August, there were 51 responses for a total of nearly $1,600. While we're very grateful to those who have responded, we know we can do better. And now there's even greater reason to respond. What started as one farmer's interest has mushroomed. By mid August, McElhiney's office had received 22 new applications for similar easement agreements. Many of these properties are neighbors to each other. What that means-- potentially-- is long stretches of riverside land, along the Tuolumne and the San Joaquin Rivers, being returned to their natural states, aided by government sponsored restoration projects. Farmers are interested because they haven't been able to farm their flooded land and have run out of federal assistance funds. For some, their livelihoods on the land are at stake. Federal agencies are interested because they've decided to move away from expensive structural flood control measures and fund projects like floodplain easements. With all the eagerness expressed by farmers, the USDA and other federal agencies are now looking more intently at our area. What's needed to edge them toward designating our region as a funding priority is for more groups and individuals to express support for the kinds of easement agreements McElhiney has been encouraging in our county. The more local support McElhiney can point to, the greater the chance of getting increased funding. People can help by writing letters to the Bee and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. You can also help by sending in your donation, whatever you can afford. Sam Tyson estimates that if each person who received the mailing were to donate $5, we would be able to contribute close to $3,000. I think we can do better than that. But you have to act now, because the deadline for all funding help is September 30. The sooner people act, the better. If you haven't already done it, send your check in today, now. Thanks.
Pest Management Meeting set for Central San Joaquin Valley almond growers Nov. 21, 2001 - The meeting at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto, is co-sponsored by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and the almond Pest Management Alliance (PMA.) The PMA is a cooperative project funded by a grant from the state Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to study a reduced risk system of almond production through use of alternative products and practices, on-site demonstrations and grower education. “Taking Advantage of USDA’s EQIP Program to Help Pay For Shredding and Other Practices That Mitigate Air and Water Quality Problems” by Michael McElhiney, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
The Almond Pest Management Alliance Fall 2001 Grower Meeting, November 28, 2001 - Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, Modesto, CA Co-sponsored by the University of California Cooperative Extension and the Almond Pest Management Alliance Taking advantage of USDA’s EQIP program to help pay for shredding and other practices that mitigate air and water quality problems. Michael McElhiney, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Merry Christmas Dad - From Patrick McElhiney (son).