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Leadership Challenges in Conservation
Remarks by Bruce I. Knight, Chief
Natural Resources Conservation Service
at the NRCS Midwest Region
Leadership Development Program
Washington, DC
May 14, 2002
Good Afternoon. I’m happy to be able to be here with you
today.
As you know, this is only my second week on the job here at NRCS. So I want to
take a couple of minutes to introduce myself.
First, and foremost, I am a rancher and farmer. I have a 1,500-acre operation in
South Dakota, my native state. I’ve been in business for more than 25 years. We
run a diversified grain and cattle operation using no till and rest rotation
grazing systems. My father impressed on me that we may be the land owners, but
we are really just the stewards of the land. That is how I have run my
operation.
I am also a public policy person. I served on Majority Leader Bob Dole’s staff,
focusing on the development of the conservation title of the 1996 farm bill. I
also worked as a legislative assistant to Rep. Fred Grandy of Iowa and Sen.
James Abdnor of South Dakota. Between those jobs, I worked for the National
Association of Wheat Growers. And, until a few weeks ago, for the National Corn
Growers Association, as vice president for public policy.
I am very excited about being chief of NRCS and having the chance to implement
the conservation measures that I have worked on so hard over the years. It is
truly an honor to join NRCS, an agency with a proud history of providing
assistance to America’s farmers and ranchers. I am confident that during my
tenure as Chief we will build on that heritage.
I have heard that some employees in the agency have been known to call it the
“Silent Conservation Service,” because a lot of people do not know who we are or
what we do. I hope to help change that perception by being an effective advocate
for NRCS and doing what I can to increase our public visibility.
Since I am new at being chief, what we have today is a new leader talking to a
group of emerging leaders. I understand you were scheduled to hear from Under
Secretary Mark Rey yesterday. Last week, Mark introduced me to the employees
from the National Headquarters. In that introduction, he said that “personnel is
policy.” By that he meant that you can tell what an organization’s policy will
be by the personnel it selects for leadership roles. I looked over the roster
for the Midwest Leadership Development Program, and could easily see how this
group represents the policies of NRCS.
First, we are building on the successes of the past. It is clear that all of you
have already contributed great things to our agency. You are serving in
positions of responsibility, and you will continue to do so.
Second, we value leaders from a range of disciplines. I see that you represent a
number of disciplines, including biology, planning, engineering, budget and
finance, and agronomy, among others. You also have a variety of program
experience, including such things as RC&D, tribal programs, grassland programs.
And finally, we value leaders who represent the diversity of our agency and our
customers. It is clear that you, as a group, have the kind of diversity that
will help our agency continue to improve in its ability to meet the needs of all
Americans.
As you know, the entire Federal government is approaching a time when many of
our most experienced leaders and workers will be retiring. It is good to know we
have people like you in the pipeline to help NRCS continue to meet the needs of
America’s farmers and ranchers and the rest of society.
I want to take a few minutes to go over a few of the things I think we can
accomplish together during the coming months:
The first thing we must accomplish is to maintain our tradition of excellent
service throughout the Agency. We must continue to be an organization that is
all about service – service to the land, service to landowners, and service to
America’s taxpayers.
We have many accomplishments in service to the land – helping people conserve,
maintain, and improve the natural resources and environment. Conservation is in
pretty good shape on America’s private lands.
We have made major progress in maintaining and enhancing our natural resources.
Soil erosion on cropland declined by 40 percent between 1982 and 1997. Wetland
losses from agriculture are only about 5 per cent of what they were 50 or even
25 years ago. Nearly a million acres of wetland have been restored in the last
decade.
The second area of service is service to landowners. Conservation Technical
Assistance is the backbone of our service to landowners. Last year’s survey of
our customers showed how much they value that service and how much trust they
put in it. We must ensure that landowners continue receiving top quality
service, both from NRCS employees, our partners, and, increasingly, through
third-party vendors. Accurate resource data and science based conservation
methods are another form of service to landowners. We must ensure that our
science continues to be up to date.
The third area of service is service to America’s taxpayers. Service to the
taxpayers includes protecting the resources that affect all people – the
off-farm effects on our natural resources, as well as the on-farm effects.
Service to the taxpayers also includes being responsible stewards for the tax
dollars we spend. We will be increasingly accountable for using our monetary
resources efficiently and effectively.
Next, we must maintain and build on the partnerships we have developed over the
years. We have a long history of effective partnerships in our agency. With our
increased resources in the coming years, we will have opportunities to
accomplish more, to build on traditional partnerships, and to establish new
partnerships.
An important area of attention for us this year is to implement the provisions
of the 2002 farm bill. The farm bill represents a level of investment in
conservation that has not been present in any previous farm bill. The
administration and the Congress have listened to the American people and have
demonstrated their support for conservation on America’s working lands. It is
now our responsibility to get the job done. I know we can do it, but it will be
a challenge.
The last area I want to stress is to explore the issues raised for discussion in
the Department’s recent Food and Agricultural Policy document. The document
contains seven principles for conservation that will guide the formation of
policy in the coming years:
First, to sustain our past environmental gains.
Second, to accommodate new and emerging environmental concerns. We must continue
to improve our efforts in the areas of water, energy, climate change, soil
degradation, wildlife, and urban conservation.
Third, to design and adopt an approach to conservation policy that addresses
many needs. We must work to achieve integration and balance among technical
assistance, stewardship incentives, and land retirement.
Fourth, to reaffirm market-oriented policies. We must find new ways for the
private sector to invest in the provision of environmental goods and services.
Fifth, to ensure compatibility of conservation and trade policies. We must make
sure that the way we compensate producers for conservation practices is
consistent with our obligations under international trade agreements.
Sixth, to coordinate conservation and farm policies. We must work to resolve
conflicts between incentives that increase production and incentives for
conservation.
And, finally, to recognize the importance of collaboration. We must find new
ways to involve non-federal governmental agencies and private organizations,
both for profit and non-profit, in getting conservation done. The more
participants we have locally and nationally in the business of conservation, the
more we will get done.
The farm bill creates enormous opportunities for us to provide leadership in
serving the land, serving landowners, and serving the American taxpayers. I know
that, working together, we will turn these opportunities into accomplishments. I
hope that I will see you all again during the coming months.
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