NRCS This Week - 08/25/00

Practicas Ecologicas Agricolas - NRCS and the Napa Sustainable Wine Growers (NSWG) recently brought together more than 50 Hispanic farmers to the Robert Mondavi Carneros Ranch in Napa for a "Sustainable Farming Practices" workshop. Conducted in Spanish, the workshop was the first in what is hoped to become a series of technical workshops emphasizing the "why" of the work that needs to be done to insure wine growing operations are fully sustainable.

The workshop is based on the idea that if farm workers understand why they are applying a conservation practice, rather than just being told to do it, they will be more receptive to the work. The participants, who have had little exposure to conservation and sustainable agriculture practices, were interested and enthusiastic. Adding to the effectiveness of the workshop was the fact that some of the instructors were vineyard managers who started out as field workers themselves. Your contact is Jolene Lau, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 831-754-1595 or jolene.lau@ca.usda.gov

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Adapted for Organic Crop Production - The Iowa State Technical Committee has adapted EQIP to help producers make a transition to organic crop production. Iowa has passed legislation that establishes organic food standards and requirements. The State Department of Agriculture has the responsibility of certifying third party organizations to review a farmer's production methods and determine if specific organic standards are met. One requirement is that the land must be free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for a minimum of 3 years.

The Iowa State Technical Committee has established an incentive payment of an "organic crop production transition" standard. Each qualified producer is eligible for a $50 per acre payment, for a maximum of 40 acres. Your contact is Larry Beeler at larry.beeler@ia.usda.gov

NRCS Engineers Protect Indiana Town from Floodwaters - Because of NRCS' strong organizational relations and its reputation for quality engineering design and expertise in flood prevention matters, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently asked the agency to do engineering work to rejuvenate a levee that protects the town of Elnora. After the Indiana Legislature passed an appropriations measure to pay for a project, which will prevent the East Fork of the White River from flooding the town, the DNR asked NRCS engineers to do the engineering design, construction layout, and supervision of the construction work on the levee. Your contact is Pam Davidson, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 317-290-3222, ext. 322

NRCS Provides Fire Support Assistance for Montana Wildfires - Although wildfires still rage in Montana, NRCS already has made damage survey assessments on four sites in the State. Additionally, NRCS is working with conservation districts, the Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, and other agencies to hold fire recovery workshops for landowners who have sustained fire damage on their property. The first workshop is scheduled for next week in Lewis and Clark County. NRCS in Montana also has posted fire recovery fact sheets on its homepage. To further assist in fire support, 15 NRCS employees in the State are providing assistance to the Forest Service.

As of last week, more than 446,226 acres had burned. Twenty-seven counties have emergency declarations, disaster declarations, or resolutions related to local fire conditions. The Governor has issued an executive order declaring a disaster in the State. Your contact is Lori Valadez, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 406-587-6842.

The Wheels on the (Eco-Motion) Bus Go Round and Round... - The East Canadian County Conservation District recently launched its Eco-Motion, a mobile environmental program transported on a brightly painted bus, which travels to schools, daycare facilities, parks, etc. Arcadia, Oklahoma, was the site of the inaugural run of the Eco-Motion with its new conservation education program complete with tools to teach about the environment through learning stations on topics such as forestry, soil and water conservation, the history of natural resources, and agriculture.

The main goal of the program is to help develop environmentally literate citizens of tomorrow by bringing a field trip to the students in an integrated, interactive curriculum, today. Instruction is designed for kindergarten through 6th grade, as well as for older volunteers who help operate the program.

Partners in the Eco-Motion program include utility companies, a "dot.com" company, State agencies, Oklahoma State University's Center for Environmental Education, the Great Plains RC&D, the Oklahoma County Conservation District, and others. Your contact is Terri Daniel, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 405-742-1244.

Sustaining Agriculture in Vermont: New Farms, New Farmers - The promise of continuous agriculture and the prospect of cleaner water are two benefits the Intervale Foundation is hoping to derive from its partnership with NRCS and the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District.

A non-profit organization and advocate for sustainable agriculture, the Intervale Foundation, located in Burlington, Vermont, works locally to re-establish the Burlington Intervale as a vital agricultural, social, economic, and natural resource. A three-year Small Farm Incubator Program at the Intervale provides low cost land, equipment, greenhouse and storage space; irrigation sources; and quality compost for low fees to help establish anyone new to farming. Over 400 shareholders belong to the Community Farm. They pay a set fee at the beginning of the season to buy a "share" of the farm's produce. In exchange, each week the member can pick up a variety of fresh produce. Other Intervale projects include a compost project which, in combination with crop rotation, has yielded over 300 acres of land certified for organic food production and a field resource inventory assessment which proposes a broad spectrum of conservation practices to establish sustainable land use systems, improve water quality, and identify the agricultural potential of the Intervale lands. Additionally, NRCS annotation of fields, forests, and other natural resources will help Intervale stay on target in its conservation efforts on a thriving, working landscape. Your contact is Anne Hilliard, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 802-951-6796, ext. 234.

