NACD and NRCS: A Shared Passion for Conservation

Remarks prepared for delivery by Arlen L. Lancaster, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service, at the National Association of Conservation Districts’ Annual Meeting.
Reno, Nevada
February 12, 2008

Hear Chief Lancaster's NACD Address (4.1M WMA file)


INTRODUCTION
Thank you very much, Bob [Cordova].

Before I say anything else this morning, I want to express sincere condolences on behalf of NRCS and USDA on the passing of Olin Sims this past December. Upon his death, conservation lost one of its most respected voices and I, like many of you, lost a true friend.

Tonight, we will pay further tribute to his memory with the presentation of the first Olin Sims Conservation Leadership Award. The award, which is jointly sponsored by NACD and NRCS, will be given annually to recognize the achievements of a member of the conservation community who demonstrates leadership in promoting conservation on private lands.

In this way, we will ensure Olin’s vision and his many contributions are remembered by future generations.

CONSERVATION: OUR PURPOSE, OUR PASSION, OUR PARTNERSHIP.
This week, as we come together in Reno to strengthen and celebrate our unique and historic partnership, we are also launching a national campaign highlighting conservation as our purpose and our passion—a theme for which my friend, Olin, could have been the proud standard-bearer.

Conservation is our purpose at NRCS as we go about our mission of “helping people help the land.” And I think we would agree it is the primary purpose of the 3,000 soil and water conservation districts nationwide.

Together, we understand that cooperative conservation, across watersheds and landscapes, is the only way it makes sense for us to do business in the 21st century.

Together, we build and deliver conservation solutions that work! And together, the committed members of our conservation partnership help landowners get conservation on the ground. That, after all, is the true measure of our success.

For many of us, conservation is also our passion. Because of your passion, your professionalism and your persistence, private landowners voluntarily take conservation actions that yield invaluable public benefits in the forms of higher quality and more abundant water, cleaner air, more productive soils and improved wildlife habitat.

American farmers and ranchers are the most productive of any on Earth. This is in no small part thanks to the plans, practices and encouragement you provide through technical assistance that enhances their bottom line and the environment.

WHY WE NEED A CAMPAIGN
Yet sometimes, as budgets grow more constrained, workloads increase, and paperwork threatens to overwhelm us, it is easy to lose sight of the critical role working lands conservation plays in strengthening rural communities and in conserving, maintaining, and improving our vital natural resources.

And if we, for whom conservation is our purpose and our passion, can sometimes overlook the direct relevance of our work, certainly, those who do not have daily exposure to agriculture are even more likely to miss the connection.

In fact, today, most of our countrymen and women fall in this category. When Abraham Lincoln—born 199 years ago this day—was President of the United States, 80 percent of the population was rural. Now, nearly 80 percent of our population lives in urban areas. And in 1862, the year he created the Department of Agriculture, 60 percent of all jobs were on the farm. Today, less than two percent of us are on the farm.

That is why in addition to our many other responsibilities as a conservation community, we must continue to strive to raise awareness of the significant contributions made by landowners, our employees, volunteers, and other partners in achieving both abundant agricultural production and a healthy environment.

If we want the public to gain a better understanding of the societal benefits production agriculture provides in order to retain and increase public support for our mission, we must continue to highlight and reinforce all the ways cooperative conservation supports our national priorities—all the ways our nation’s producers are providing cleaner air, cleaner and more abundant water, and better wildlife habitat.

The Conservation Effects Assessment Project and our other efforts to build the science case for conservation will be important in this, but we also need to better package our story.

That is why, this morning, I am very proud to bring to you our new national campaign, one we believe captures our shared purpose and passion and creates excitement about the possibilities of partnering with us. It helps us build the case for what we do as a partnership and puts a face on agriculture that we think is representative of what is occurring throughout the country.

FEATURED CUSTOMERS
While any of us in this room could champion these ideas, we think the best spokespeople in this case are the producers who use our services to achieve their business and stewardship goals. We are blessed to have many thousand such dedicated landowner-partners, but have chosen to feature eight from an avalanche of nominations submitted by state conservationists.

