Smoky Hills Prescribed Burn Association

10/19/2026

10/05/2026

1. Mark Your Calendar: Annual Meeting at Rolling Hills Zoo, Late January

It's time to put the SHPBA Annual Meeting on your calendar. We'll gather the last week of January (exact date coming soon) at Rolling Hills Zoo's conference center west of Salina — a great space to bring the whole membership together under one roof before burn season kicks into gear. Expect a recap of last year's burns, a look at upcoming equipment and training needs, elections for association leadership, and time to simply sit down with fellow pyromaniacs over a snacks and b**r. The theme for this meeting will be ‘Back to the Basics’. This meeting matters more than it might seem. SHPBA runs on neighbors helping neighbors, and the annual meeting is where that relationship gets renewed — new members meet veteran crews, questions get answered face to face, and plans for the season start taking shape. Bring your spouse, bring a neighbor who's curious about joining. Watch for the firm date and RSVP details in November's newsletter, and reply now if you'd like to help plan the agenda or volunteer for a role in the coming year. Forward this email to those who may be interested.

2. Winter Is Planning Time — Get Your Burn Plan Started Now

November through February aren’t typical burn months in the Smoky Hills, but it's the most important planning time on the calendar. A written burn plan — your objectives, prescription windows, firebreaks, and contingency steps — takes time to put together, and it's often required for liability coverage and NRCS/FSA cost-share programs. Waiting until a good burn day shows up on the forecast is too late to start from scratch. If you don't have a current plan on file, now's the time. Reach out to me directly or contact the local NRCS office and request that I write your plan, and let's get your plan written during this time so you're ready the moment conditions turn. Reply and let us know which pastures you're planning to burn this season — we'll get the paperwork moving.

3. The Burn Crew Is the Real Advantage of Membership

No one burns well alone. The value of SHPBA isn't just equipment or know-how — it's the crew that shows up when you call. A safe burn depends on enough hands on enough drip torches and enough eyes on the black line, and that's what neighbors burning together provides that no one can do solo. If you've leaned on a crew in past years, think about who you can show up for in return. Reply with the timeframe you're hoping to burn — let's start matching crews now before the window opens.

4. Why the Burn Window Pays Off Come Spring

Once conditions turn — typically late March through May in the Smoky Hills, once dormant grass, adequate fuel, and the right humidity and wind line up — pastures that get burned often green up a week or two ahead of unburned ground. The blackened soil warms faster in the sun, and the old thatch that was holding back new growth is gone. That head start means earlier turnout and better early-season forage quality, which is worth real money by May. Winter’s planning work is what makes that window usable the moment it opens — a crew lined up, a plan on file, equipment checked. The pastures that green up first are usually the ones someone already had a plan for. Reply and let us know which units are on your list for this spring — let's start matching crews now.

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Smoky Hills Prescribed Burn Association
https://www.facebook.com/SmokyHillsPBA
SHPBA
Prescribed Burn Video:

The Smoky Hills Prescribed Burn Association is a 501c3 landowner co...

09/24/2026

Take a close look at these images and you will see a reason for prescribing fire. Notice the crowns. These are a ‘bunchgrass’ that as the plant grows and dormants, the thatch builds inside the crown pushing the growth points outward in a circle. As the plant ages the interior portion of the crown loses production. The fire sweeps through burning the interior thatch and releases the crown allowing the interior to respond to growth. Using a burn management plan alleviates that crown thatch improving the health of the plant and increasing productivity. Contact SHPBA to assist in building your burn plan and management plan.

09/18/2026

1. Fall Is Cedar Season — Don't Wait Until They're Too Big to Kill

Eastern redcedar doesn't take a day off, and neither should your fall planning. A cedar under 4-6 feet tall is easy fire kill — one good pass and it's done. Let it get past that height and you're looking at mechanical removal, which costs real money per acre. Redcedar encroachment has been called an epidemic across the Smoky Hills, and every burn season we skip lets another cohort get established. September and October are the time to walk your pastures, flag the draws and fence lines where cedars are creeping in, and get those units on the fall burn calendar before dormant-season conditions close the window. Reply and let us know which pastures you're targeting — we can help scout fuel loads before first frost.

2. Patch-Burn Grazing: Let Cattle Do the Regrazing for You

If you're not patch-burning yet, this is worth a hard look. Instead of burning the whole pasture at once, burn a third each year on rotation. Cattle are drawn hard to the freshly burned patch — the regrowth there is higher in protein and more digestible, and gain reflects it. Meanwhile the unburned two-thirds rest, building the residual cover that ground-nesting birds and other wildlife need. Over a three-year cycle, every acre gets burned and every acre gets a rest. It's a lower-labor way to combine grazing distribution, weight gain, and habitat goals into one plan. Thinking about splitting a pasture into thirds for next year? Hit reply — happy to talk through unit layout.

3. Sericea Lespedeza: Timing the Burn to Actually Set It Back

Sericea doesn't die from a single burn on the wrong calendar — timing is everything. A dormant-season burn alone often just clears the thatch and can even favor sericea's spring flush. The combination that works is a late-spring burn (typically May, once sericea is actively growing but before seed set) followed by grazing pressure or a targeted herbicide pass on regrowth. If sericea's been creeping into your brome or native stands, don't count on this fall's burn to solve it — start planning now for a spring burn window and pair it with your control program. Anyone dealing with a bad sericea year? Reply and tell us where it's showing up — we're tracking hot spots across the association.

4. Burn Plans Are Free Insurance — Get Yours on File Before Windows Open

NRCS cost-share and the Kansas Prescribed Fire Council both point to the same first step: a written burn plan. It documents your objectives, weather prescription, firebreaks, and contingency plan — and it's often required for liability coverage and cost-share eligibility. Fall burn windows in the Smoky Hills can be narrow and short-notice once conditions line up, so a plan sitting ready to go means you're not scrambling when a good burn day shows up on the forecast. If you don't have a current plan on file, reach out this week and we'll get one started with you.

09/11/2026

For those chasing the OWB control methods, I will reiterate, August back burns are the most kill effective and cost effective control. These pictures from Rick Pflughoeft north of Ellsworth are August 7th burn and September 11 follow up. The crown kill rate was phenomenal. The proof is in the pictures. Natives can tolerate these burns because they adapted to the prairie burns, invasive species are intolerant.
Unfortunately, I could not get any SHPBA members to assist in my OWB burns this past August. August burns are important in our ecosystem. The success of SHPBA depends on members willing to help each other.

09/03/2026

An unused firebreak for an August burn that was never lit because membership would not commit. It’s not always easy to build a crew for a safe fire.

09/02/2026

September 1st follow up on the August 12 back burn to control OWB

08/30/2026

Out this morning walking the pups and checking out the August 12th CRP back burn. Here are two videos on the allopathic nature of OWB and identification of the OWB