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| Friday, October 19, 2001 Washington, DC. |
"Man and nature must work hand in hand - the throwing out of balance of the resources of nature, throws out of balance also the lives of men."
–- Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), 32nd President of The United States
FOCUS ON THE FIELD
NRCS Learns at Silvopasture Workshop -
To learn more about silvopasture and its potential use, the State of Alabama recently held a multi-agency training session for NRCS and Alabama Cooperative Extension System technical specialists. The session, held at the Auburn University Solon Dixon Forestry Center, a demonstration site made possible by financial support from the National Agroforestry Center and the Conservation of Private Grazing Land Initiative, included technical sessions and a field trip. The technical session included presentations dealing with establishment of silvopasture, wildlife considerations, forage plant physiology and interactions, grazing management systems, and silvopasture economics. Presenters included NRCS employees, Auburn University professors, landowners, and a representative from the National Agroforestry Center. Field demonstrations at the Dixon Center and at the George Owens ranch in Florida were also a part of the workshop.
Your contacts are Jerry Johnson, NRCS forester, at jerry.johnson@al.usda.gov and Sid Brantly, NRCS Regional Grazing Lands Coordinator, at sid.brantly@al.usda.gov.
First Annual Pig Week - As part of American Samoa's needs assessment project contract with NRCS for work on hog waste management, a Pig Week event was sponsored by the American Samoa Interagency Piggery Waste Management Council. The week's events highlighted the importance of pork in Samoan culture, diet, and the impact of hog waste on environment. During the week, the council conducted various workshops throughout the island, along with contests such as best piggery operations, best-size pigs and the best market preparation. With help from the local soil and water conservation district, NRCS conservationists, University of Hawaii Agriculture Extension and American Samoa Community College land grant agents were able to attend and explain the dry litter system, composting, and other ways that farmers can raise hogs more efficiently while reducing the negative environmental impacts of hog waste.
Your contact person is Pona T. Ala, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 684-633-1031 or amsamfo@samoatelco.com
Arkansas Supports Grand Prairie Project - As part of a project to minimize a drop in the ground water level in the Grand Prairie region, 17 NRCS employees from Arkansas are planning, surveying, designing, and overseeing construction of irrigation storage reservoirs and a canal network to deliver surface water throughout the area. Water will be pumped from the White River into the canals, streams, and pipelines for transport to individual farms. NRCS personnel will also assist farmers and ranchers in the Grand Prairie region with designing and implementing on-farm water conservation practices. The Grand Prairie is in the heart of one of the major rice and soybean producing areas in the United States. Loss of rice and soybean production in this area would have severe economic and social repercussions to local, State, and National economies. Providing millions of gallons of agricultural water annually since 1904, the alluvial aquifer is quickly being depleted. In 1937, water from the alluvial aquifer was typically 50 feet beneath the surface. However, today the National Water Management Center reports water is typically 105 feet below the surface. The State of Arkansas declared the area to be a critical ground water decline area and recommended the on-farm conservation measures and the surface water delivery systems for the area.
Your contact is Sonja Coderre, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 501-301-3133.
Earth Team Volunteers Pitch-in on Flood Control - As part of a Great Plains Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) council upstream flood control project, 12 individuals from the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps volunteered to help as NRCS Earth Team volunteers. The volunteers donated nearly 3,000 hours during their 6 weeks in Oklahoma, assisting the Upper Washita, Custer County, and North Fork of Red River Conservation Districts with problems related to aging upstream flood control structures. The young volunteers from urban areas in the Eastern U.S. obviously weren't scared by the prospect of hard work, but they were concerned about what to do in case of tornadoes, thunderstorms, lightning, snakes, and other Oklahoma phenomena. The NRCS Earth Team volunteers removed over 100 tons of trees and brush from 35 flood control watershed sites and stacked the debris at designated locations behind the embankments along the Washita River. Their work will provide improved flood control for over 25,000 residents in this tri-county area of Oklahoma.
Your contact is Larry Wright, RC&D Coordinator, at 580-832-3661.
Envirothon Winner Interns with NRCS - Ryan Arruda, a member of the winning 5-person team from North Kingstown, High School in Rhode Island, interned with NRCS this past summer as part of a special NRCS Envirothon internship program developed by former State Conservationist Joe DelVecchio. Delvecchio reached out to the heads of other State and Federal agencies to take part in the internship program for the Envirothon winners to help educate and prepare them to become decision-makers. Ryan recently wrote to the Rhode Island Envirothon committee expressing his enthusiasm for the program. He wrote, "My internship with NRCS has been incredible! For 9 weeks, I have was involved in helping the NRCS in a variety of ways; sometimes working on computer databases, making maps for farmers, and going out to evaluate and correspond with farms about their needs. At first, the idea of working for the Government was a bit intimidating, but after the first week, I was learning plenty of new things – and it wasn’t half-bad either! The fact that working with NRCS was enjoyable pushed me to show up every morning. Simply put, it was fun! More importantly though, I was able to draw more than just a paycheck from NRCS. Working gave me an experience I guarantee will never fade. I am most thankful and appreciative to have been able to meet people, not just on the farms, but in the office, as well. Everybody was awesome at NRCS, incredibly kind and very entertaining. I realize how lucky I am to have been able to experience so much."
