Prescribed Burning Workshops scheduled

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Fire safety is a priority topic of the upcoming Prescribed Burning Workshops scheduled to be held in central and eastern Kansas this fall.

Carol Blocksome, Grassland Water Quality Extension Staff at Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, said that these workshops are a continuation of workshops conducted in western Kansas last fall. It was evident from these workshops that producers needed and wanted more information and education on how to conduct a safe and successful prescribed burn.

"Safe burning requires proper planning, education, and training," she said. "Producers may want to burn native and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grassland to improve vegetative quality, control weeds, manage for wildlife, or fulfill CRP contractual obligations," said Blocksome.

"I would encourage any producer who is thinking of burning grassland in central and eastern Kansas to attend one of these workshops," Blocksome said.

Prescribed Burning workshops are being held at several locations in central and eastern Kansas. The content of all the workshops is very similar, so producers can attend the most convenient location.

There is a registration charge to attend the workshops, which covers the cost of handouts and a notebook. Lunch will be served. RSVP deadline is a week prior to the workshop date. For more information, please contact your local conservation district or KSU Extension office.

Agenda topics are: * CRP Maintenance and Management Practices * Burn Considerations: Why and When to Burn * Burn Notification and Local Regulations * Producer Panel * Using a Burn Contractor * Burn Terminology and Fire Behavior: Smoke Management, Eddy Currents, Fire Guards, Burning Techniques * Planning and Conducting a Burn * Burn Equipment

Presenters include representatives from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), Kansas Forest Service (KFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, KSU, as well as local fire and emergency management staff and local producers with burn experience. Presenters vary by workshop, but all will be presenting essentially the same information.

Workshops are sponsored by local conservation districts, Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS), Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, Kansas Water Plan funds, Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition, Kansas Fire Council, local fire departments and emergency management personnel, KFS, KDWP National Weather Service, KSU Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies in Kansas--FSA and NRCS. Sponsors vary for meal and burn workbook by workshop. Workshop dates, locations, and phone numbers are as follows: Workshop Location Phone Number for Reservations Date Nov. 3 Howard 620-374-2174---Elk County Extension Service Nov. 9 Ellsworth 785-472-4442---Ellsworth County Extension Service Nov. 10 Lincoln 785-524-4855---USDA Service Center, Lincoln Nov. 12 Clay Center 785-632 3550---USDA Service Center, Clay Center Nov. 16 Greensburg 620-723-2311---Kiowa County Conservation District Nov. 17 McPherson 620-241-1523---McPherson County Extension Service Nov. 18 Kingman 620-532-3116---Kingman County Conservation District Nov. 19 Parsons 620-784-5431---USDA Service Center, Altamont, Labette County 620-244-3491---USDA Service Center, Erie, Neosho County Nov. 24 Abilene 785-263-4780---Dickinson County Environmental Services Nov. 30 Hiawatha 785-742-3161---Brown County Conservation District with Doniphan and Nemaha counties Dec. 1 Lyons 620-257-5184---Rice County Conservation District Dec. 3 Smith Center 785-282-3832---Smith County Conservation District or 785-282-6823---Smith County Extension Service Dec. 7 Iola 620-365-2901---Allen County Conservation District

For more information about developing a prescribed burn plan for native grass or acres enrolled in the CRP, contact your local USDA Service Center. ###

Mary D. Shaffer, Public Affairs Specialist USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 760 South Broadway Salina, Kansas 67401-4604 785-823-4571; FAX 785-823-4540 mary.shaffer@ks.usda.gov