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Texas Climate-Smart Initiative Project with Rexie Hargus · Conservation Stories

• 0:13
  Speaker A: Hello, friends, and welcome back again to another episode of conservation stories. This is Tillery Timmins Sims. And on conservation stories, we like to interview people that are pioneers and leading the way in different things and trying new farming practices or leading new kinds of efforts. And today we have with us Rexy Harkis. And I'm so excited because you guys are, you're with a and m, and you're one of the folks that won one of the big climate core, climate core, climate smart, climate smart agriculture grants. So, and I know that you guys are trying to get people, get farmers enrolled in that. So we'd love to get some more information, but let's start out first with a little information about you.
• 0:58
  Speaker B: So, as you said, my name is Rexy Hargus. I actually grew up in shallow water. I'm the fifth generation on our family land, which is pretty awesome. Yes. So, obviously, agriculture was something I grew up loving. And whenever I had the opportunity to get involved with it for a career, that was something I wanted to jump on. So I started my agricultural career with actually with Natural Resources conservation Service in 2015. So I worked with them for almost nine years and then swapped over to the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board just this year in March. So it's something that has been a part of my whole life, for my whole life, and it's something that I'm very passionate about. So I'm happy to be here honoring with y'all today.
• 1:41
  Speaker A: Great. So you then are working through this grant on behalf of the soil and water conservation?
• 1:49
  Speaker B: Yes. Yes. So the way that the grant is broken down is nrcs awarded this grant money, part of it going to Texas A and M agrilife, and then part of it going to the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. So my job is with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. And we are the. There are five of us conservation planners throughout the state that are working to serve different. Those different areas. So my area is the entirety of the panhandle, basically all the way from the Oklahoma state line and then all the way down to basically Midland. So that's kind of my stopping point.
• 2:27
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 2:27
  Speaker B: We actually are still looking for a person to be the conservation planner for the San Angelo area. So if anybody is hearing this podcast might be interested, you can go to the Texas State soil and Water conservation board website and apply. So I'm helping out in area two as well. On into Midland a little bit, and then a little bit further south until they find somebody to fill that position.
• 2:48
  Speaker A: I know when these grants came available. I actually helped apply for one of those, won one of those grants for a business, a bioplastics business. So those grants came out of several billion dollars going into agriculture, mostly conservation. So there's more money now that's been invested in agriculture than there has been since the dust bowl. And so it's exciting to me to see what, you know, a and m and the state board, what are you planning to do with these? Are these funds for initiatives that are already there? Because one of the things I've noticed is that we're calling this now climate smart farming, but it's really nothing more than what we are already doing and programs that are already available.
• 3:36
  Speaker B: So this program specifically is a Texas climate smart initiative project. And so my job is to do the conservation planning kind of the same as you would with your local NRCs office or maybe with, with a private consultant, and to help establish a plan that helps balance out natural resources. So specifically in this project, they're focusing on reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases and carbon sequestration. So most of our practices that we are planning are things like a cover crop residue and tillage management, permanent grass planting. We have some field border practices. Remember a long time ago, people would put in the tree rows, the wind rose. So a lot of those are really in disrepair at this point. And so that's one of the practices they wanted to focus on to help reestablish some of those buffers in order to help reduce the.
• 4:28
  Speaker A: Oh, that's interesting because I had just heard, like, a rumor that, oh, now, now they're paying people to take those out, but actually, no, there's money to repair those.
• 4:37
  Speaker B: Yes. So that's basically what it is. Yes. Get rid of all the dead, but then let's reestablish with something good, so not necessarily just to take them out. I have not heard of any. I totally trust that you've heard that somewhere.
• 4:50
  Speaker A: Well, I'm just saying it's a rumor. Cause there's a lot of rumors.
