Science and Technology FAQ's

What are the electronic Field Office Technical Guide and the Field Office Technical Guide?

How do Practice Standards get into the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG)?

What is the NRCS Science and Technology Consortium?

What is the Partnership Management Team?

Q. What are the electronic Field Office Technical Guide and the Field Office Technical Guide?

A.  The technical guide is now available online! Go to: eFOTG (electronic Field Office Technical Guide).

The NRCS Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) is a compilation of resource information about soil, water, air, plant, animal, and socio-economic resources within each NRCS field office area. It also contains other conservation planning aides, including standards for conservation practices that are applicable for the area served by the field office. The FOTG is divided into 5 sections.

Section 1: General Resource References

Books, booklets, maps, price bases, crop budgets, and other reference documents that contain information about natural resources and conditions within that FOTG service area.

Section 2: Resource Data

All data sets that are needed for field office activities, including soils data and interpretations, water quality information, and climatic data.

Section 3: Conservation Management Systems

Criteria for development of systems, including resource management systems, are included in this section.

Section 4: Practice Standards, Specifications, and Supplements

Conservation practice standards used with resources in the field office area are included here. Practice standards contain minimum quality criteria for each practice as well as a description of requirements necessary to install the practice. NRCS's state-level specialists add new information as it becomes available.

Section 5: Conservation Effects

This section focuses on anticipated effects of practices contained in Section 4 on resources that occur in the field office area. Effects observed in field follow-through are also recorded here.

FOTG is a continually evolving reference. Because technologies change, and our knowledge of resources grows, the FOTG will never be completed. Our forthcoming SmarTech project will expedite access to new technologies through Web interactive capability.

The FOTG is a key conservation element. NRCS's National Planning Procedures Handbook, its technical handbooks and manuals, and the FOTG provide the basic framework for high quality conservation.

Q. How do Practice Standards get into the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG)?

A. National level conservation practice standards are published in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices under the auspices of The National Conservation Practice Standards Subcommittee (NCPSS). The Subcommittee is a function of the National Technical Guide Committee. Conservation practice standards undergo rigorous research and public review before they are adopted as national standards. All national standards are reviewed and updated on a 5-year cycle.

State Conservationists, through their State technical guide committee, direct which national practice standards are selected for inclusion into the FOTGs for their respective State. Those State-level selections are made considering the conservation and resource needs of the State.

Selection of national practices for inclusion does not end the process. Generally, national practice standards are modified by each State to that State's unique resource concerns, State laws, and local ordinances. In addition, State technical specialists or teams develop site-specific practice specifications.

In instances where there are resource concerns within a State for which there are no national conservation practice standard, the State Conservationist can authorize the use of a State interim standard. Interim standards serve as a mechanism for field testing new technology. Successful interim standards will be developed into new or incorporated into existing national standards.

After all these activities, the practice standards (and its specification) are ready for inclusion in the field office FOTG. It is a process that ensures that the technical guidance within each standard provided is pertinent to field office conditions.

Q. What is the NRCS Science and Technology Consortium?

A. The NRCS Science and Technology Consortium is supervised by the Deputy Chiefs for Science and Technology and for Soil Survey and Resource Assessment. It is comprised of these Deputy Area National Headquarters Divisions/Teams (nine in total), twelve National Centers, and three Remote Sensing Laboratories. The Consortium is NRCS’ mechanism to acquire, develop, and transfer technology. With the goal of ensuring NRCS’ technical excellence, the Consortium provides up-to-date technology, tools, and resource information to meet the conservation needs of NRCS customers, partners, and employees. These technologies, tools, and resource information support the understanding of local, State-level, regional, national, and global resource challenges, and provide a means to address them. The Consortium is comprised of scientists and technical specialists from a wide range of disciplines related to the conservation of our natural resources, including agronomists, biologists, cultural resources specialists, economists, engineers, foresters, natural resources specialists, sociologists, soil conservationists, soil scientists, and many others.

The Science and Technology Deputy Area is responsible for animal husbandry and clean water, ecological sciences, engineering, resource economics, and social sciences and manages NRCS’ technical service provider activities. It has technical leadership for the plant materials program and water supply forecasting and snow survey program. Science and Technology also leads the establishment and support for Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units and Centers of Excellence for research, technical assistance and education.

The Soil Survey and Resource Assessment (SSRA) Deputy area is responsible for soil science, soil survey and resource assessment, technical assistance to foreign governments, and international scientific and technical exchange. The SSRA has technical leadership for the use of geospatial technologies (GIS, GPS, remote sensing) in NRCS and for establishing geospatial data standards for the agency. The SSRA also conducts the National Resources Inventory (NRI) for assessment of natural resource conditions and trends in the United States through three Remote Sensing Laboratories and remote sensing activities using aerial photography, satellite imagery and other imagery products. Drawing on the NRI and other data sources, SSRA leads the agency’s resource analysis effort to support USDA in policy making for resource conservation. The SSRA manages the National Centers Servicing Unit—providing budgetary, human resources, and other administrative support for all twelve National Centers.

The twelve National Centers produce specific products (including new technologies) and services to meet the mission of NRCS. Such products include aerial photography, soil surveys, and water supply forecasting and others. Services from the three National Technology Support Centers also include providing direct technical assistance to NRCS State- and field-level offices. The Science and Technology Consortium’s nine National Headquarters Divisions/Teams, twelve National Centers, and Remote Sensing Laboratories include:

Science and Technology Deputy Area

Animal Husbandry and Clean Water Division

Conservation Engineering Division

National Design, Construction and Soils Mechanics Center
National Water and Climate Center
National Water Management Center

National Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center
National Agroforestry Center
National Plant Data Center

West National Technology Support Center
Central National Technology Support Center
East National Technology Support Center

Soil Survey and Resource Assessment Deputy Area

National Cartography and Geospatial Center
Remote Sensing Laboratories

East Remote Sensing Laboratory
Central Remote Sensing Laboratory
West Remote Sensing Laboratory

National Soil Survey Center
National Geospatial Development Center

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National Science and Technology Consortium Personnel Directory

Q. What is the Partnership Management Team?

A. The Partnership Management Team (PMT) is a team of scientists and administrators from the Agricultural Research Service, the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service that carry out collaborative efforts for NRCS research needs in reference to natural resources and environmental issues. The vision of the PMT is to coordinate and collaborate on the development of science-based research and information to conserve, improve, and sustain our nations natural resources and environment. The team established a formal partnership in accordance with an interagency Memorandum of Understanding signed on October 2, 2000.

The PMT established a research needs-request system, a web-based worksheet, that enables NRCS staff to submit research and technology development needs on a continuous bases. This database of needs is prioritized and communicated to ARS for technical response. The database can be inquired at the website listed below.

Some of the benefits of the PMT to NRCS are as follows:

• Increases ARS responsiveness of NRCS field level technology and research development needs
• Implements a systematic process for acquiring and prioritizing NRCS technology and research needs
• Tracks research that will help NRCS address its accountability
• Increases customer input and access to technology development and research activities

Go to the Partnership Management Team web site for more information.

Updated:09/04/2007