Trailblazers -- Mary King - The American Society of Agricultural Engineers' Discover 2000 magazine, August issue, featured a story on NRCS engineer Mary King of Medford, Wisconsin. The article showcased her job as State construction engineer, highlighting work in the areas of soil and water engineering for erosion control, wetland restoration, streambank work, and other types of conservation engineering. Discover 2000 features careers in agricultural, biological, and food systems engineering professions. It promotes them by describing what individuals who work in these disciplines actually do. The magazine is used by colleges and universities to stimulate interest in engineering programs. For more information, visit http://asae.org/resource/00augcontents.html

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Tennessee Soil Conservation Districts (SCD) Receive Buffer Achievement Awards - The National Conservation Buffer Council and the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts recently recognized three soil conservation districts in Tennessee for promoting and establishing conservation buffers. The overall winner was Warren County SCD, which has a big nursery trade in the area. Contour buffer strips were planted between trees to help control sedimentation and erosion. The Obion County SCD was recognized for working with landowners to establish vegetative filter strips used to control runoff and contamination into waterways. Greene County SCD was recognized for helping farmers establish vegetative filter strips and riparian buffers. For more information, visit http://www.nacdnet.org/buffers/index.html

TECH TIPS

Agriculture Handbook 296 Update - A fiscal year FY 2000 priority for the Soil Survey Division is the update of Agriculture Handbook 296 - Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States. The widely used handbook, first published in 1965 and later updated in 1981, is a compilation of the national map of land resource regions and major land resource areas (MLRA) (at a scale of 1:7,500,000) with narrative descriptions of each region and area.

The new edition of the handbook, scheduled for publication in January 2002, will update the MLRA map and accompanying narratives, propose subdividing several historic MLRAs, modify the format of the descriptions, and include color graphs and photos. An interdisciplinary team at the National Soil Survey Center is coordinating the update with State staff personnel and partner agencies making revisions to the map and descriptions. Your contact is Jim Fortner at 402-437-5755 or jim.fortner@nssc.nrcs.usda.gov

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON

EQIP Wrap-up - In fiscal year 1999, over 56,500 requests were received for EQIP contracts and 19,015 contracts totaling $140.9 million were completed. Local working groups have identified 2,130 conservation priority areas, of which 64 percent have received or at least partial funding to address natural resource concerns, such as soil erosion reduction, water quality improvement, and wildlife habitat enhancement. Your contact is Tony Esser, National EQIP Program Manager, at anthony.esser@usda.gov

CONFERENCE & TRAINING CONNECTION

August 25, 2000

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

Agroforestry/Forestry

Air Quality

Alternative Agriculture

Animal Residuals Management

Bioengineering
Carbon Sequestration

Dam Safety

Environmental Education

Farmland Preservation

GIS

Grazing Land & Grassland

Irrigation

Mining & the Environment

Partnerships

Plant Materials

Resource Conservation & Development

Rivers

Water Quality

Watersheds

Wetlands

Agroforestry/Forestry

Fragmentation 2000-A Conference on Sustaining Private Forests in the 21st Century

September 17-20

Annapolis, Maryland

An examination of the forces that are fragmenting American working lands and forests. Contact: Lester DeCoster on (703) 860-2513, and at lesdecoster@worldnet.att.net To submit papers, contact: Terri Bates at 3325 Rose Lane, Falls Church, Virginia 22042. Her telephone number: (703) 538-1134, and at Bates-Stasny@erols.com To get updates, articles, and registration material (coming soon), click on http://www.sampsongroup.com/FragCon/frag_conf.htm

International Poplar Commission 2000 Conference

Sept. 24-30

Portland, Oregon

Will include scientists and practitioners from more than 32 countries. The theme: "Poplar and Willow Culture: Meeting the Needs of Society and the Environment." Papers will be presented in working group sessions, including Poplar and Willow Breeding, Diseases, Insects and Other Animal Pests, Production and Environmental Systems, and Logging and Utilization. The Web site is http://www.ncfes.umn.edu/IPC2000/

Forest Utilization Conference

May 1-3, 2001

Wagoner OK

The Ouachita Mountains Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. will sponsor its 6th annual Forest Utilization Conference and Equipment Exposition at the Western Hills Guest Resort in Sequoyah State Park on the shores of Lake Fort Gibson. For information, contact Gary Garman, Coordinator for Ouachita Mountains RC&D Council, at (918)-423-2479, fax 918-423-0793, email omrcandd@icok.net or visit the web site http://www.icok.net/~omrcandd

Southern Forest Science Conference: Contributions of Forest Research to Sustainable Forestry Preliminary Conference Announcement and Call for Papers

November 26 - 28, 2001

Renaissance Waverly Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia

The Southern Forest Science Conference will highlight the history and future of research in sustainable forestry. The conference is for anyone interested in the science of southern forests and is open to researchers, research managers and research users as well as policymakers, landowners and other interested stakeholders. Call for Papers: Topics, deadlines and other information can be found at the conference website at http://www.southernforestscience.net/ For more information contact www.southernforestscience.net or the USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station at (828)-257-4302.