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DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today welcomed Charles McCullough of Bernard, Harold Whipple of Lacona and Dr. Dale Farnham of Ames to the State Soil Conservation Committee. McCullough, Whipple, Farnham were appointed by Governor Branstad to serve six-year terms from May 1, 2011 to April 30, 2017.
“The State Soil Conservation Committee is designed to provide leadership and guidance to Iowa’s soil conservation and water quality improvement work and these new members will play an important role in those efforts,” Northey said. “As a former Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner, I understand the important role the state soil conservation committee plays in promoting conservation.”
The state soil conservation committee is made of eleven members, which includes nine members appointed to staggered terms by the Governor, and two ex-officio non-voting members. Of the nine members, six are farmers from different geographical regions of the state, one represents cities and towns, one serves on behalf of the mining industry, and one member is a tree farmer.
Ex Officio members are the Director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Dean of Extension at Iowa State University. Representatives of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Districts of Iowa and the Iowa Association of County Engineers serve as advisors to the Committee as well.
McCullough was reappointed and will continue in his position as the north-eastern Iowa farmer representative. McCullough is also a district commissioner, has farming interests and currently serves as a regional director for the Conservation Districts of Iowa.
Whipple has been appointed to serve as the south-central farmer representative. Whipple is farmer and a Warren County soil district commissioner.
Farnham has been appointed to represent the cities and towns of Iowa. Farnham lives in Ames and works for an insurance company in West Des Moines.
The State Soil Conservation Committee was created in 1939 as part of the Iowa Conservation Districts Law, establishing Iowa’s 100 Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The board serves as a policy making board to the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s Division of Soil Conservation, and makes budget recommendations annually. |
