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Emporia State professor named Friend of the Flint Hills By Lucas Shivers Eddy’s Background his role as an entomolo- The Flint Hills Discov- As a farm boy, he devel- gist and botanist, with ery Center Foundation an- oped an interest in plants research interests in the nounced Dr. Tom Eddy of and animals that led him dynamics of prairie plant Emporia as the recipient to K-State and a degree populations, insects and for the 2021 Friend of the in technical agronomy and conservation. Flint Hills. wildlife biology. As a teacher at ESU, he “Interpretation of the After K-State, he ac- taught courses in plant and history and ecology of the cepted a scholarship at animal biology and stud- tallgrass prairie provides the University of Arizona ied the ecology of Sericea insights not only into the in Tucson to study the food lespedeza and the impact dynamics of prairie life habits of the collared pec- of salt cedar on water flow but teaches us how we can cary. While in Tucson, he in western Kansas rivers. better understand our own qualified for teaching high He also served as the lives,” said Dr. Eddy, a re- school biology. curator of the ESU Her- tired professor at Empo- He returned to Kansas barium, specializing in the ria State University who where he was offered a flora of the Flint Hills. worked there for over 50 position at Kansas State Empowering Education years. Teachers College (now Another area of focus “Dr. Eddy is known for ESU) as a biology instruc- for Eddy was environment his willingness to help oth- tor. education for elementary ers with plant identifica- After five years, he re- and secondary students. tion and prairie appreci- turned to K-State to earn Today, the Kansas As- ation,” said Lesley White, a doctorate in entomology. sociation for Conservation director of the Flint Hills Dr. Tom Eddy, right, was recently named Friend of the Flint Hills by the Flint Hills His research on western and Environmental Edu- Discovery Center Founda- harvester ants evaluated cation (KACEE) is the key tion. “His work has floris- Discovery Center Foundation. He is shown with Bruce Snead, president of the their role in the ecology of organization promoting tic studies on the Tallgrass Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation and Lesley White, director of the Flint Hills the short grass ecosystem. the teaching of environ- Prairie National Preserve Discovery Center Foundation. Again, he returned to mental education in Kan- near Strong City.” page. The link is www. recognition,” said White. “Ginnie is a musician ESU where he continued sas schools. Eddy will accept his facebook.com/FHDCFoun- “The award honors sig- who has taught elementa- to teach until 2015. He set- “Summer courses at the award at an annual recog- dation. nificant time, effort and ry and secondary school tled back into a role at Great Plains Nature Cen- nition event with a small “This award goes to resources devoted to the music,” he said. “Laura ESU having finished the ter and field trips to the in-person ceremony with a an individual, non-gov- conservation of the Flint and Blythe each have two requirements of the Ph.D. Flint Hills with students virtual option to be viewed ernmental organization Hills.” degrees from ESU and with all of the data from have been highlights of my on April 10, 2021 from the or public institution each Eddy will celebrate work at the university. The the field work in 1970. years at ESU,” he said. Flint Hills Discovery Cen- spring with this year being with his wife, Ginnie, and family enjoys farm life in Powerful Projects ter Foundation Facebook the tenth recipient for the two daughters. rural Lyon County.” His legacy centered on Year of the Sunflower celebrated in Peabody By Donna Sullivan, On Saturday, March 28 and Asian continent, with Rus- Editor April 3 they set up in front sian farmers growing over The National Garden of the Sunflower Theater two million acres in the Bureau has designated and began giving away the early 19th century (most of 2021 as the Year of the seeds and the tubs. Jones which was used to manu- Sunflower, an occurrence said they have handed out facture sunflower oil). that Marilyn Jones of Pea- 54 tubs and scoops of seeds According to the Kan- body sees as a wonderful so far. Jones said they still sas State University De- opportunity for Kansas to have seeds and tubs avail- partment of Agronomy, celebrate. Each year, the able, and if someone in Kansas ranks fourth in the organization selects one the area would like some, U.S. in sunflower produc- annual, one perennial, one they can call her at 620- tion, growing both non-oil bulb crop, one edible, and 983-2815. as well as oil type vari- one shrub as their “Year of The National Garden