Your contact is Jeanne Comeford, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 401-828-1300.
The Leader in You Series Features "Change and Leadership" - The NRCS Social Sciences Institute, in cooperation with the National Association of Conservation Districts, National Conservation District Employees Association, National Association of State Conservation Agencies, Federal Training Network, and the NRCS National Employee Development Center will present "Change and Leadership" on November 1, as part of the Leader in You Series. Participant materials can be found on the NRCS Social Science Institute's web site at http://www.ssi.nrcs.usda.gov. The first item under "What's New" contains the November 1 handouts and evaluation link.
Broadcast Times
| Signal test time 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET |
Program time 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET |
Satellite Information
| C-Band Galaxy 3r Satellite: Transponder: 4 c-band Orbital Position: 95 degrees west longitude Downlink Frequency: 3780 MHz Receive Polarity: Vertical |
Ku-Band Telstar 5 Satellite: Transponder: 25 Ku-band Orbital Position: 97 degrees west longitude Downlink Frequency: 12144 MHz Receive Polarity: Vertical |
Satellite Technical Assistance/Trouble Number: Videocom: 781-326-8078
Your contact is Barbara Wallace, NRCS Community Planner, at 616-942-1503.
SSI Training Program Enhanced - Earthworms are often associated with healthy, productive soil because they improve nutrient cycling and soil structure, and because they require many of the same conditions that crops thrive on. Although earthworms cannot tolerate extreme conditions such as low soil moisture, sandy texture, or low pH, their numbers can be increased by controlling the level of food in the form of organic matter and litter levels. Surface litter also provides protection from predators and weather. Earthworm-friendly practices to increase litter include reducing tillage, using cover crops and high-residue crop rotations, and growing healthy, productive crops. Inoculating fields with earthworms has met with mixed success and is generally not recommended. To establish earthworm populations, create a suitable habitat by reducing tillage. Once soil conditions improve, populations of shallow-dwelling earthworms are likely to increase on their own within a couple years and will provide the soil quality benefits of earthworm activity. Often deep-dwelling nightcrawlers may naturally not be present so inoculation may be necessary to establish a population. Test to see if the earthworms will survive in a small area before spending time and money inoculating a whole farm. If the inoculated worms survive, it may take 5 years or more for a population to become established. For more information, see the Agronomy Technical Note #11, "Agricultural Management Effects on Earthworm Populations" on the Soil Quality Institute website at http://@statlab.iastate.edu/survey/SQI.
Your contact is Mike Hubbs, NRCS Agronomist, at 334-844-4741 ext. 177.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month - The theme of this year's National Disability Employment Awareness Month is "Win with Ability." In 1988, Congress expanded the observance to a month-long kick-off for year-round programs that highlight the abilities and skills of Americans with disabilities and changed its name to "National Disability Employment Awareness Month." Find out more at the U.S. Department of Labor's website at: http://www.dol.gov/dol/odep/public/programs/ndeam.htm.
Managing Soil for Earth Worms - Hurricane Mitch, which struck Central America in October 1998, devastated farms and left farmers without the means to support themselves and families. Through special congressional funding, Manuel Ayala, Jr., NRCS Soil Conservationist at National Headquarters and a team of NRCS technical specialists from State offices have traveled to Central America over the past 3 years to assist these farmers in recovering from the effects of the hurricane. Carlos Suarez, NRCS soil conservationist from Indiana, and Ilde Chavez, NRCS engineer from Arizona, have been assisting farmers in Nicaragua. Other NRCS conservationists have served in Honduras, Dominican Republic, and El Salvador. Often traveling to remote areas by horse and mule, NRCS conservationists have assisted farmers with road and rangeland restoration, fruit tree reforestation, streambank stabilization, irrigation work, removal of debris and sediment from farmland, bee hive construction, capacity building, and may other types of assistance. Their efforts have spawned many productive partnerships with government and non-governmental agencies alike, as well as with private sector partners. The assistance program is scheduled to wrap up by this December.
Your contact is Manuel Ayala, Jr., NRCS Soil Conservationist, at 202-720-1883. .
If you are not a NRCS employee, you can receive NRCSTW on an e-mail by contacting: 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 John Muir). 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" will continue to be 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, and 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.
Addresses and telephone numbers for NRCS' Civil Rights Staff are: NRCS Civil Rights Program Compliance Division, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mail Stop 5471, Beltsville, MD 20705-5471; phone: (301) 504-2287. NRCS Civil Rights Employment Division, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mail Stop 5472, Beltsville, MD 20705-5472; phone: (301) 504-2181.
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