In just a moment, you will hear from them—from the heart—in a five-minute video making its debut here this morning. They represent a wonderful cross-section of our customers, demonstrating diversity of geography, culture, adopted practices, and products. But, they also share several attributes common among America’s best farmers and ranchers. I will come back to these common characteristics at the end of the video . . . but without further ado, please join me in viewing: Conservation. . . Our Purpose. Our Passion. [video]

Every time I see this I come away revitalized by our customers’ earnestness and enthusiasm and humbled by our opportunity as individuals—and as a conservation community—to serve them.

Between them, those eight producers raise beef cattle and dairy cows, sheep, watermelons, peanuts, peas, grass seed, hay, corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, alfalfa, cucumbers, long beans, squash, tomatoes, eggplants and timber. And that doesn’t include the pheasants, ducks, quail, salmon, and other wildlife, native grasses, forbs and other prized bounty yielded by the habitat improvements they’ve undertaken.

WHAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON
And, although that list is impressive in its diversity, I find as I continue to learn about them that I am even more impressed by what these farmers and ranchers have in common. Let me tell you about some key traits they share—five traits I believe contribute to their success as producers, and as conservationists.

First, they have an abiding respect for the rich rural and farming heritage that is so deeply ingrained in our sense of who we are as Americans. That includes a respect for cherished pieces of land that, in some cases, have been handed down through several generations; or will be, as some of the young people you saw in the video begin to take the reins.

Their second shared trait is an open-mindedness that allows them to embrace innovation and new technologies while remaining flexible enough to cope with the challenges inherent in making a living from the land. They have sought out and made the best use of conservation technical assistance from an array of sources and they have implemented multiple management plans that you and other experts helped them to develop.

Third, they understand and have demonstrated for all of us to see that good conservation equals good economics. They consider environmental improvements an investment and, as one state conservationist noted, “they approach conservation with the same can-do entrepreneurial attitude they employ with their business.”

Fourth, they are leaders on and off the farm, serving on the boards of conservation districts, co-ops, and other industry and community groups. And their leadership has been recognized with awards such as “Conservation Farmer of the Year,” “Farm Family of the Year,” and “The Lloyd Wright Small Farmer Award.”

And finally, they are true partners in every sense of the word. All of these customers have participated in myriad field days, demonstrations and educational events because they genuinely enjoy sharing their experiences, and expertise, with others. In one producer’s case, his “open door” policy has resulted in visitors from 41 states and 14 foreign countries!

Another family hosted a secretary of agriculture and still another hosted the President of Mexico. That grower says she is eager to encourage other producers to take advantage of programs that can help individual growers and improve the health of the industry, asserting that “the more you involve other people and share the benefits and opportunity, the better off the industry will be.”

There can be no doubt that for these dedicated landowners and advocates, conservation is a real passion. It is impossible to hear them talk about their labors and their land and not come away with a renewed sense of purpose and an excitement about the potential of partnerships.

CALL TO ACTION
The stories of our featured customers and of so many others around the country tell us loud and clear: our shared work matters! It has mattered for more than 70 years and will continue to matter, as long as our objective is to make every acre count for conservation.

Like our featured customers, we must be willing to embrace innovation and new technologies and practices, when and where it makes sense to do so. We must be willing to look at how we are structured and ask ourselves if that is the best way to deliver conservation. And we must work hard at making conservation easier.

Despite the vagaries of farm bills, budget cycles and staffing issues, we must remain focused on excellence in delivering conservation technical assistance and planning expertise. And we must continue through our efforts in cooperative conservation to serve as catalysts and facilitators for the adoption of practices that lead to productive lands and a healthy environment.

IN CLOSING
In closing, I appreciate the opportunity to join you here in Reno to showcase conservation as our purpose and our passion and to launch this important campaign.

Thank you for your steadfast partnership and for all you do to help people help the land. I am confident that, together, we can successfully deliver conservation beyond borders.

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