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| Friday, March 22, 2002 Washington, DC. |
"First follow nature, and your judgement frame
By her just standard, which is still the same;
Unerring nature still divinely bright,
One clear, unchanged, and universal light,
Life, force, and beauty, must to all impart,
At once the source, and end, and test of Art."
FOCUS ON THE FIELD
Ag Week Golden State Style -
Two hundred USDA employees in Davis, California, celebrated Ag Week with their community. School children planted flowers with Congressman Doug Ose and local USDA leadership, including Jim Kocsis, acting Assistant State Conservationist for California. Participants enjoyed music, refreshments, and educational displays in the session, as Walt Shaw, local farm radio broadcaster, moderated the event.
Your contact is Colleen Schneider, NRCS public Affairs Specialist, at 530-792-5709.
Urban Conservation Manual Completed -
The NRCS Urban Manual with updated information on engineering standards and specifications for protecting soil and water resources at construction sites is the result of efforts by both NRCS and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The manual contains new standards and drawings to aid contractors and engineers in providing adequate protection of soil and water resources in developing and growing communities with much construction. The manual is intended for NRCS technical specialists, other State and Federal conservation partners, and private engineering companies, that are working to provide environmentally friendly construction environments. The manual will soon be available on the Illinois NRCS website and CD-ROM.
Your contact is Kent Sims, NRCS soil conservationist, at 815-577-3597.
Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Recognized -
The Nebraska RC&D Program was recently recognized by the Nebraska Development Network for its contributions to public service. The RC&D coordinators, staff, and councils were cited for organizing, facilitating, and hosting workshops and meetings Statewide to plan community economic development. The Development Network is a consortium of businesses, non-profits, and State and Federal agencies that work through the network for rural and community development. The Assistant State Conservationist Kenneth Noonan, accepted the award on behalf of Nebraska's RC&D councils from Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman.
Your contact is Pat McGrane, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 402-437-5328 or <pat.mcgrane@ne.usda.gov>.
Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year -
Conservation-minded farmer Dana Stapleton, of Sisseton, South Dakota, was named Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year, along with three other producers, at an event in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce award recognizes excellence in the field of agriculture, achievements in conservation practices, and contributions to the community. Dana is a participant in the Little Minnesota River/Big Stone Lake
PL-566 project and has installed an agricultural management waste system to control runoff from his beef feeding operation. Windbreaks have been recently planted on Stapleton's farm that complement his minimum tillage and no-till practices. Several northeastern South Dakota newspapers covered the story.
Your contact is David Keith, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 605-352-1228.
Two New NRCS Tribal Liaison Offices -
In an effort to improve conservation assistance to tribes in the State of Washington, NRCS has established tribal liaison offices on two of the State's largest reservations. NRCS tribal liaisons will assist with natural resource conservation planning, application, and coordination for financial assistance for USDA programs. The Yakama Nation Reservation office operations cover more than a million acres of land, home to 14 confederated tribes and bands, located in south central Washington. The Columbia River's fish, as well as the area's prime agriculture land, wildlife, and forest resources are vital to the Yakama Nation. The Colville Confederated Tribes Reservation office operations cover nearly 1.5 million acres of land located in northeastern Washington that are home to 12 confederated tribes and bands. The area's timber, ranching, construction, tourism, hunting, fishing, and a fish hatchery are vital to the Colville Confederated Tribes. NRCS in the State of Washington works with 30 Federally recognized American Indian tribes and 8 Federally non-recognized tribes.
Your contact is Betty Schmitt, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 509-323-2912.
WORD FROM WASHINGTON
Celebrate Women's History Month! -
The official theme for this year’s celebration is "Women Sustaining the American Spirit." Schools and communities will celebrate the month with special curriculum and events, and many States and cities have extended the observance year-round by creating women's halls of fame.
The first International Women's Day was March 8, 1911. In 1981, U.S. Representative Barbara Mikulski and U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch cosponsored a Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming the week of March 8 as National Women's History Week. In 1986, the National Women's History Project helped expand the celebration to the entire month of March. In 1987 and subsequent years, National Women's History Month resolutions have been approved by Congress. Check out the many interesting events of Women's History Month by visiting the Feminist Majority website calendar at http://www.feminist.org/calendar/Calendar.asp.
Your contact is Barbara Compton, NRCS National Federal Women's Program Manger, at 301-504-2183.
New Guide for Raising Chickens and Turkeys -
"Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture" features farmer experiences plus the latest research in a new, 16-page guide to raising chickens and turkeys using pens, movable fencing and pastures. Published by USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), this free four-color bulletin is written with colorful anecdotes and touches on production, processing, marketing, and resources for poultry production. With ideas for marketing, poultry products and a page of resources, "Profitable Poultry" is available on the web at http://www.sare.org/bulletin/poultry, or in print by calling 301-504-6422. A companion guide, "Sustainable Poultry: Production Overview," offering more in-depth information about range poultry production, will be released soon by Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas. To see an overview, visit the Appropriate Technology Transfer website at http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/poultryoverview.html or call 800-346-9140 to obtain a draft copy. The SAN is the national outreach arm of USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. For more information on SAN, visit their website at http://www.sare.org for more information.
