NRCS This Week - 01/05/01

News

Friday, January 5, 2001 Washington, DC.

"Protecting the environment begins in our homes and in our communities. Government should work with the local folks, not over them."

-- -President Bill Clinton, from the USDA Urban Resources Partnership Annual Report

International

NRCS Provides Assistance to Nigeria

Focus on the Field

California: African-American Farmers Showcase EQIP Project

Nebraska: New Irrigation System Introduced in Nebraska

Ohio: Fracture Developed in Soils Formed in Glacial Till Material

Service Centers: USDA Service Centers Establish e-commerce Website

Tennessee: Soil Sampling in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

What's Up in Washington

NRCS 2000-2005 Strategic Plan

Tech Tips

NRCS Planning Guide Published

USDA/NRCS 'NetNewsLinks:

NRCS National Water and Climate Center Snow-Precipitation Update for the West

NRCS Legislative Summaries

Also on the 'Net:

AGRICOLA: USDA's AGRICultural Online Access

e-Notes from NACD: Weekly news briefs from the National Association of Conservation Districts

Watershed Success Stories Publication – The December 15 edition of NRCS This Week incorrectly listed the URL for this publication as http://www.cleanwater.org/success/. The correct URL is http://www.cleanwater.gov/success.

Conference & Training Connection!

See the alphabetical-by-subject list of upcoming events. See NEW! listings under Agricultural Engineering and Geographic Information Systems.

INTERNATIONAL

NRCS Provides Assistance to Nigeria - Experts from USDA and NRCS traveled to Nigeria recently to evaluate agriculture and land use. Mike Sucik, NRCS soil scientist, and Department staff worked with Nigerian officials to explore ways for Nigeria to develop an adequate and sustainable food supply and better control soil loss through improved land use practices in areas experiencing severe erosion problems.

The group identified the need for an updated soil survey of Nigeria, in addition to soil fertility testing and providing technical training to Nigerian scientists. Your contact is Michael Sucik, NRCS State Soil Scientist, at 515-284-4260 or mike.sucik@ia.usda.gov.

FOCUS ON THE FIELD

African-American Farmers Showcase EQIP Project - The African-American farming community in the Fresno, California area recently formed the African-American Farmers of California (AAFC). One of the AAFC 's more successful efforts is a project that provides community assistance through a demonstration project funded by the Environmental Quality Incentive Program. Eight member families farm their own agricultural demonstration plots on a 16-acre parcel of land located in Fresno County. The member families exchange information with the rest of the association on the crops they grow, management practices, nutrient and pest management, and soil tests, as well as marketing their products and teaching school children about agriculture. The AAFC has been so successful in developing markets for its produce in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas that Congresswoman Maxine Waters invited them to participate in the Agricultural Scholarship Fund Luncheon during the recent Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Your contact is Ken Grimes, NRCS Soil Conservationist, at 559-276-7494, ext. 122.

New Irrigation System Introduced in Nebraska - This past Spring, NRCS staff from the McCook, Nebraska field office provided technical assistance by helping install the first self-propelled linear-move irrigation system in the Republican River Valley located in the southwestern part of the State. The new system can reduce water usage by up to 50 percent when compared to conventional furrow irrigation methods.

The system includes two disconnecting spans, which are added or dropped off as the system moves down the field to allow the system to maximize coverage while avoiding obstacles. A furrow guidance system is used, eliminating the need for either above ground or underground cables, that are often damaged by animals chewing the guidance wires. The system is also equipped with an automated management control panel and phone link, which allows the producer to call the system from a cell phone to check its operational status or make changes in its speed or direction of travel. Your contact is Ben Hardin, McCook NRCS Field Office, at 308-345-4163.

Fracture Developed in Soils Formed in Glacial Till Material - The Ohio Academy of Science recently published a collection of papers dealing with fractures in glacial till materials in a special edition of the Ohio Journal of Science. The papers, relating to soil survey work, were produced by the NRCS in Ohio; the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation; and The Ohio State University. There has been television interest in the subject and the Columbus Dispatch is planning to carry stories about the soil survey work. Your contact is Perdita Belk, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 803-765-5402.

USDA Service Centers Establish e-commerce Website - The three USDA service center agencies, NRCS, Farm Service Agency, and Rural Development, have established a joint e-commerce web site. NRCS has already posted six forms on this site. Agency customers will be able to download appropriate forms and complete them electronically. They will then be able to mail, fax, or deliver a hard copy of these completed forms to a USDA service center office. Within 18 months, customers will also be able to submit information electronically. Visit the web site at http://www.sc.egov.usda.gov/Main.asp. Your contact is Roger Rayburn, NRCS Resource Conservationist, at 202-720-5742.