• 4:52
  Speaker B: Yeah. Then this grant specifically, some of those practices don't typically get funded and equipped just for one reason or another. You have your priorities, and I know that you at the local group meeting. And so this project is really an opportunity for people to get selected for practices that they're interested in applying for the same reasons in which the program was developed, right where the initiative was developed. And so we're focusing on those kinds of practices. And then a and M's side is focused on the research. So for every project that someone applies for, and gets selected. So, say, for instance, somebody applied to plant some permanent vegetation. A and M will come in and take those deep core soil samples.
• 5:33
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 5:33
  Speaker B: They'll also take some, some gas emission samples through what is kind of like an infiltration ring, possibly run some infiltration tests to determine compaction and infiltration. And then at the end of the project, they'll take all those measurements again and compare the data from the beginning of the project to the end of the project so that they can gather some data on efficacy. And if a practice is not working to address something the way it's designed to, then it needs to be adapted. And so I think that's probably part of the reason why NRCs was interested in helping fund the grant. I don't know that for sure, but that. That's kind of my speculation, right?
• 6:12
  Speaker A: Yeah, I think so. I think that that is for sure. I mean, I've had some conversations at the top level of NRCs through n AC, the NACD, the national association, conservation districts, which really, they've been a real big help to us. And I have found, you know, that there's a lot of, there can be some disconnect, right. But those people that have been there for, they really want things to work.
• 6:36
  Speaker B: Right.
• 6:37
  Speaker A: And they know that something's not working. You know, and I think, I mean, my opinion, part of it is that, you know, some, at some point along the way, and, you know, there was this narrative that it doesn't matter if you come to those meetings because your input doesn't matter.
• 6:55
  Speaker B: Right.
• 6:56
  Speaker A: And that's why, you know, we've got counties where people, you know, farmers don't know about EQIP.
• 7:02
  Speaker B: Mm hmm.
• 7:02
  Speaker A: You know, or they aren't maybe, you know, getting chosen for equip because they don't even know how to apply for the board and they don't know how things work.
• 7:11
  Speaker B: Right.
• 7:11
  Speaker A: You know, and so that's one of the things that we're trying to do here with the podcast is reeducate people on, you know, it really does matter. It really does matter. It does matter. You, you are setting the priorities, and whatever conservation plan that you create for life for nrcs, that board has to agree to that money being spent that way. I mean, yeah.
• 7:34
  Speaker B: Yeah, to a degree, for sure. I think that the most important thing to me that maybe people don't realize is how important it is to go to those local work groups to help establish those priorities and to understand where, because that determines where the money is going. So, yes, you know, the board does sign off on those conservation plans that the NRCS rights. But as far as the equip goes, their main influence is during that local work group.
• 8:01
  Speaker A: Yes, it is.
• 8:01
  Speaker B: And a lot of people don't know that it's open to the public. Any meeting is open to the public. And so as a member of a community that you may have an issue that you want to bring up, that's a perfect place to go because they can pass it on up the line and that can go to the state board and then you can work with, like you said, the National association of conservation districts and help push some things up the ladder. Right.
• 8:23
  Speaker A: Well, and even, you know, urban issues, you know, people have urban issues, you know, that's part of conservation, you know, for sure. And so if there's something that, you know, somebody that lives in Lubbock is seeing and they're concerned about, go to that working group meeting, find out about that, you know, and, and it's advertised everywhere.
• 8:41
  Speaker B: Right.
• 8:41
  Speaker A: You know, and I don't, sometimes I think we have so many avenues of advertising that you don't reach anybody.
• 8:47
  Speaker B: I know, to me, I think so. And there's so many different organizations and agencies.
• 8:51
  Speaker A: Oh, my God.
• 8:52
  Speaker B: That it's hard to, if you're not right in the middle of it, it's hard to know, okay, what things tie together, what things are not tied together. How can we tie those together? What does that look like? And so I think that's really good. A good thing about this podcast is the way that you're kind of featuring all these different entities and show that's.
