The Future of Science and Technology at NRCS

An article by Bruce I. Knight, Chief
Natural Resources Conservation Service
for the July-August 2002 Issue of
NRCS Technology News

Some of the most exciting things I’ve learned since becoming Chief have to do with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) activities in the areas of science and technology. I thought I was fairly aware of the importance of good science in conservation. Certainly, conservation science and technology have been a part of my thinking as a farmer and rancher, a college student, a congressional staffer, and a lobbyist. But being Chief – with all the briefings I’ve attended and the decisions I’m now responsible for making – has changed that awareness to total amazement.

Science and technology are more than a tradition here at NRCS, they are a way of viewing the world and a fundamental tool for making conservation work. Our history in the areas of science and technology is impressive. That history has included early studies of small stream hydrology, the Cooperative Soil Survey Program and the National Soil Survey Information System, the Cooperative Snow Survey Program, the Plant Science and Technology Program, our Field Office Technical Guides, and many other accomplishments. Our efforts in science and technology have provided science-based information for all our field activities and many state and local activities.

As Chief, I am responsible for making our small part of government more efficient and more accessible to our customers through the Internet and other electronic means. The President’s e-government initiative directs all agencies to make more services available electronically. I know NRCS will continue to be a leader in the e-government effort, because we have been working toward this goal for several years. The e-government services that are ready for use today are the result of decisions NRCS made years ago. Some good examples are creating the Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN); making the Natural Resources Inventory a continuous survey, rather than a periodic survey; putting the Field Office Technical Guides on the web; creating software for the Customer Service Toolkit; and creating our PLANTS database.

Our challenge now is to keep innovating and to stay ahead of the need for
e-government services. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the Farm Bill) creates opportunities that require new approaches and more efficient ways of planning and delivering conservation practices. The decisions we make today and the work we do now will help us deliver new science and technology applications to meet the needs of the future. The progress we make in science and technology will help our employees, our partners and our customers put the Farm Bill to work on the land.

To succeed, we must develop new ways to serve our clients and to meet their needs through web-based tools and user-friendly decision support tools. We must continue to provide the highest quality technical assistance to landowners, based on the most recent technology and economic analysis. We must provide ready access to technical data through electronic and other means.

Beyond that, we must find ways to get our employees, partners and customers to use new technologies as they become available. Some people are quick to use new technology. Other people – most of us, in fact – need to see the benefits of a new technology, and be convinced that it is easy and convenient, before we will start using it. Our success will depend on how many people we can reach with our emerging e-government services.

Getting the right science and technology to the people who need it is a major challenge. I will support the efforts of our divisions, institutes and centers and the Science and Technology Consortium to help us acquire, develop, and transfer technology that meets landowner needs. Our work in science and technology will continue to support the efforts of people to conserve, improve, and sustain our Nation’s natural resources and environment.