The Nebraska Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) honored four individuals recently at the state chapter meeting in Ord. Two chapter members and the Nebraska Chapter were also recently honored at the 81st International SWCS Conference in St, Loius, Missouri. SWCS is a nonprofit scientific and educational association dedicated to advancing the science and art of good land use and improvement of natural resources.
State SWCS Chapter Award Winners
Each year, the Nebraska SWCS Chapter recognizes and honors work from people who promote its goals in the state.
The Commendation Award gives state recognition to members for their service to their own chapters or council of chapters for professional achievement.
Samantha Sage, Beatrice, is a custom account manager at Butler Ag Equipment. She recently completed her tenure as Nebraska Chapter president after previously serving as president-elect. Prior to this, she was selected for the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) by the International SWCS. This is a special leadership track that provides young conservation professionals the opportunity to gain professional skills such as time management, event planning, public speaking and creating community. She spent four years with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in South Dakota and Nebraska designing conservation plans for cropland and rangeland, managing Conservation Reserve Program contracts, and implementing soil erosion control practices.
Carolina Córdova, Lincoln, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Department of Agronomy and Horticulture assistant professor and statewide soil health specialist, also recently participated in the ELP as a new chapter member. She co-organized and co-hosted the chapter’s 2025 state meeting at UNL’s East Campus. The SWCS mission is at the core of her work as a soil health specialist, researcher and extension educator. She focuses on soil organic carbon, soil health assessment and regenerative agriculture as key levers to improve soil function, protect water quality and enhance the resilience of working lands. She has led and co-led field research projects in Nebraska and beyond, including work in the Sandhills and integrated crop–livestock systems, to understand how management practices such as cover crops and reduced tillage influence soil structure, water infiltration, nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Through her extension role, she collaborates closely with NRCS and other partners to develop soil health training, workshops, demonstration projects, field days and online educational programs that translate complex topics such as soil health indicators into usable tools for practitioners and producers.
The Merit Award is given in recognition of an outstanding effort or activity by a group, business firm, corporation or organization that promotes wise land use. There are two recipients this year:
Zangger Popcorn Hybrids, North Loup, is one of the largest popcorn seed providers in the world, currently managed by Josh and Luke Zangger, the fourth generation of the family in the area. The Zanggers have always been conscientious and involved in soil and water conservation. It started with their great-grandfather planting trees and being directly involved with the North Loup Public Power and Irrigation established in the 1930s. Disasters in 1991 (hail) and 2009 (heavy wind) reinforced the need to protect their farm through new conservation practices. It was these events that led to studying and implementing soil preservation, including cover crops and adding amendments through manure, green manure and compost. Permanent grasses were planted in high erosion areas and under irrigation. They intercrop cover crops and use them in rotation for both cattle grazing and haying, and bale graze on highly erodible ground knowing that the cattle leave 30% of the bale to return to the soil, along with their waste. Increasing organic matter or, at the very least, maintaining current levels is the stimulus to producing productive crops for the Zanggers.
The Lower Loup NRD, Ord, has been a strong advocate for advanced soil sampling techniques in farming. The Groundwater Quality Management Area Rules and Regulations, developed in 2002, required a minimum of 40-acre composite samples to a depth of 36 inches post-harvest. The NRD has continued to encourage soil sampling across the NRD in areas where sampling was not a requirement. The Advanced Soil Sampling Program, developed by the NRD in 2023, is intended for soil tests that have a soil health assessment component. These tests take in-field nutrient credits into account when making nutrient management recommendations with the intent of reducing overall nutrient inputs to lessen the impact of nutrient leaching/loss. In addition, the NRD, along with partners from USGS and University of Nebraska/Platte County Extension, has collected deep (greater than 8 feet) soil samples throughout the growing season on a monthly basis for three years in Platte, Nance and Boone counties, where nitrate levels have been documented as increasing in groundwater. Recently, the study has been expanded to other problematic areas in Custer and Wheeler counties to examine different fertilizer application methods and nitrate movement both in-season and out of season through soils consisting of higher sand levels. The Lower Loup NRD has also collaborated with the Central Platte and Upper Big Blue NRDs to analyze nitrate movement through the vadose (or unsaturated) zone on many different soil types on irrigated ground. Between the three NRDs, roughly one-third of the state's irrigation is represented. The NRD also promotes both federal and state cost-share programs including Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, Nitrogen Use Efficiency, and Nitrogen Incentives Reduction Act, to name a few. The NRD is a member of the Nebraska Association of Resource Districts, a long-time supporter of the SWCS.
