John Xiong:
Mapping Wisconsin's soil
Mapping Wisconsin's soil
| Heidi M. Pascual* Publisher & Editor * 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA) |
He explained the importance of updating old surveys and keeping soil mapping in step with the latest technology. "The maps that
we're working on were produced back in the '60s, '70s. They're old, and the way they surveyed back then, technology-wise, was different
from now; but we need to have a basic layer, a digital layer we can work with."
Xiong also explained the use of soil maps and its role in development. "It's useful for everybody because people can research what type
of soil we have," he said. "Farmers would know if they should grow corn or other crops. By knowing the type of soil, farmers can reduce the
amount of fertilizer (they use) if the soil doesn't need all that. A lot of agencies, private and public, use our data for building houses. If
there's bedrock, let's say four feet, it's not good to build a house on that location or it's going to cost a lot of money to dig a well out there if
you build a house. Our maps will also tell you where the waters are. We can tell you where the wet spots are by the type of soil. So knowing
the type of your soil is really important."
Recently, NRCS had a big celebration; they just finished mapping all the soils of Wisconsin. "We completed the digital mapping of
Wisconsin, and it's now online, at www.websoilsurvey.com," Xiong said proudly.
And Xiong's parents must be very proud of their son, the middle of five children, who was 3 years old when they moved to the U.S. as
Hmong refugees in 1979. The family moved four times, initially settling in Decatur, Ill. where their church sponsors were, then Chicago,
Twin Cities, Minn., and eventually in LaCrosse, Wis., to follow some relatives.
While two older siblings became teachers, Xiong graduated with a bachelor's in geography, a course that's rarely taken by Asian
American youth.
"I took geography, which was totally ‘not normal,’" Xiong said with a chuckle. "The Hmong people prefer the typical doctor, lawyer,
teacher professions. And geography wasn't on the list. My parents wondered why I even chose that degree, but I did, because I liked the
courses, the professors, and making maps. My professors opened my mind and made me see that maybe there's something out there for
me. I graduated in 2001."
Describing himself as "shy," Xiong admitted that his high school years weren't enjoyable, and neither was his first year at UW-Madison. "I
really didn't like the high school atmosphere," he said. "Because in high school you have to be a certain way. Then, there were a few
Hmong in my class in high school. I guess it was just me. When I went to college, that's where I found myself. I told myself, I can do this; I
don't have to be like everybody else. However, at UW-Madison, a big factor in me not doing well or not succeeding or not being
comfortable was because the classes here were so large, compared to those at UW-La Crosse. Here, they just know you by your ID when
you took the test, but when I went to La Crosse, I knew my professors by name, they knew me. I came here under a collegiate program
for high school graduates in La Crosse — the Upper Bound program. The only reason I went to UW-Madison was because my two older
siblings went to UW-La Crosse and I didn't want to do that. I figured I'll try something new, but it wasn't for me."
His first job after earning his degree, however, returned Xiong to Madison. "I got a job in Madison as photogrammetric technician," he
recalled. "It was before Sept. 11. Unfortunately, I was let go soon after, when the company, as many other companies losing business at
that time, did a lot of cutbacks. The first ones to go were the newly hired." Out of job, he volunteered with NRI (Natural Resources
Inventory), which is under NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) just to see what other geographer majors did. "I just wanted to
see what was out there," he said. Soon after, he was hired as a temporary employee with NRCS in 2002. He worked at the Onalaska
field office in La Crosse County as a soil conservation technician or a cartographic aide. In less than a year, a position opened in Madison
and Xiong became a cartographic technician.
Xiong is very proud of his work as cartographer and his office, the NRCS. He is also very excited about his additional title as Asian
Pacific Islander Program Manager.
"I like what I'm doing: mapping and the geographic information system," he said. "We have offices in almost every county … and people
can get information from our offices or check our website. We provide technical help in terms of conservation of water and land. We have
programs that help farmers, and many of them actually get some money from the government to preserve say, a wetland, or turn their land
back into a wetland; there are different cost-share programs."