• 9:10
  Speaker A: Exactly what we're trying to do. You've got, I mean, like, we're trying to create an understanding. We're working on several blog posts now to outline, like, what are these programs within RCS? What do they do?
• 9:20
  Speaker B: Right.
• 9:21
  Speaker A: Those kind of things. But also we've got, we're building out a community calendar. So we're trying to connect to all of these other calendars, you know, that groups and entities and agencies have, so that, you know, you can go to one calendar and be like, oh, I'm interested in water. So what's all the water meetings that are coming up?
• 9:41
  Speaker B: Yeah, that's great.
• 9:41
  Speaker A: I'm interested in soil conservation water, you know, so we're trying, it's taking a while for us to build that out, but we are getting there.
• 9:48
  Speaker B: Yeah, that's great. I mean, one other thing that I would add to that is, is local program deadlines. You know, if they are interested in an agency program like EQIP or CSP or if they're interested in our program with Texas Climate Smart initiative.
• 10:04
  Speaker A: Right.
• 10:05
  Speaker B: If they are already actively farming and set up with farm service agency, their certification dates.
• 10:10
  Speaker A: Exactly.
• 10:10
  Speaker B: All those deadlines. And then in addition, you know, meanings of specific interest. I think that would be awesome.
• 10:16
  Speaker A: Yes. And one thing I think most farmers might know, some may not, but you can. You can. A lot of those counties have text alerts.
• 10:24
  Speaker B: They do. They do.
• 10:25
  Speaker A: The government set up. Yes. So you can, you can actually get some, something right to your phone, too. So another rumor that I've heard is you can only get about $40 an acre, so why bother?
• 10:37
  Speaker B: I think that, you know, the practices are acreage based, dollar amount per acre, dollar amount per foot, perennae dollar amount per whatever measuring unit. So I don't think the $40 an acre across the board is a good estimate. For example, through the Texas Climate Smart initiative for cover crop, we're paying, you know, more than that. And we're trying to get people interested in doing some of these practices regardless of the cost. And so the goal through our program is to try to get people to implement these things. So at least just give it a try. So as far as we haven't released our official cost list yet, so I'm probably.
• 11:17
  Speaker A: So we don't really know if that's true or not.
• 11:19
  Speaker B: No, we don't.
• 11:19
  Speaker A: Because there's nothing. There's a. Yeah. Okay, so great. That is just a rumor.
• 11:23
  Speaker B: Yes. I will say that there is a $40,000 project cap because we don't have the money through Texas Climate Smart initiative that they have in equip, for example, this is just a grant, like we talked about earlier, just grant money. And so we don't have, we're not trying to convert somebody's entire operation. We don't have the money to convert somebody's entire operation. Our goal is if you're out there and you're like, man, I thought about trying cover crops. I thought about doing this. I thought about doing that, but I just can't afford to try it on this 40 to 100 acres or this pivot or this, you know, this little patch of land that I have that I'm not really sure what to do with.
• 12:02
  Speaker A: Right.
• 12:03
  Speaker B: This is the program.
• 12:04
  Speaker A: This is the time to do it.
• 12:05
  Speaker B: Right. Texas climate Smart initiative is the program for you versus with EQIP. You know, they have so much more money. They're able to, funds go further with NRCs than they do. It's our program. And so I would encourage anybody that might even slightly be interested in something that we might do to visit our website. It's got all of our practices that we're cost sharing listed there. And so if any of those spark somebody's interest and they can also give me a call, I'll be sure to leave my.
• 12:36
  Speaker A: So we'll put all that linked in the. In the show notes. Okay. You know, one of the things that I think would be helpful is to talk about the application process. And is it difficult? And, you know, I don't know if you've been to the. The USDA's directory for all of these climate smart grants.
• 12:53
  Speaker B: Mm hmm. I have looked at that.
• 12:55
  Speaker A: Oh, my goodness.
• 12:56
  Speaker B: Yeah. It's definitely a lot of information to try to filter.
