Kansas Conservation Series: Jed Fleske and the Kansas Soil Health Alliance

Larned, KS – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. is continuing his conservation series highlighting Kansans’ voluntary efforts to take better care of the environment. Stories will be released throughout the 2023 Farm Bill legislative process.

“While we hold hearings for the 2023 Farm Bill, I want to highlight how hard Kansans work every day to protect our environment and conserve precious resources that our Ag economy needs to thrive. Kansas farmers, ranchers, growers, and producers are finding unique and practical ways to preserve our land and protect our water and air. Their efforts are worthy of everyone’s praise,” said Senator Marshall.

For generations, farmers have gathered before sunrise in cafes and co-ops to drink coffee, tell stories, talk politics, and discuss new ways to increase their crop yields and decrease operating costs on the farm. These informal gatherings are important to rural communities, not only for the socializing that they provide, but also the local technological advancements that are often shared over a table or written on a napkin. 

In recent history, Kansas conservationists have recognized the value of these conversations, and are working to recreate them via workshops that provide farmers with an opportunity to share a meal and discuss new practices which may help them promote soil health and conserve water. Organized by the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts and the State Conservation Commission, the events happen on a monthly basis and move around the state. 

Coming up on September 8th in Larned, there is an opportunity to participate in one of these events through the Farmer 2 Farmer Cover Crop Bus Tour. Participants are encouraged to visit fourth generation farmer Jed Fleske’s farm to discuss cover crops and soil health practices. 

Jed is a leader in Kansas conservation circles. In his first year representing Southwest Kansas on the State Conservation Commission, Jed has already hosted field days on the farm to teach fellow producers about his carbon sequestration practices, and participates in the Land O’Lakes Truterra program. He is also a part-recipient of the NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant, an NRCS initiative which supports the development of new tools, approaches, practices, and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands.

If you would like to participate in the upcoming field day, or any other upcoming conservation workshops, please visithttps://kssoilhealth.org/event/cover-crop-bus-tour/ for more details. Farmers truly are the original conservationists, and programs like this help our state’s agriculture producers collaborate and advocate for leaving the land cleaner, safer, and healthier than they found it.