"Also, we are trying to target specific groups, and because I'm also the Asian Pacific Islander Program Manager, I work with the Asian
Pacific Islander Organization (APIO) on two scholarships: one from the USDA and another from the APIO. Here in the state, we now have
have three AAPIs, which is good. When I first started, I was the only Asian Pacific Islander employee in the state. So, we have come a
long way. I've helped recruit the other two. I'm glad that I'm making a difference, increasing our diversity, which is what we want." He does
a lot of outreach, especially with the Hmong community, by participating in the Wisconsin Hmong Association Annual Conference
and distributing information on various agricultural issues.
Xiong wants to continue promoting diversity in the USDA in the state, and in the near future, get into soil analysis, not just digital
mapping. Meanwhile, he is making sure that his wife (who works with the Mental Health Center of Dane County) and son get to enjoy what
Wisconsin has to offer its citizens, particularly those who came under unfortunate circumstances, like the Hmong who supported the U.S.
military in its fight against the communists during the Vietnam War.
we're working on were produced back in the '60s, '70s. They're old, and the way they surveyed back then, technology-wise, was different
from now; but we need to have a basic layer, a digital layer we can work with."
Xiong also explained the use of soil maps and its role in development. "It's useful for everybody because people can research what type
of soil we have," he said. "Farmers would know if they should grow corn or other crops. By knowing the type of soil, farmers can reduce the
amount of fertilizer (they use) if the soil doesn't need all that. A lot of agencies, private and public, use our data for building houses. If
there's bedrock, let's say four feet, it's not good to build a house on that location or it's going to cost a lot of money to dig a well out there if
you build a house. Our maps will also tell you where the waters are. We can tell you where the wet spots are by the type of soil. So knowing
the type of your soil is really important."
Recently, NRCS had a big celebration; they just finished mapping all the soils of Wisconsin. "We completed the digital mapping of
Wisconsin, and it's now online, at www.websoilsurvey.com," Xiong said proudly.
And Xiong's parents must be very proud of their son, the middle of five children, who was 3 years old when they moved to the U.S. as
Hmong refugees in 1979. The family moved four times, initially settling in Decatur, Ill. where their church sponsors were, then Chicago,
Twin Cities, Minn., and eventually in LaCrosse, Wis., to follow some relatives.
While two older siblings became teachers, Xiong graduated with a bachelor's in geography, a course that's rarely taken by Asian
American youth.
"I took geography, which was totally ‘not normal,’" Xiong said with a chuckle. "The Hmong people prefer the typical doctor, lawyer,
teacher professions. And geography wasn't on the list. My parents wondered why I even chose that degree, but I did, because I liked the
courses, the professors, and making maps. My professors opened my mind and made me see that maybe there's something out there for
me. I graduated in 2001."
Describing himself as "shy," Xiong admitted that his high school years weren't enjoyable, and neither was his first year at UW-Madison. "I
really didn't like the high school atmosphere," he said. "Because in high school you have to be a certain way. Then, there were a few
Hmong in my class in high school. I guess it was just me. When I went to college, that's where I found myself. I told myself, I can do this; I
don't have to be like everybody else. However, at UW-Madison, a big factor in me not doing well or not succeeding or not being
comfortable was because the classes here were so large, compared to those at UW-La Crosse. Here, they just know you by your ID when
you took the test, but when I went to La Crosse, I knew my professors by name, they knew me. I came here under a collegiate program
for high school graduates in La Crosse — the Upper Bound program. The only reason I went to UW-Madison was because my two older
siblings went to UW-La Crosse and I didn't want to do that. I figured I'll try something new, but it wasn't for me."