• 13:00
  Speaker A: It is. Okay. So let's just say on my land in Lamb county, we want to do cover crop practices.
• 13:06
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 13:06
  Speaker A: Okay. And you help me do that. Right. And then I think maybe I want to do something else and say, I look online and I say, oh, now I can try. I don't even. There's some stuff on there. I had to look up what it is. I'd never heard of it.
• 13:25
  Speaker B: Yes. And there are some new practices because we're following through our project. We're following all the NRCS guidelines and standards and specifications.
• 13:33
  Speaker A: Right.
• 13:33
  Speaker B: So in answer to your question, as far as applying, you can go to the website climatesmart, tamu.edu.
• 13:40
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 13:40
  Speaker B: And that's where you apply. So you don't necessarily have to go through me to apply. In fact, I can take a paper application from you, but then I would just send it on to a and m anyway.
• 13:50
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 13:51
  Speaker B: So if someone does have trouble applying online, then definitely let me know and I can help them.
• 13:55
  Speaker A: Okay, great.
• 13:56
  Speaker B: But it's actually an online process.
• 13:58
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 13:59
  Speaker B: And you'll select the practices that you may be interested in. You will select, you know, whether or not you have a farm number for that piece of land, what your current type of operation is, you know, whether you're, you know, in a. In a perennial forage operation, whether you're in a confined animal feeding operation, whether you're in an annual row crop operation. And then you'll put in your address and all your basic info, and then it gets sent to somebody at a and m, and they put it in the database. And essentially, then it gets assigned to me. And then I send an email to you and say, hey, I'm working on your application. I see that you're interested in these things. Can I ask you a few questions? And then we'll schedule a field visit and then I'll come out and take a look at everything with you, and we'll determine if that practice that you thought you might be interested in is actually the best management practice for what your goals are and how it fits into the program. And then we'll go through there in the contract development and signatures and everything. And this is a four year project.
• 15:01
  Speaker A: Okay?
• 15:02
  Speaker B: So if you give something a try, if you. In your scenario, if you're trying cover crops and you're like, man, this is just not working for me. You know, we're not. We're not seeing any kind of return. This is way too expensive for us. Let's. Let's talk about it and see what we can do. You know, you're not necessarily locked into anything, because if it's not effective, then it's not effective. And so we need to make a change.
• 15:24
  Speaker A: Right? Right. A little bit. I guess one of the things that I've heard, because I, you know, I'm always telling people there is a lot of money out there, and not just through this grant. There are so. I mean, there's billions. Oh, yeah.
• 15:38
  Speaker B: Even Texas Department of Agriculture has all kinds of grants.
• 15:41
  Speaker A: Yes. But we have. There is so much money available right now, you know, and I've, you know, I've got one farmer friend that's. He is the one that's just. He's gonna. He's gonna find out about it and he's gonna look into it, you know, and I asked him, I was like, have you applied for this? And he's like, I'm so tired of filling out forms.
• 15:59
  Speaker B: Right.
• 15:59
  Speaker A: I'm so tired of it, you know, and so he wouldn't even. You know, he's like, I'm not even gonna. You know, if you want to fill up the form for me, fine.
• 16:16
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• 16:50
  Speaker A: So, you know, you may or may not know, but we. The reason that Lacey and I rebranded this organization that she started several years ago was because we saw this money that's there available, more money than has been available right, since the decibel, like I said earlier. But we saw a disconnect. Like, we're seeing it. We know that money's coming in, and just as regular citizens and ag, how is it coming? Where is going? Where does it flow to? How do I find out if I qualify? How can I get a part of this? So we're like, how can we, you know, use the entity that's already there to help connect people to opportunities.
• 17:32
  Speaker B: Right.
• 17:32
  Speaker A: So I know you have a background. First of all, you're on the farm and then you worked in nrcs. Did you see any of the like on what we're talking about? And how would you say that we could help in that area?
