NRCS employee Paul Percival (left) was hosted by Arizona rancher Judy Prosser at her 426,000-acre Diablo Trust partnership

NRCS Employee Travels to Arizona to Walk a Mile

The  Utah NRCS soil conservationist Paul Percival traveled from Price, Utah, to Flagstaff, Arizona, recently to spend a week on the Diablo Trust ranches in northern Arizona as part of his participation in the “Walk a Mile in My Boots” program.

The Walk a Mile in My Boots” initiative is a work-exchange program between agricultural producers and government employees. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through the Earth Team uses this program, that was developed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide opportunities for producers and NRCS employees to learn more about each other’s lifestyles, issues, and operations.

Percival walked a mile with the organizers of the unique partnership of the Diablo Trust, formed in 1993 by the Prosser and Metzger ranching families who share 426,000 acres of private, Federal, and State lands southeast of Flagstaff. The week began at the Prosser’s Bar T Bar Ranch where Percival learned about their sod farm and participated in a forage resource study group. “This was a good opportunity to do something different,” said Percival. “I might not be able to use all the knowledge I learned right now, but I’ll keep it in the back of my mind.”

“It’s been interesting to talk to Paul with his agriculture background,” said Judy Prosser. “I’d like to see his part of the country.”

Back in Utah, Percival is heavily involved in the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. He also has 200 acres of his own that he farms.

The NRCS Earth Team and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association coordinated this work exchange. For more information, visit the Walk a Mile Web page.