Newsletter

Spring 2003

Inside This Issue

ISCA Keynote Address

Farm Progress Show

Burt Ray Scholarship Winner

Loading Rate Chart (We need Comments)

President’s Column

Greetings from your new ISCA President! I’m looking forward to working with everybody in the upcoming year. We’ve got a lot of things going on in the organization, so it’s important that we get as many members involved as possible. Here are some areas that each of you can contribute:

¨ Join a committee – this is an excellent way to play an active role in our organization. I would especially like to encourage our newer members to seriously consider this. The committee names and chairs are as follows:

1. Constitution, By-laws, & Legislative: Bob Darmody (217.333.9489)

2. Ethics, Certification, & Membership: Bruce Houghtby (815.344.4020)

3. Finance: Don Fehrenbacher (815.577.3599 x3)

4. Nominations: Lester Bushue (888.528.7483)

5. Public Relations and Education/State Soil: Todd Soukup (815.439.6774)

6. Program: Sam Indorante (618.453.5577)

7. Historic (Ad hoc): Roger Windhorn (217.433.5293)

8. Technical Criteria (Ad hoc): Bruce Putman (815.815.338.6218)

Please feel free to contact our committee chairs to see if you can participate.

¨ Pass along material for our newsletter – our newsletter editor, Matt McCauley, is constantly looking for good material to share in the ISCA newsletter. Please relay any information you think might be of interest to our soil scientist colleagues. Matt can be reached by phone at (618.438.4021 ext 110) or by e-mail at mattmc@midamer.net.

¨ Attend the summer meeting – our Program Chair, Sam Indorante, is working on an educational, fun-filled summer meeting for us. Sam is putting together a program that emphasizes how soil information is used in the turf industry. Look for more details in the next newsletter!

¨ Participate at the “ISCA Booth” during the Farm Progress Show. Illinois is the Host State for the fall classic this year (Vermillion County). Ken Gotsch has assembled three or four other people to coordinate ISCA’s contribution. Look for more details from Ken in our next newsletter.

Remember, it’s your organization – there’s a lot to be gained by being an active participant of ISCA!

Feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions or questions/concerns.

Regards,

Mark Stelford

815.761.0220

mark.stelford@EarthAgConsulting.com

ISCA ANNUAL MEETING KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Professor Don Franzmeier from Purdue University was the keynote speaker of the 2003 ISCA Annual Meeting in Springfield.

Don spoke about the history of establishing professional registration of soil scientists/classifiers in the state of Indiana (Code 25-31.5). The professional registration is handled through the Office of the Indiana State Chemist. The following description of the Indiana Registry is from their website (http://www.isco.purdue.edu/irss/):

The Indiana Registry of Soil Scientists is a program that establishes ethical standards and education, examination, and work experience criteria for Indiana Registered Soil Scientists. Its purpose is to help protect the health and welfare of the people of Indiana and to protect its soil and water resources. Consulting soil scientists do soil and landscape evaluations that have environmental implications. Now, many evaluations are for onsite wastewater disposal (septic) systems. Soil evaluations are used to decide if a soil is suitable for an onsite system, determine the best design of a system, and inform system installers of soil problems they might encounter. If disposal systems are not suited to the soil or are improperly designed and installed, they may fail and cause pollution of surface or ground water. Thus, it is important to have soil and landscape investigations conducted by a competent soil scientist.

Education of the elected officials was a challenge in passing Indiana Code 25-31.5. There was a major need to educate State Senators and Congressmen on what the Registry of Soil Scientists would accomplish. This was done in part by giving presentations to the State Legislature Summer Study Group on Natural Resources for two successive years. The education hurdle was also overcome by hiring a lobbyist. The first time the bill was introduced it was scrutinized by professional engineers, geologists, and wetlands specialists who testified against it. Their concerns were considered when revising the original document.

After a lot of work the bill was finally passed in 2001! There are several aspects of this professional registration that go beyond what is required by ARCPACS. There is a Code of Professional Conduct each soil scientist must sign, which states that the applicant holds paramount the health and welfare of the public and the protection of soil and water quality. A field portion is added to the exam process. The written exam includes a component that tests on the soils of Indiana as well as general fieldwork. The education requirement stipulates at least 15 hours of soils coursework, although specialization in another science area is also allowed.

Thanks again to Dr. Franzmeier for a great talk on Indiana’s experiences with getting a Registry of Soil Scientists. Perhaps some food for thought in Illinois?

Respectfully submitted.

Mark Stelford

815.761.0220

mark.stelford@EarthAgConsulting.com

FARM PROGRESS SHOW 2003

Plans are already heating up for the 2003 Farm Progress Show. This year happens to be the 50^th Anniversary of such an event, which will be held on the Clark-Gernand Farms near Henning, Illinois in Vermillion County. Dates are September 23^rd through 25^th. As usual, one of the displays will feature "Soils". The Soils Display Core Planning Group (SDCPG), pronounced any way you like, are busy making display plans. This year's approach to the soils display will be a bit different than in the past. Our theme will be "A - MAZE - ING SOILS", which will feature 32 Illinois soils including our State soil, Drummer Silty Clay Loam. A straw maze will bring show participants into contact with soils collected and displayed in the maze from around the state. (you were thinking "world"?. Now that wouldn't that be interesting!!) In addition, a soils pit will be located in the maze for those interested in a good old fashion soil morphology lesson. Remember that we are in the early preliminary planing stages and as things usually go, don't be surprised if they go a bit atypical from what is reported here! The very most important thing we will need is volunteers and other assistance from ISCA's members. Ken Gotsch, Mark Bramstedt, Roger Windhorn and Steve Zwicker make up the soils planning group. Make every effort to contact one of these gentlemen with your support. We are always appreciative when strong organizations like NRCS/ISCA sponsors exhibits for public events, especially the Farm Progress Show.

Submitted by Ken Gotsch

Congratulations

The following members were elected as

Officers at the annual meeting held March 29^th, 2003:

Mark Bramstedt, President Elect

Don Fehrenbacher, Vice President

Chris Cochran, Secretary

Burton W. Ray Scholarship –

The award this year goes to Catherine Ruesken, a student at the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign. The award will be presented to Catherine at a later date.

Key For Determining Loading Rates

The Ad Hoc Committee for determining Loading rates needs your comments. Please, review the loading rates on the following table and contact:

Bruce Putman

1200 Portage Lane,

Woodstock, IL 60098

or at putman@mc.net.

Bruce will be taking comments until June 6^th, 2003. This is your last chance for input before the loading rates become final. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Y FOR

DETERMINING SEWAGE SUBSURFACE LOADING RATES ZJd/s . ft. FOR ILLINOIS SOILS I

Single

Granular, Angular and Subangular Blocky; Prismatic

Structureless or massive

Grain,

weak

Loess, Outwash, Alluvium Lacustrine(8)

TILL (3)

Loess, Outwash, Alluvium,

Till (3)

Platy (2)

Weak

Moderate, Strong

Weak

Moderate, Strong

Lacustrine(8)

Moist

lo,vfr,

vfr,

vfi

vfr

vfr, fr

fi, vfi

Consistence

Texture