Eight staff from Southern Illinois who make up USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS’s) Edwards-Lawrence-Richland-Wayne-Wabash County District Group were recently recognized for accomplishments achieved from 340 hours of hard work from a talented local Earth Team volunteer, Ms. Janet Billington. Illinois State Conservationist Ivan Dozier traveled to Fairfield, IL to present the award to the NRCS team and to meet Billington on January 10, 2019. “By working together, these individuals accomplished a tremendous amount of conservation work that supports the NRCS mission and increases the use of conservation programs and practices NRCS administers,” Dozier said. District Conservationist Gary Zwilling is thankful for her volunteer work and hopes her experience will motivate other local citizens to consider volunteering their time and talents as well. Billington is a local farmer working to obtain a degree from Wabash Valley Community College. Her hard work with NRCS earned her five college credit hours and so much more!
Local team members from the Fairfield office who worked with and alongside Billington included Soil Conservationists Charles Trimble, Nathaniel Crawford, Justin Massie, and Soil Conservation Technician Jenny Tannahill. What did Billington do during those 340 hours and why did she do it? Billington worked in the Fairfield USDA Service Center from May to July 2018 as part of an Internship with the college. Time spent working at the NRCS office fulfilled five college credit hours for her Associate degree in Agricultural Business Production and Technology.
Janet is a friendly, outspoken person who greeted USDA customers with a smile and helpful attitude. Because she grew up and farms in Wayne County, she was able to personally greet customers—some of whom she already knew. She assisted many customers directly and became so familiar with the USDA office staff that she was able to quickly refer them to staff who could best help them. Janet’s efforts helped free up both NRCS and local Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District staff so they could focus more on the heavy Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) workload they face during summer months.
A quick learner and a good communicator, Janet helped in the office and tackled the tough job of completing paperwork and government program forms. She also reviewed and organized about 2,200 Wayne County case files, which is about 25% of the total files on hand in the office. With her local knowledge of other farm owners and the lay of the land, she quickly identified maps and other important documents to ensure all contracts and information in customer files were correct and complete. Her work and attention to detail improved office efficiency and provided a quality customer service experience.
Janet’s volunteer skills extended beyond office and indoor file work. She traveled to farm fields on occasion, working to conduct 10 field investigations, five design surveys, and seven construction checks. According to Tannahill, Janet’s knowledge of the area and her farming background assisted in data collection. She also attended four wetland field investigations with Soil Conservationist Charles Trimble, helping record data they collected.
“Janet's service to NRCS, FSA, and USDA was invaluable,” Zwilling says. “With her determination to start a complete evaluation of the case folder review, and her resolve to get through one-fourth of all the office files in Wayne County, it gave us a glimpse of what dedicated volunteers can do. Talented volunteers can really help us get important work accomplished and her experience will definitely improve her ability to find a great job in the future!”
According to Janet, “It was a great experience for me. I’d recommend serving as an Earth Team volunteer to anyone pursuing any Ag degree, any student interested in conservation, or anybody who wants to make a difference and protect Illinois soils for future generations.” To learn more about the NRCS Earth Team volunteer program and how you can be involved locally, contact the NRCS Earth Team Volunteer Coordinator at 217-353-6600 or visit www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/earthteam.gov.
State Conservationist Ivan Dozier (left) and District Conservationist Gary Zwilling (right) stand with Earth Team volunteer, Janet Billington (center) to thank her for serving as a volunteer at the Wayne County USDA Service Center in Fairfield, Illinois.
