Cary Janson was one of the first farmers to sign up for the Hangman Creek Riparian Restoration and Conservation Program. The Janson farm runs between Latah and Tekoa, and quite a bit of their ground is along the creek. Janson said he didn’t have any reservations about giving up farming a 65-foot strip along the waterway because to him, the money is a win-win.
“No one’s making money, but they can maintain and do their part for agriculture,” he said. “I tell my neighbors that are upset, this is not going away. People are moving in, and you think they are going to want that muddy water?”
Janson and his sons are the fourth and fifth generations to farm the family’s land. They grow wheat, canola, lentils, chickpeas, and hay. Like the other farmers involved in the program, he has also received a contact letter from Ecology and has followed the legal wrangling over the watershed.
“We are fighting a battle against people with a lot of money that can slant the news to make it look worse than it is,” he said. “Farmers are conservation minded. There isn’t a farmer I know that doesn’t like the soil and doesn’t care if it washes away, but we still need to make a living on the land.”
Janson, who grew up floating down and fishing Hangman Creek, says he’s seen big improvements in soil erosion from when he first started farming. Much of that improvement comes from the adoption of no-till practices. He believes that the key to further water quality improvements is to work from the stream out into farmland, stabilizing the banks so high flows don’t eat away at farmers’ fields.
“You can’t feel good if you see your field washing away,” he said. “This program is just a huge step. I’ve never seen anything like it in my lifetime, with the amount of work going on. It is astronomical. The public needs to know we are all environmentalists, but we are still trying to make a living. Margins are tight.”
Besides the improvements to water quality, Janson says another benefit will be the wildlife habitat the woody plants will eventually provide.
“I have real strong family ties here. I’m hoping this works,” he said.