International SWCS Award Winners
The Harold and Kay Scholl Excellence in Conservation Award is presented in recognition of individuals who work on the ground to provide direct and personal delivery or conservation planning and technical assistance.
Stephen Kennedy, Auburn, utilized over $26 million in federal grants in Nemaha County, alone, in his 21-year career with the NRCS. These contracts were developed with landowners to improve soil erosion control, soil health, livestock grazing, wildlife support and livestock waste control. There were also three partnership programs with the Nemaha Natural Resource District, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Auburn. One of the largest projects involved working with 47 area landowners to develop erosion control on 9,500 acres of land above two flood control structures. After community meetings, in partnership with the local resource district, 44 landowners participated in contracts with the NRCS to apply conservation ahead of the structures being completed. This was considered particularly important to the lifespan of the structures in the Loess Hills area and the contracts involved considerable time doing environmental evaluations. The project involved working with multiple agencies to pull together additional funding and spending time with landowners to develop close ties with them. There needed to be a unified agreement that the project was needed and the investment from the landowners was a valuable long-term improvement. Earlier in his career, Kennedy was active in the Wetland Reserve Program. He worked in both Richardson and Nemaha counties along the Missouri River during the time that most of the easements were established. This involved collaborating with a team of specialists to rank sites and working with landowners on what the future of their land would look like.
Kennedy and his wife, Chris, carry on the family tradition by being the fifth generation on the family-run fruit orchard and vineyard, where they value conservation, have a passion for trees and desire to maintain the land for future generations.
The Board Chair’s Leadership Award is presented in recognition of exemplary assistance in helping to carry out the goals and objectives of the Society.
Keith Berns, Bladen, is recognized for his leadership within SWCS, his commitment to conservation education, and his dedicated service to the Society at the local, regional and national levels. A longtime SWCS member and conservation leader, Berns joined the SWCS board of directors as northwest regional director in 2020 and served two full terms, including several years on the executive committee. He is co-owner and sales and marketing manager of Green Cover Seed, a nationally recognized cover crop business. A farmer and educator with a master’s degree in agricultural education, he is widely respected for his philosophy of educating first — a principle that has shaped both his professional work and his leadership within SWCS, especially as a Nebraska Chapter leader. Throughout his service, Berns played a key role in identifying and recruiting impactful general session and webinar speakers, helping strengthen educational programming for SWCS members and conference attendees. He also hosted several highly attended webinars, one using cover crops to add biological diversity to agriculture and landscapes, and one on “talking conservation and listening” to farmers. He also supported conservation awareness through gifts of wildflower, cover crop and pollinator habitat seed for the SWCS headquarters office. Known for his generosity, thoughtful leadership and willingness to serve, Berns has consistently offered his time, expertise and support to SWCS and its members.
The Outstanding Chapter Award is presented in recognition of the chapter’s success in carrying out its overall program during the past year.
For the eighth year in a row, the Nebraska Chapter received an Outstanding Chapter Award from the international SWCS organization. Just seven chapters were given this award this year. The chapter produces two newsletter editions a year, hosts an annual state meeting and a legislative/informational breakfast. The chapter’s Facebook has gained regional and national attention. Chapter Member Spotlights are emailed to members, and the Chapter’s historical archives have been digitized for broader use. The chapter supports the UNL Soil and Water Resources Club and two charitable foundations — one with the University of Nebraska Foundation and the other with the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Foundation – that each provide student scholarships annually to deserving young conservationists. An annual golf tournament is held to raise funds to support the foundations and student scholarships. The 2025 annual meeting was held in Lincoln and featured talks and tours of conservation activities in the area. Speakers included representatives from USDA NRCS, UNL’s Agronomy and Horticulture and Entomology departments, Nebraska Extension and the Lower Platte North NRD
More information about the Nebraska SWCS Chapter can be found on the chapter website and Facebook.