His first job after earning his degree, however, returned Xiong to Madison. "I got a job in Madison as photogrammetric technician," he
recalled. "It was before Sept. 11. Unfortunately, I was let go soon after, when the company, as many other companies losing business at
that time, did a lot of cutbacks. The first ones to go were the newly hired." Out of job, he volunteered with NRI (Natural Resources
Inventory), which is under NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) just to see what other geographer majors did. "I just wanted to
see what was out there," he said. Soon after, he was hired as a temporary employee with NRCS in 2002. He worked at the Onalaska
field office in La Crosse County as a soil conservation technician or a cartographic aide. In less than a year, a position opened in Madison
and Xiong became a cartographic technician.
Xiong is very proud of his work as cartographer and his office, the NRCS. He is also very excited about his additional title as Asian
Pacific Islander Program Manager.
"I like what I'm doing: mapping and the geographic information system," he said. "We have offices in almost every county … and people
can get information from our offices or check our website. We provide technical help in terms of conservation of water and land. We have
programs that help farmers, and many of them actually get some money from the government to preserve say, a wetland, or turn their land
back into a wetland; there are different cost-share programs."
"Also, we are trying to target specific groups, and because I'm also the Asian Pacific Islander Program Manager, I work with the Asian
Pacific Islander Organization (APIO) on two scholarships: one from the USDA and another from the APIO. Here in the state, we now have
have three AAPIs, which is good. When I first started, I was the only Asian Pacific Islander employee in the state. So, we have come a
long way. I've helped recruit the other two. I'm glad that I'm making a difference, increasing our diversity, which is what we want." He does
a lot of outreach, especially with the Hmong community, by participating in the Wisconsin Hmong Association Annual Conference
and distributing information on various agricultural issues.
Xiong wants to continue promoting diversity in the USDA in the state, and in the near future, get into soil analysis, not just digital
mapping. Meanwhile, he is making sure that his wife (who works with the Mental Health Center of Dane County) and son get to enjoy what
Wisconsin has to offer its citizens, particularly those who came under unfortunate circumstances, like the Hmong who supported the U.S.
military in its fight against the communists during the Vietnam War.
by Heidi M. Pascual
John Xiong's job at the Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS, U.S. Department of Agriculture) is tied to
the land. Like his Hmong forefathers who worked on their
farmlands on the hilltops of Laos, Xiong has been interested
in the type of soil suitable for farming in Wisconsin, where
he grew up and which he considers his home.
While he himself doesn't farm, thousands of Wisconsin’s
Hmong do. Wisconsin ranks third in the U.S. for the highest
Hmong population behind only California and Minnesota.
Part of Xiong's work as a cartographer greatly benefits
farmers and landowners. He provides information on soil
types and existence of wetlands for agricultural purposes or
building homes and other structures, not only in Wisconsin,
but throughout the U.S.
"We do soil survey or soil mapping," Xiong said in an
interview with Asian Wisconzine. "We digitize, or we make a
digital project, out of previously published surveys in paper
format that soil scientists and soil researchers have
compiled. We create the digital maps for the nation."
John Xiong's job at the Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS, U.S. Department of Agriculture) is tied to
the land. Like his Hmong forefathers who worked on their
farmlands on the hilltops of Laos, Xiong has been interested
in the type of soil suitable for farming in Wisconsin, where
he grew up and which he considers his home.
While he himself doesn't farm, thousands of Wisconsin’s
Hmong do. Wisconsin ranks third in the U.S. for the highest
Hmong population behind only California and Minnesota.
Part of Xiong's work as a cartographer greatly benefits
farmers and landowners. He provides information on soil
types and existence of wetlands for agricultural purposes or
building homes and other structures, not only in Wisconsin,
but throughout the U.S.
"We do soil survey or soil mapping," Xiong said in an
interview with Asian Wisconzine. "We digitize, or we make a
digital project, out of previously published surveys in paper
format that soil scientists and soil researchers have
compiled. We create the digital maps for the nation."
| John Xiong |
