NRCS This Week - 01/10/03

News

February 7, 2003

"No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem."

Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), American author, educator and civil rights leader

In This Issue

Accolades; NRCS Lends a Hand County Producer Valuable Assistance; Focus on the Field
California: Ag Students Tour Service Center
Kansas: Farm Bill Public Service Ads
National: NRCS and the U.S. Army Partner for Conservation
Wyoming: NRCS and Society for Range Management Sign MOU; Word from Washington
NRCS and Society for Range Management Sign MOU
Administration Proposes Record Funding for Conservation
Secretary Announces Release of Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Proposed Rule
Celebrate National Black History Month!
Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Annual Leadership Forums Held
National Engineers Week; Tech Tip; Using Digital Ortho Imagery to Refine Primary Sample Unit Sites; Sites to See
Find out what conservation events and activities are occurring this month and in the upcoming months with the Events and Activities page on our NRCS website; Visit the National Agricultural Library’s new super resource center, DIGITOP
USDA’s Farm Bill 2002 Website
NRCS Legislative Summaries
AGRICOLA: USDA's AGRICultural OnLine Access
National Association of Conservation Districts e-Notes

Accolades

NRCS Lends a Hand County Producer Valuable Assistance
Thanks to technical assistance provided by NRCS soil conservationist Mark Brannen, engineer Angela Roman, and others, Hand County, South Dakota, producer Todd Bushong was recently presented with the Upland Game Manager of the Year award from Progressive Farmer magazine. Bushong was recognized for developing wildlife habitat on his land. Over a 3-year period, NRCS conservationists helped Bushong plan and install tree plantings for erosion control and livestock protection, wetland filter strips for restoration and water quality purposes, and drainage ditch plugs to restore wetland wildlife habitat. NRCS programs helped Bushong as well, with roughly 279 acres of cropland enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), nearly 10 acres enrolled in the continuous CRP, and 23.3 acres enrolled in the Farmed Wetland Program (FWP). Through the FWP, more than 11 acres of cropped wetlands will be restored and revegetated. In addition to seeding cropland back to perennial, cool and warm season, and native vegetation under the CRP, Bushong has added several food plots to help support upland wildlife during the winter months. He plans to plant 2 more acres of trees this spring.
Your contact is David Keith, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 605-352-1228, or david.keith@sd.nrcs.usda.gov.

Focus on the Field

Ag Students Tour Service Center
As part of the Monterey County Agricultural Education, Inc., effort to familiarize students with career opportunities in agriculture, students from Hartnell Community College's ag program stopped at the Salinas Service Center. The students got a first-hand opportunity to talk with NRCS employees and learn about the wide variety of opportunities that exist for ag-related careers, not only in NRCS, but throughout USDA, and locally as well. NRCS conservationists explained the educational and skill requirements to qualify for jobs with the agency.
Your contact is Jolene Lau, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 831-754-1595, or jolene.lau@ca.usda.gov.

Farm Bill Public Service Ads
Thanks to a request by NRCS, Feist Publications, Inc., placed 14 2002 Farm Bill public service ads (equaling nearly 3-3/4 pages) in each of its seven area-wide Kansas telephone directories. The ads ranged from a half page to 1/12 page in size. The cost of a full page is $3,500 which equates to more than $13,000 in free public service advertising for NRCS. The area-wide directories and mini directories will be distributed to all households and businesses in the western two-thirds of the State. The Feist Corporation has earned 13 gold book awards for publishing the best telephone directories in the country.
Your contact is Mary Shaffer, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 785-823-4571, or mary.shaffer@ks.nrcs.usda.gov.

NRCS and the U.S. Army Partner for Conservation
NRCS has begun conservation work at 11 U.S. Army installations as a result of a memorandum of agreement signed between the U.S. Army Environmental Center and NRCS to provide technical assistance to selected Army installations. A variety of soil and water conservation practices such as re-seeding, erosion control structures, grassed waterways and so on, are being installed through each installation’s comprehensive environmental program. Conservation work is currently being done at Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Bliss, Texas (note: conservation work is being done primarily in those sections of the fort located in New Mexico); and Fort Eustis and Fort Lee, Virginia. Your contact is George Teachman, NRCS soil scientist, at 410-436-1561, or george.teachman@aec.apgea.army.mil.