• 17:45
  Speaker B: I think so. My degree is in agricultural media and communication. And so the reason why I chose that field is because I originally wanted to try to bridge the gap between producers and consumers in the classroom or whatever that may look like. But when I got involved with the conservation side of things or the cost sharing side of things, I started to see that there was a huge disconnect, like you've referenced, between the people who are actively implementing these things and how they can get connected with the information that they need, even if it's just technical assistance.
• 18:18
  Speaker A: Right.
• 18:19
  Speaker B: And so that became more of a passion for me as well. And so I would definitely just encourage people to ask around, listen to the podcast. This is, this is definitely great to help that, that bridge that connection.
• 18:32
  Speaker A: Great.
• 18:33
  Speaker B: And to just not be afraid to call people and ask if you even think that there might be something out there that could help with either a technical assistance request regarding how something should be implemented, or if you have a question on whether or not there's a cost share availability, just call somebody, because, I mean, the answers are out there.
• 18:55
  Speaker A: Well, and I think it's important to remember, like, to set people's expectations correctly. Like, this isn't, you know, money that's gonna pay 100% of what you're doing, but it's gonna pay enough of it to make it, you know, to make it worth trying. Yes. And, you know, you may not, you may not have ever even had the opportunity to do it, or the bank may have said, no, you're not gonna spend money doing that, you know, but if I can spend money on 25% of it, maybe, you know, one of the things that we've really would like to do, and we've had been putting together a project proposal which would be, you know, having corporations that are looking for those ESG credits to come in and pay that other. Pay that other percentage for those farmers, farmers that want to, you know, convert to drip. Some of that's happening on the east side of the state, you know, Microsoft is paying the remainder from those equip grants. You know, so corporations, if you're out there listening, you know, this is a great opportunity for, you know, for really truly meaningful impact that they could have.
• 20:01
  Speaker B: Well, and I think that's why this program is so important, the Texas Climate Smart initiative, because this is an opportunity, if you're thinking, like I said earlier, that you might want to make a change on your whole operation, but you really don't want to jump that far into it, and you just kind of want to dip your toes in it, and a little bit of assistance might help. This is the program for you.
• 20:21
  Speaker A: So let's talk a little bit about some of these programs and especially cover crops. I don't know if you've seen some of our podcasts. We did a roundtable with some farmers, and a lot of people have really strong opinions about the way things can and can't be done. And, I mean, I know, like with Lacey, she's done some pretty pioneering work on using cattle instead of synthetic fertilizer, cover crops and things like that and has gotten some pushback. What is that, that struggle? Because, like, it, you know, it's. It's not, it's not some kind of fake thing that's out there. If there's a legitimate reason that farmers aren't implementing some of these practices, and some of them maybe are, you know, things that they've heard that aren't true or especially, like, for cover crops, you know, so one of the things that we've observed is, like, if you try it for a year, it's, you need to, like, keep at it or that, you know, you might plant a cover crop, but if it doesn't rain.
• 21:24
  Speaker B: Mm hmm.
• 21:25
  Speaker A: It doesn't come up.
• 21:26
  Speaker B: Mm hmm.
• 21:26
  Speaker A: You know, and so, I mean, I've heard farmers be like, you know, I've planted a cover crop multiple times, and, you know, and if it costs this much money, then I can't, you know.
• 21:35
  Speaker B: So I think that's why cost sharing is so important.
• 21:38
  Speaker A: It helps to address some of that.
• 21:39
  Speaker B: And so, again, I think this is the program for somebody in that position. Let's talk about it. Let's give me a call. Let's make a feel. If you're in my area, give me a call. And I would love to make a field visit. Let's talk about it. Let's talk about what you've done that didn't work. Let's talk about what you want to do that you think might work. Let's talk about what you've seen work. Let's look at all the factors. I mean, that's what I'm here for. That is my role within this program.
