| 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." 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. |
John Xiong
Sample maps done by Xiong
for NRCS
for NRCS
John Xiong: Mapping Wisconsin's soil