Richmond is 40-year employee at conservation district years ago
By ROWENA PLETT
Reporter / photographer
Farmers and other landowners who visit the Marion County Conservation District office at 303 Eisenhower in Marion are greeted by the familiar smile of Betty Richmond. She will have spent 40 years as secretary for Marion County Conservation District on July 1.
Richmond graduated from Marion High School in 1963 and almost immediately was employed by the then-named Soil Conservation Service.
Her parents, Wayne and Cleo Tipton, farmed southwest of Marion. She was their only child and helped her mother in caring for her invalid father.
When she began with the Soil Conservation Service, the office was located at the present Animal Health Center of Marion County on South Coble. The current facility was completed in 1990.
Richmond has seen many changes in government conservation programs during the past 40 years.
"Life was simple back then," she said.
In addition to being a receptionist, she typed letters and conservation plans, and colored soils maps by hand for farmers. Those kinds of things now are done by computer.
In the early years, she worked with landowners in developing watersheds throughout the county. The six watersheds are on Turkey, Lyons, Middle, Doyle, Whitewater, and Sand creeks.
"I enjoyed working with Gene Nelson and Vincent Vestring," she recalled.
Her main responsibility now is to handle the paperwork for various cost-share projects. She is responsible for setting them up and seeing they are carried out.
She places grass seed orders and takes applications for lease of seed drills. The district owns five drills.
Soil and water conservation programs include establishment of grass-seeded terraces, waterways, and buffers. Other projects include livestock waste and household waste systems, and riparian and wetland development.
Richmond does bookkeeping related to the county's Marion Reservoir Water Quality project, which is funded by a government grant.
Richmond said the federal farm bill of 1985 gave a boost to government conservation programs because it required farmers to install terraces and waterways on highly erodible land in order to receive government payments.
Richmond is involved in writing plans for land enrolled in CRP, the Conservation Reserve Program. She certifies grass seedings, which are checked periodically by field men until established.
She also is involved in the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program which pays farmers to establish buffer and filter strips next to streams, develop wetlands, and build new waterways. The landowner receives an annual payment, but cannot harvest the grass or use it for grazing livestock. Richmond said this program is aimed at promoting wildlife.
Some of her most enjoyable activities are her involvement in Earth Day programs and the annual Envirothon contest. She provides posters and actual specimens of field crops and plants for presentations to children on Earth Day. She is responsible for lining up high schools to participate in the Envirothon contest. She also often goes along on various tours conducted by the district.
She said she enjoys working with producers, helping them establish grass seedings and, more recently, wildflower plots. She also enjoys interacting with personnel from various boards and agencies.
During her 40 years of service, Richmond has worked under three district conservationists — Kenneth Muse, Al Gantz, and the current director, Gary Schuler.
"The board members are my real bosses," she said. "They are local farmers and landowners."
Richmond and her husband, Roger, live on her home place. They have one daughter, Keri, 20, and a one-year-old grandson, Randon, who live with them. Randon is the sixth generation of Betty Richmond's lineage to live on the farm, which originally was established by Robert Claney.
Farmers will continue to be greeted by Richmond at the conservation office because she doesn't plan to quit anytime soon.