• 22:00
  Speaker A: And you've seen those things when they've worked and when they haven't worked and you made no. And be aware of things that practices that somebody doesn't, isn't aware of.
• 22:10
  Speaker B: Well, and sometimes a practice may, may pay enough that you actually do end up having a little bit of windfall that you can spend in another area of your farm. So, you know, if we're paying enough for cover crop that you have the ability to implement that cover crop, you can afford to implement it. And so you're. The amount that it is costing somebody to implement that specific practice is actually less than what we're paying in that windfall, like I said, can be used for. Say you want to try some prescribed grazing. Say you want to try some different crop rotation, that you need a little bit of extra money for some different seed or, you know.
• 22:46
  Speaker A: Right.
• 22:46
  Speaker B: Again, this is the program for exactly the types of things that you're talking about.
• 22:50
  Speaker A: Right. So this isn't for somebody that wants to convert their whole operation. This is for somebody that has said, I need to try it. I mean, we need to try something. Somebody that's thinking, we got to get. We've got to do something different.
• 23:05
  Speaker B: Well, because this is a research based project, you know, so they want to determine maybe this is a little bit outside of what's typically done, but still fits within the. The requirements. But maybe it's a little bit outside, but it's actually more effective. So it's not the way that things have been traditionally done. And to answer another question, I think that you had earlier about why maybe there's some, some pushback on implementing some practices. I think that at the end of the day, people have to make ends meet. You know what I mean?
• 23:32
  Speaker A: That's not, that's.
• 23:33
  Speaker B: I think that that's a personal decision that for some people is a little bit easier for one reason or another. I mean, the variables and people's operations as individuals can play a huge factor in their willingness. And sometimes people are willing, but they don't have the means. And again, this could be the program for them.
• 23:51
  Speaker A: Right. And I had, somebody asked me that, you know, the other day, and I was like, you know, sometimes it's not even up to them. Sometimes it's up to the bank.
• 23:57
  Speaker B: Right.
• 23:58
  Speaker A: And just say, you know, hey, maybe you're gonna try this, and it maybe decreases yields for a lot. Two or three years before it really.
• 24:05
  Speaker B: Starts to explain that.
• 24:07
  Speaker A: Exactly. And can, does that person does that. Does that business? And that's what I have to remember. It's, it's a business. And that, that I think is the thing that people forget is they take, they think this is, this person is making this personal choice. This farmer's making this personal choice. No, this farmer is making this business.
• 24:23
  Speaker B: That'S best for their family. And so of course, the, the land, obviously the goal is to try to get to a balance between what, what works for you financially and for your family and then also helps, helps balance out those natural resources. And so again, this, if this program can help somebody get to that point that's trying to get there, this is the one. And so just because of my own personal upbringing, I can understand how sometimes making major decisions that are different than what you're used to can be extremely difficult. And especially, I mean, it's just like if you've done one, if you've only ever worked the drive thru your whole life and then all of a sudden they're like, we're gonna do mobile ordering and you're no longer needed, that's probably kind of scary. And so I think that when we view it as any other business, like you said, those decisions can, can be daunting and uncertain. When you've got mouths to feed and clothe, then I think that that can play a huge factor.
• 25:19
  Speaker A: I do know exactly what that feels like. I sure do. And I'm just, you know, I think it is a great opportunity though, for people, you know, that are thinking about the situation that we're in and, you know, trying, you know, some things that might be helpful. Yes, I really am. I think it's. Now's the time.
• 25:39
  Speaker B: I agree. And, and this is a short program in the grand scheme of things.
• 25:44
  Speaker A: Right.
• 25:45
  Speaker B: And so let's. If you kind of could think of it as a trial, a field trial, like, let's just talk about it. If you're even slightly interested. Give me all.