NRCS and Society for Range Management Sign MOU
NRCS Chief Bruce Knight and SRM President Rod Heitschmidt signed a Technical Service Provider Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) this week between NRCS and SRM at the Casper, Wyoming, Events Center. The MOU establishes a working partnership between SRM and NRCS in the delivery of technical services and establishes recognition of SRM as an approved certifying organization, able to recommend certified SRM members to be considered for certification as technical service providers by NRCS. The 2002 Farm Bill provides for USDA to offer conservation technical assistance to agricultural producers from government employees or qualified outside sources (technical service providers). Qualified, certified technical service providers may provide technical assistance in conservation planning and implementation of programs authorized under the conservation provision of the new Farm Bill. For more SRM meeting information, refer to: http://www.rangelands.org/.
Your contact is Nancy Atkinson, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 307-261-6482, or nancy.atkinson@wy.usda.gov

Word from Washington

NRCS and American Society of Agronomy Sign MOU
Deputy Secretary Jim Moseley, NRCS Chief Bruce Knight, and ASA President Robert Hoeft signed Technical Service Provider Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) this week at a signing ceremony in Washington. The four MOU’s with the Certified Crop Advisers, Certified Professional Agronomists, Certified Professional Crop Scientists, and Certified Professional Soil Scientists establish a working partnership between the NRCS and the ASA by recognizing ASA as an approved certifying organization, able to recommend certified ASA members to be considered for certification as technical service providers by the NRCS for the four ASA Certification programs. These MOU’s have a five-year span. The Department will be able to provide much needed assistance to carry out new Farm Bill programs. The 2002 Farm Bill provides for USDA to offer conservation technical assistance to agricultural producers from government employees or qualified outside sources (technical service providers). Qualified, certified technical service providers may provide technical assistance in conservation planning and implementation of programs authorized under the conservation provision of the new Farm Bill.
Your contact is Fred Jacobs, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 202-720-6794, or fred.jacobs@usda.gov.

Administration Proposes Record Funding for Conservation
Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced last week that President Bush will propose a record $3.9 billion, an increase of $582 million over the FY 2003 level, for conservation programs to strengthen environmental stewardship on the nation's farmlands. The FY 2004 funding request is $1.9 billion higher, or more than double the funding for these activities, when the Bush Administration came into office just two years ago. "This Administration has worked hard to ensure strong environmental programs are available to our nation's farmers and ranchers," said Veneman. "Farmers and ranchers are the best stewards of the land and we will continue to ensure these programs are administered effectively and in the best interest of producers and the environment."
Nearly $3.5 billion of the President's record-level proposal will be used for financial assistance or other direct payments to farmers, including the following:
– $2 billion for the Conservation Reserve Program for rental and other costs on new and old acreage, an increase of approximately $140 million over 2003;
– $850 million will be provided for EQIP, a $255 million increase above FY 2003;
– $250 million for the Wetlands Reserve Program to enroll an additional 178,000 acres;
– $112 million for the Farmland Protection Program, which is $27 million over the 2003 level;
– $85 million for the Grassland Reserve Program, a $13 million increase over 2003.
– $42 million for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, an increase of $16 million over 2003;
– $19 million for the new Conservation Security Program, for which an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule (ANPR) is expected shortly.
This budget ensures that all of the cost-share and technical assistance conservation work authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill for FY 2004 will be delivered. USDA will use an additional $432 million, through a new Farm Bill Technical Assistance account, to ensure farmers and ranchers can access the technical work necessary to fully utilize the conservation programs' financial assistance. This new account, which the Administration initially proposed for FY 2003 at $333 million, is necessary because of a statutory cap that restricts USDA's ability to pay for technical assistance from farm program funds.
Your contact is Mary Cressel, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 690-0547, or mary.cressel@usda.gov.

Secretary Announces Release of Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Proposed Rule
During an address to cattle producers and ranchers at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee last week, Secretary Ann Veneman announced the release of proposed rules for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) reauthorized in the 2002 Farm Bill, published in the Federal Register for public comment. This will allow farmers and ranchers the ability to utilize program funding in the coming year.
Highlights of the revised EQIP proposal include a reduction in the amount of planning requirements needed to develop a contract; provides up to 90 percent cost share for limited resource and beginning producers; provides livestock producers with cost share assistance for waste storage facilities regardless of size, but they must develop and implement a comprehensive nutrient management plan; allowance of producers to have more than one contract per tract at any given time; allocates 60 percent of EQIP funds towards livestock related practices; and eliminates the program's dual administration by delegating EQIP to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "Conservation incentive programs for working lands, in combination with technical assistance, help reduce the regulatory burden on farmers and ranchers faced with air and water quality restrictions," Veneman said. "The team at USDA has worked to ensure these proposed rules are producer-friendly and will achieve the intended results of these programs."
Comments on the EQIP proposal will be accepted for 30 days after publication. Additional information on EQIP and other conservation programs is on the Web at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/. For a transcript of the Secretary’s remarks, as well as a summary of USDA's mid-term accomplishments, please visit http://www.usda.gov/.
Your contact is Mary Cressel, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 690-0547, or mary.cressel@usda.gov.