Soil Sampling in Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Through a Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Department of the Interior and the agency. NRCS in Tennessee will complete soil sampling in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Darwin Newton, NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Soil Resources noted that, "Because of our close working relationship with the U. S. Department of the Interior, we were able to carry out this important project to provide an up-to-date soil survey and database for interpretative uses in the park." Your contact is Darwin Newton, NRCS Assistant State Conservationist, at 615/277-2556.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON

NRCS 2000-2005 Strategic Plan - "NRCS This Week" has been highlighting each of the four goals of the NRCS 2000-2005 Strategic Plan. This week features Strategic Goal 4 - to deliver high quality services to the public to enable natural resource stewardship.

Modern agriculture is remarkably diverse. Enterprises vary widely in size, production practices, level of modernization, commodities produced, and employment. Adding to this complexity are rural-urban interface issues. As communities become more diverse, locally led conservation involves a broader array of stakeholders-groups with markedly different perceptions and conservation information and technology needs. NRCS, conservation districts, State conservation agencies, and RC&D councils form a strong network that can respond to the conservation needs of individuals, tribes, and communities across the country. This partnership has the flexibility and authority to develop and implement conservation solutions based on local conditions. Commitment to maintaining a strong conservation delivery system, one-on-one technical assistance, and current and effective science-based conservation technologies and resource information remains the NRCS priority. These tools are the basis for enabling good land stewardship upon which conservation depends.

NRCS and the conservation partnership will have to assist a diverse customer base to achieve goals for conservation and environmental quality. This means improving service to traditional customers while reaching out to nontraditional and underserved customers. It also means understanding customers' values, needs, and attitudes. This goal lays out three objectives that together describe the agency commitment to:

fair and equitable delivery of services;
a strong conservation delivery system; and
timely natural resource information to support decision-making.

The full version of the NRCS 2000-2005 Strategic Plan can be accessed from the Internet at www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/SPA. Your contact is Dan Lawson, Director, NRCS Strategic and Performance Planning Division, at 202-690-0467.

NRCS This Week for December 29, 2000 - There will be no December 29, edition of NRCS This Week. Regular weekly schedule will resume on January 5, 2001.

TECH TIPS

NRCS Planning Guide Published - The NRCS 2001 Soil Survey Planning Guide, whose theme this year is "Soil Biology and the Soil Food Web," is a collaborative project between the NRCS Soil Survey Division and the Soil Science Society of America. The planner showcases, monthly, the role of micro-organisms in decomposing organic matter; processing organic carbon, nitrogen, and plant-available nutrients; and enhancing soil structure and water flow. The planner provides useful information for soil science and conservation readers; however, it also can be useful to soil and water conservation district staff, National Cooperative Soil Survey partnership staff, State and local officials, and outreach groups. It is especially useful for teachers as it features simple outdoor experiments for grades K-12.

States should receive their NRCS 2001 Soil Survey Planning Guides in the next few weeks. Copies of the planner can also be requested either from the State soil scientist or by calling 1-888-LANDCARE. Your contact is Thomas E. Reedy, NRCS Soil Scientist, at 402-437-5870 or tom.reedy@usda.gov.

CONFERENCE & TRAINING CONNECTION

January 5, 2001

As a service to NRCS personnel and the agency's partners, "NRCS This Week" offers the following by-subject list of conferences and training sessions. To add an event, please send an e-mail message to fred.jacobs@usda.gov

AFO/CAFO

Agricultural Economics

NEW! Agricultural Engineering

Agricultural Outlook/Policy

Agroforestry/Forestry

Air Quality

Coastal Zone Management

Forestry
NEW! Geographic Information Systems

Global Climate Change
Grazing Land & Grassland

Locally Led Conservation

Mining & the Environment

Nutrient Management
Partnerships

Range Management

Rural History

Soil Science/Erosion Control

Water Quality

Watersheds

Wetlands

AFO/CAFO

Dairy Manure Systems: Equipment and Technology Selection

March 20-22

Rochester, New York

an educational

Dairy Manure Systems: Equipment and Technology Selection is a conference intended for farm managers and their advisors, soil and water conservation district staff, nutrient management consultants, cooperative extension educators, equipment distributors, university specialists, farm system designers and builders, and environmental professionals. It will examine technology and equipment selection for manure handling, treatment, land application, and odor control.. The conference will focus on a systems approach to planning. For more infomration call 607-255-7654 or visit the conference website at http://www.nraes.org/conferences/manure.html.

Agricultural Economics

American Agricultural Economics Associtaion Annual (AAEA) Meeting

August 5-8

Chicago, Illinois

AAEA seeks submission for posters, papers, organized symposia and free sessions for the 2001 annual meeting in Chicago. For more information, contact Nancy Herselius at 515-233-3202, or nancy@aaea.org or visit the meeting website at http://www.aaea.org/meetings/.