United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content





stripcropping near Coon Creek, WisconsinNRCS This Week mast head

The Natural Resources Conservation Service — Helping People Help the Land.

 Subscribe to NRCS This Week | NRCS This Week Articles Index | NRCS This Week Archives | Contact Us | Where to Get Information | eNotes from NACD | Adobe Acrobat Document TSP Express (RequiresAdobe Acrobat.)

focus on the field header bar
Kansas

CRP land in filter stripsDrought Forces Opening CRP Grazing, Haying
There are more than 3.1 million acres of Conservation Reserve Program land in Kansas, and nearly two million of those are located in 38 counties which were recently approved for emergency haying and grazing due to drought conditions persisting across the State.

 


 

Minnesota

Kevin Janni (left) and Craig Peterson observe wash water being applied to a vegetated filter at a Wisconsin farmMilk Parlor Wash Water – Alternative Treatment Systems
In a leading dairy State like Minnesota, discharge of milk parlor wash water to surface waters continues to be a problem.  Smaller dairy operations that handle manure as a solid do not have storage facilities for the wash water which is typically several hundred gallons per day.   
 

Pennsylvania

young soybean plants thrive in the resiue of a wheat crop -- this form of no till farming provides good protection for the soil from erosion and helps retain moisture for the new crop (NRCS photo)Experts Tout Benefits of No-till Farming
More than 60 landowners and ag officials, including all three county commissioners, turned out Friday at Sandy Valley Farm in Polk, Pennsylvania, for the Venango County Conservation District's 2006 No-Till Walkabout and Field Day

 

Connect to NRCS' State News, Newsroom, and News Releases!

tech tip header bar

Plants logoPLANTS Image Gallery Updated
As part of the modernization of PLANTS, the PLANTS Image Gallery has recently been updated. Search the gallery by artist, image location, State distribution, copyright status, and more!  Improved view and sort options let users look at 15, 25, 50, or 100 thumbnail images per page.  Best of all, synonym names are searched, too.
 

Sustainable Agriculture (SARE) header bar
solar electric system installed on the Brookfield Farms barn (SARE photo)Renewable Energy à la NRCS and SARE
As the issue of renewable energy continues to attract attention nationwide, agencies like NRCS are focusing more on the prospect of producing energy on the nation’s farms, particularly biomass for alternative fuels.  Similarly, SARE is examining ways to encourage farm-based energy projects, but with a focus on the long-term sustainability of those new enterprises.  These and many other issues will be topics for oral presentations, poster sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions and tours at SARE's upcoming national conference slated for August 15-17, 2006, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

accolades header bar

(from left) OPEDA president Farook Sait, Quan D. Quan, and NRCS Chief Bruce KnightQuan D. Quan Receives USDA Unsung Hero Award
NRCS hydraulic engineer Quan D. Quan was recently presented a USDA Unsung Hero Award for helping Asian Pacific communities understand NRCS programs, supporting Asian Pacific employees in their career efforts with NRCS, and participating in the development of the NRCS Conservation Boot Camps where he was also an instructor. 
 

NRCS directives header bar

NRCS Directives for the week of July 23, 2006

General Manual State Supplement
Maine
 Title 340, Part 404, Evaluations, Subpart B, Oversight and Evaluation, the processes used to ensure quality within a State are identified in the State Quality Assurance Plan.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (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 to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.