Richard Webb, a soil conservationist with the USDA ¨C Natural Resources Conservation Service and a North Dakota State University agricultural systems management (ASM) alumnus, was raised on a wheat and dry beans-producing farm not far from the North Dakota/Canadian border.
Webb showed high aptitude and strong interest in math throughout his schooling. He chose to combine his affinity for numbers and formulas with his love for the land, taking economics and engineering courses along with agricultural and natural science classes.
Upon graduation he answered an advertisement for a watershed coordinator and found himself working on a land-use project for a county conservation district. This job lead to another, his present position as a soil conservationist.
 Soil conservationist Richard Webb |
"On a typical day, I travel down winding, country
roads to discuss installation of conservation practices with area
producers. We talk 'environmental quality and increased production.' "One of the best things about this job is the training program within the agency itself. I am brought up to speed on the 'latest' in an on-going basis - everything from training in geographic information systems to nutrient management techniques. "Learning what"s new is only half the fun though. My education in agricultural systems management and the variety of experiences I"d had because of the degree pay off in personal satisfaction when I see a producer implement a plan I"ve worked on with him and then have a lot of success with it. |