• 25:53
  Speaker A: And it's, and it's a trial that you get to do over less than like ten acres where you don't really know if it's happening. You know, you get to really see, you know, so, and not just the person that's implementing that, but this is about collecting data, collecting information that can impact also way more people than just the person.
• 26:14
  Speaker B: That's right. Yes. It could definitely have more of a national effect or for sure statewide.
• 26:19
  Speaker A: Yes.
• 26:19
  Speaker B: Especially considering there's a specialist in each area that is doing this conservation planning, and then also the sampling. And so up here in my area, I would say the practices that I've had expressed or most interest expressed regarding is going to be prescribed grazing. That's a per acre payment. And again, we do have a project as a whole cap, because we just don't have the money. And since we're statewide, we have to make sure we. We want more applicant applicants doing more things than we do. One or two people spending a whole lot of money.
• 26:52
  Speaker A: Yes.
• 26:52
  Speaker B: So prescribed grazing has been super popular. Cover crops has been a subject of interest. I think that those are going to be very specific based on a person's needs.
• 27:01
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 27:01
  Speaker B: And then also permanent grass planting, because we are doing that through this program. So we're doing both the pasture and hay planting and also the native range planting.
• 27:11
  Speaker A: And, you know, one of the things. One of the initiatives that we have, we have a couple of those seed drills.
• 27:16
  Speaker B: Mm hmm.
• 27:16
  Speaker A: So, you know, if somebody's in that Bailey county area, we just rent those out for just basically the cost of use and upkeep.
• 27:24
  Speaker B: That's great to know.
• 27:25
  Speaker A: Yes. That's something. I think that's another need. You know, it's like, there's folks that would want to implement, but the. You have to have that specific.
• 27:33
  Speaker B: Yes. And that's. That's definitely something. And I know that, you know, there are entities that have lists of contractors, but if somebody decides to get out of the business, they sell their drill and they no longer have it for lease or they're not doing the contracting work themselves. But they never call to get off the list. Sometimes it can be frustrating for somebody that has that list and is calling for a contractor.
• 27:54
  Speaker A: Yes. And so, yeah, we filled a lot of those calls, actually, for people from across the state. Our issue is that we don't have a good trailer to haul that. And so we really have to stay really pretty close to Bailey county because it just takes a lot to get it back and forth.
• 28:09
  Speaker B: For sure. For sure. Well, that's good to know. Definitely.
• 28:12
  Speaker A: Absolutely. Thank you so much. Yeah, this has been super helpful, and I'm excited. And maybe we'll have you back in a. In a few minutes. Except maybe you may be out of pocket for a little while because you're gonna have baby in September.
• 28:23
  Speaker B: Yeah, just for a little bit, then give me six weeks, and then.
• 28:26
  Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. You'll be back at it.
• 28:29
  Speaker B: Yep.
• 28:29
  Speaker A: Well, we'll catch up with you later and see how things are going.
• 28:32
  Speaker B: Okay, great. And if anybody is interested in any of these programs. Well, as far as Texas climate Smart initiative, any of the practices that we have available.
• 28:40
  Speaker A: Right.
• 28:40
  Speaker B: Definitely reach out to me or they can reach out to you past.
• 28:43
  Speaker A: Yeah, and don't let the words climate smarteen, it's just conservation that the goal.
• 28:50
  Speaker B: Is to implement the, implement the project. And sometimes, you know, we don't get.
• 28:54
  Speaker A: To pick the names. Right, exactly.
• 28:56
  Speaker B: But my goal is to help people implement the practices and so I know that can kind of be a buzzword for people one way or the other.
• 29:03
  Speaker A: Right.
• 29:03
  Speaker B: And so I just, I'm glad that you said that because my main goal is to help people implement some things that they're trying to implement. So.
• 29:09
  Speaker A: Okay. Well, we'll be talking to you later. Okay. Thank you.
• 29:12
  Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
• 29:13
  Speaker A: Thanks again, friends, for joining us for this episode of conservation stories and we look forward to the next time.