eties. The northwest part the” crops. Plants are cho- Bureau website features of the state sees the most sen because they are pop- many interesting facts acres of sunflowers plant- ular, easy-to-grow, widely about sunflowers. “Sun- ed. In 2020, heavy snows adaptable, genetically flowers originated in the in the Dakotas caused a diverse, and versatile, ac- Americas and domestic drop in sunflower inven- cording to their website, seeds dating back to 2100 tory nationwide and an in- ngb.org. BC have been found in crease in prices, prompt- “I saw wonderful fields Mexico,” it says. “Native ing growers to increase of sunflowers when I was Americans grew sunflow- their sunflower acreage. visiting my husband in the ers as a crop, and explor- Jones hopes the Nation- nursing home in Hesston,” ers eventually brought the al Garden Bureau’s desig- Jones said. She learned flowers to Europe in the nation will cause others the fields were owned by 1500s. Over the next few around the state to show Jim Graber, who later gen- centuries, sunflowers be- their Kansas pride and erously gave her about came increasingly popu- celebrate the Year of the thirty pounds of seed for lar on the European and Sunflower. what became The Sun- flower Project, initiated by Jones and her friends Soil Health Alliance Faie Frederickson, Susan Mayo, Shirley Davis and formed in Kansas Shirley Beisel. The seeds The Kansas Soil Health Alliance is a recently were CP568CO Clearfield formed nonprofit organization that has been estab- seed, which will grow to lished to be a trusted partner and valuable soil health about three feet tall. resource for Kansas growers. The group’s vision was The Kansas Soil Health Alliance is led by a board to give the seeds to people of Kansas farmers and ranchers supported by five partner organizations. The alliance seeks to promote around Peabody to plant In celebration the National Garden Bureau’s designation of 2021 as the Year the benefits of soil health principles to Kansas grow- and watch grow. They of the Sunflower, Susan Mayo and Marilyn Jones distributed the beginnings of ers, provide up-to-date science-based information began collecting mineral container gardens on Main Street in Peabody on March 27 and April 3 using min- pertaining to soil health and educate Kansas growers tubs from area farmers to about system-based soil health production methods. eral tubs donated by area farmers and sunflower seeds given to them by local plant them in, and drilling The Kansas Soil Health Alliance’s mission is to sunflower grower Jim Graber. holes in them for drainage. improve and protect Kansas soils. The alliance invites all growers – no matter the farming operation size or current farming and ranching practices – to utilize resources and learn more about Kansas soil health ef- forts and events. The alliance will also connect expe- rienced Kansas growers who are working to improve soil health with growers new to the effort. “We are excited to work with Kansas farmers and ranchers to provide information and learning events focused on building more resilient soils. A resilient soil will help provide a steady income through ex- treme weather events,” according to Michael Thomp- son, Chair of the Kansas Soil Health Alliance. The board members of the Kansas Soil Health Al- liance are: Michael Thompson, Almena, Brice Custer of Hays, Nick Gutterman of Spring Hill, Mary Howell of Frank- fort, Cade Rensink of Minneapolis and Lucinda Stu- enkel of Palmer. The farmer-led, farmer-driven alliance is support- ed by the Kansas Department of Health and Envi- ronment (KDHE), Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition (KGLC), Kansas Soybean, No-till on the Plains and General Mills. For more information about the alliance, visit the Kansas Soil Health Alliance at KSsoilhealth.org or contact Jennifer Simmelink, association coordinator, at [email protected]. Jones and Mayo created a sunflower art exhibition on Main Street, making use of an unused storefront. Photos by Jackie Nelson Page 2 Grass & Grain, April 6, 2021 from home. On my 30-sec- stood beneath a branch to ond “commute” from my witness the flying workers office in our shop down hurriedly move from flow- to the house, I celebrat- er to flower, the hope of a ed the sight of the apricot sweet summer once again blossoms and the hope it entered my mind. While THE provided me for later in I briefly reminded myself the summer. A few days of last year’s brutal disap- MOSER MINUTE Blooms of Promise later, a freeze destroyed pointment, I allowed the By Kim Baldwin, dreary days of rain and all hope. As dramatic as steady buzz of the working By Lisa M. Moser McPherson County farmer snow drizzle, the sun is it sounds, it was very 2020.

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