Title: Soil Conservationist
Employer: USDA-NRCS (US Department of Agriculture -Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Previous Position: Soil Conservation Intern, USDA-NRCS

Hayley graduated with her degree in IB in 2021. During undergrad she worked several jobs in the service industry and in her last year got an internship with the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) as a Soil Conservation Intern. She transitioned to a full time Soil Conservationist after graduation.

As a Soil Conservationist, Hayley work to match up producers with conservation practices that work for their operation, such as grazing plans, wind breaks, and pollinator patches. In doing this they can identify the wants and needs of the producer, find a program that would match up with what the producer wants, and cost share for practice implementation. Conservation and sustainable agriculture is difficult to execute because of the high upfront expenses. Haley works with several funding programs (such as the Conservation Reserve Program, Environmental Quality Program, Wetland Reserve Program) to support conservation efforts. She works closely with producers and farmers throughout the whole process from application to implementation. She talks to and builds relationships with the farmers, goes out to the operation to get a visual, uses ARC-GIS to plan on a geospatial map, and checks for compliance.

They work outside for part of the year as well as in the office. When they are outside, we are doing field work such as surveying, producer visits, trainings and wetland & highly erodible land compliance. When working inside they are typically doing contract management, waterway designing, or practice designing. They work with all different types of producers including: conventional, organic, floriculture, and livestock.

The internship was initially intimidating and Haley almost didn’t apply because she thought she wasn’t qualified. Now she absolutely loves this job and is really glad she took the chance to apply. Haley highly recommends applying for positions even if you don’t have all the experiences/skills listed. Often times they just want someone who is excited to learn and willing to work hard. Her background in the service industry, paired with her IB degree, gave her all the skills she needed to get the job (well, and one additional soils class!).

“IB has made a huge impact in both spheres of my life. IB has given me the background knowledge in science but also given me very important life skills such as discipline, dedication, persistence, and self-confidence through difficult problems that arise. These skills are used in both my personal and professional life."

If you are interested in pursuing a career where you can make a large difference in conservation efforts or want to make an impact on sustainable farming practices, this is a great job to consider. Hayley is a great person to talk with about hands-on conservation, career exploration, and government positions. Contact Christina Swanson at alumnimentor@sib.illinois.edu if you would like to connect with Hayley.