Your contact is Valerie Berton, SARE communications specialist, at 301-504-5230.
NRCS and Organic Food Industry Group to Cooperate -
Helping conserve natural resources on lands used for organic farming is the subject of a recent agreement between NRCS and the Organic Trade Association (OTA). OTA is a business association representing growers, processors, distributors, retailers and others in the organic agriculture and products industry throughout North America. The agreement, signed by NRCS Chief Pearlie S. Reed and OTA Executive Director Katherine T. DiMatteo, allows the two organizations to cooperate on a wide range of conservation activities, including conservation planning with organic growers to benefit soil, water and other natural resources, improving the quantity and quality of organic commodities; identifying soil erosion hazards and limitations of soils for organic farming. "This agreement will help organic growers meet this demand while conserving our natural resources," said Chief Pearlie Reed. Over the next 5 years, NRCS will develop national guidance on natural resource conservation related to organic production and furnish technical assistance for conservation measures for organic farms locally. OTA will inform its members of the opportunities for and benefits of developing conservation plans and recommend conservation planning to growers. The entire agreement is on the NRCS web site at http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/PROGRAMS/Other/1-114ota.mou_3.htm. See the "Sites to See" section of NRCS This Week for a link to the full text of the NRCS agreement press release.
Your contact is Richard Lindeborg, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 202-720-4772 or
richard.lindeborg@usda.gov.
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) -
Adolf Perez, Acting NRCS State Conservationist for New York, and others discussed integrated approaches to natural resource management at a pre-conference for the August WSSD to be held in South Africa this August. Topics included integrated environmental, economic and social goals, planning and problem solving, involving multi-stakeholders, and developing cooperative relationships, voluntary commitments and partnerships. The New York City drinking water aquifer land use management initiative is a good example of cooperation across the urban/rural partnerships. The WSSB pre-conference will tackle a number of subjects including cost effective and integrated agriculture; forest management, land use, and water quality problem solving; multi-stakeholder/multi-sector (e.g. suburban, urban/industrial, rural/agricultural/forestry, non governmental and government) involvement; the key role of science and technology; public information; and results driven performance indicators. For more conference information, visit the WSSD web site at http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/.
Your contact is Jeri Berc, NRCS natural resource manager, at 202-720-2534.
Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Training - In response to a request from the NRCS State office in Iowa, the National Water Management Center facilitated a SWAT training session, which was attended by NRCS personnel from Iowa, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and the Watershed Science Institute. SWAT is a watershed scale model developed by the Agricultural Research Service to quantify the water quality impacts of land management practices in large, complex watersheds. By sending a team to this training, the National Water Management Center prepared them to provide technical assistance to States using this technology.
Your contact is William Boyd, NRCS environmental engineer, at 501-210-8917 or william.boyd@ar.usda.gov.
Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) Milestone Reached -
Seven automated climate and soil monitoring stations, recently installed in Alabama, form the beginning of a new State meteorological measuring network (MESONET), as part of the nationwide Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) network. Funded by Alabama A-&-M University (AAMU) and the NRCS National Water and Climate Center (NWCC), these stations enable SCAN and MESONET to provide hourly data from a full complement of atmospheric sensors and soil moisture and soil temperature sensors. Additionally, NWCC works closely with the NRCS National Soil Survey Center to collect soils information at each of the sites. AAMU will also provide products for agricultural producers to assist them with management of their resources, including providing potential drought, pest, and disease information that may affect their crops. An Alabama television weather service has already linked its web site to the NWCC homepage with plans to use the information from the seven sites to augment the station's MESONET to provide additional forecasts. Near real-time data from all SCAN stations are available at the NRCS NWCC homepage, at http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov.
Your contact is Garry L. Schaefer, NRCS hydrologist, at 503-414-3068 or gschaefer@wcc.nrcs.usda.gov.
Please send correspondence and material for "NRCS This Week" to the editor by: e-mail to: fred.jacobs@usda.gov or by fax to: Editor, "NRCS This Week," 202-720-1564; or by mail to: Editor, "NRCS This Week," NRCS, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013.
You can receive NRCSTW via e-mail by sending an e-mail to: listproc@nrcs.usda.gov (NHQ personnel should send their e-mail to: GW:"listproc@nrcs.usda.gov@i"). Do not use a subject line and put the following in the body of the message: subscribe NRCS-THIS-WEEK Firstname Lastname (example: subscribe NRCS-THIS-WEEK Rachel Carson). To get help with other commands that are available at the "listproc@nrcs.usda.gov" address, send a message with no subject and the word HELP on a line by itself in the body of the message. "NRCS This Week" is posted on the NRCS Homepage.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
The NRCS Mission: The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.
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