Celebrate National Black History Month!
National Black History Month is celebrated during February to salute and honor the contributions African-Americans have made to this Nation. This year's theme is "The Souls of Black Folk: Centennial Reflections." In 1926, Harvard-educated Dr. Carter G. Woodson began the observance to instill a sense of pride, heritage, and honor in African-Americans and to encourage other racial groups to learn more about the African-American culture. In 1976, the weeklong event was expanded to the entire month of February to allow more time for observances. Dr. Woodson's choice of February honors two well-known civil rights leaders born during the month: Frederick Douglas (February 14) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12).
Your contact is Thaddeus Hamilton, Acting NRCS National Black Emphasis Program Manager, at 954-792-1984, or thaddeus.hamilton@fl.usda.gov.

Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Annual Leadership Forum Held
Almost 200 council members from 41 States attended the National Association of RC&D Council’s 4th Annual Leadership Forum held in Washington, DC, this week. Program highlights included presentations by USDA Under Secretary Natural Resources and Environment, Mark Rey, NRCS Chief Bruce Knight, and Texas Congressman Charles Stenholm.
The Council of the Year award was presented to the Southwest Nebraska RC&D Council. RC&D Coordinator of the Year was presented to Merlin Berg, from the Wy-East Oregon RC&D Council and Council Person of the Year went to Jeanette Jamieson from the Chestatee-Chattahoochee, Georgia Council for her role as president of the Southeast RC&D Regional Association. The Sponsor of the Year award went to USDA Rural Development Illinois Office for their work with the Two Rivers RC&D Council.
A variety of training sessions were held on building council leadership, reaching out to the underserved, bioenergy opportunities, and working with public officials. Additionally, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the National Association of RC&D Councils with the USDA Forest Service, was recognized as the RC&D Policy Advisory Board agency of the year.
Your contact is Joan M. Comanor, Director, NRCS Resource Conservation and Community Development Division, at 202-720-5927, or joan.comanor@usda.gov.

National Engineers Week
Celebrate National Engineers Week this year from February 16-22. This year’s National Engineers Week 2003 will launch of The New Faces of Engineering, a new program spotlighting the outstanding contributions of America's youngest engineers.
Founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers and sponsored by more than 100 engineering, scientific, and education societies and major corporations, National Engineers Week is dedicated to increasing public awareness and appreciation of engineers and to encouraging pre-college interest in science, technology, and engineering. For more Engineers Week activities and events, visit http://www.eweek.org/.
Your contact is Carl DuPoldt, NRCS engineer, at 609-561-3223, ext. 18, or cdupoldt@nj.nrcs.usda.gov.

Tech Tip

Using Digital Ortho Imagery to Refine Primary Sample Unit Sites
The National Resources Inventory (NRI) collects land cover/use data from approximately 280,000 fixed geographic locations that are visited on a rotational basis. Historically, unrectified analog aerial photography was used to collect information and determine land cover/use changes. During the process of taking aerial photography, image distortion has been caused by camera and/or sensor angle. This distortion makes accurate boundary placement and measurements difficult and inconsistent.
Presently, high resolution aerial photography is being scanned and corrected using digital orthophotography and digital elevation data to remove horizontal and vertical distortion. The result is an image base that meets National Map Accuracy Standards and provides for consistent placement of primary sample unit (PSU) spatial data, as well as for accurate linear and area measurements. As many as four quarterquads may be required to orthorectify one PSU centered aerial photograph. The file size overhead can be as much as 600MB and is very prohibitive to efficient data management and production schedule completion.
To address this issue, the Resources Inventory Support Branch at the National Cartography and Geospatial Center in Fort Worth, Texas, is providing seamlessly mosaic Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ) clips for data collection sites for performing their own orthorectification. These clips are buffered a distance of one kilometer beyond the PSU boundary and reduce the file size overhead from 600MB to 8-18MB per PSU. Eliminated is the up-front work required to manage and mosaic multiple files. The clips are full one meter resolution and meet the same accuracy standards as National Digital Orthophotography Program DOQQs.
The National Cartography and Geospatial Center in Fort Worth, Texas is the NRCS archive for Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQ) and Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ).
Your contact is Kevin R. Grantham, Soil Conservationist, at 817-509-3345, or kgrantha@ftw.nrcs.usda.gov.

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