The NRD water department has added a number of staff members in the last few months. You will likely see one or all of these individuals if you attend nitrogen management training through the winter.

Valerie Paul is the district’s new water conservationist. In this role, she will be responsible for groundwater management area educational programing, presenting district information on water use efficiency topics to various audiences, and working one-on-one with producers to protect groundwater quality and quantity. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in Conservation and Wildlife Management from Missouri Western State University. Her previous employment has been in environmental health and safety in manufacturing settings. In those roles, she served as a member of the Nebraska Safety and Health Council, and the local emergency planning commission.

Seth Norquest serves as the precision conservation specialist, funded through a partnership between the Illinois Corn Growers Association and USDA-NRCS. Norquest is new to the NRD, but not new to the area. He has spent the last few years as a research technologist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, working with the On-Farm Research Network. Prior experience also includes research and sales with local co-ops. Norquest holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UNL in agronomy and crop science.

Norquest will be working with producers to enroll acres in the Precision Conservation Management Program, which serves farmers by providing economic analysis of on-farm conservation practices. The program aims to help farmers understand the economic values of adopting practices such as cover crops, nutrient timing, and tillage practices. PCM is funded by the USDA NRCS – Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Along with applied economics, water quality outcomes and carbon sequestration values are generated.

Jerod Fling serves as the integrated water program coordinator, funded through a partnership with the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture and USDA-NRCS. The position serves both the Upper Big Blue NRD and Central Platte NRD. Fling recently relocated from the Ainsworth area. Previously he worked for Rock County Agronomy Services LLC and Central Valley Ag as a commercial operator. He also has experience working for an irrigation company, and in sales for John Deere. Prior to that, he farmed for seven years.

In this new position, Fling will work one-on-one with producers to identify agronomic solutions to address water quality and quantity issues, assist producers with enrollment in conservation programs, host Conservation Program Forums for ag industry leaders, and generate materials to highlight conservation.

If you are a producer or land owner in the Upper Big Blue NRD area and are interested in funding and support for adding conservation practices to your acres, you can reach out to Paul, Norquest, and Fling at (402) 362-6601 or via email at vpaul@upperbigblue.org, snorquest@precisionconservation.org, and jfling@upperbigblue.org.