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

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NRCS civil engineer Jeff Oatley on the course of the Iditarod Trail InvitationalAlaskans Spell Bicycle: B-icicle
To NRCS civil engineer Jeff Oatley, expending 11,000 calories a day alternately pushing and riding a bicycle across 350 miles of some of the country’s most remote, frozen terrain is actually part of the reward of competing in the Iditarod Trail Invitational.
 

New Jersey NRCS employee Doreen Dougherty is enthusiastic about her experience with Relay Conference Captioning (RCC)Relay Conference Captioning (RCC) Working in New Jersey
When hearing-impaired New Jersey NRCS employee Doreen Dougherty received information about Relay Conference Captioning (RCC) from Nancy Paolini, New Jersey NRCS Disability Emphasis Program Manager, she was definitely interested. 

 

O’Connell farm "before" with huge manure pile next to barnBeginning Farmer Improves Farmstead
When aspiring new farmer Richard O’Connell bought a farm in Corinth, Vermont, he got more than just the barn, land, and out buildings.  He also inherited a huge pile of manure stacked adjacent to the barn and about 100 feet from a stream. 

 

NRCS snow telemetry (SNOTEL) technicans measuring depth of snow packMarch On Pace To Break Snowfall Records
A parade of storms that roared into the Sierra and northern Nevada at the beginning of March has left even some die-hard skiers in awe and dramatically increased the area's snowpack, more than 17 feet at some places.

 

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strip croppingUSDA’s Conservation Security Program Ranks High Among Participating Farmers and Ranchers
Producers in several CSP pilot watersheds have ranked NRCS employees very high for professionalism and courteous service in carrying out that program. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), NRCS received an overall score of 76 out of 100 for administering CSP. This ranking is higher than the 2005 average national ACSI of 71 for the federal government.

The 2006 theme, “Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams,” honors the spirit of possibility and hopes set in motion by generations of women in their creation of communities and their encouragement of dreamsMarch is Women's History Month
The 2006 theme, Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams, honors the spirit of possibility and hopes set in motion by generations of women in their creation of communities and their encouragement of dreams.

Find out more...

Presidential Proclamation for Women’s History Month 2006
National Women’s History Project
Executive Women in Government

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NRCS Three-year Action Plan for Invasive Species
The NRCS Invasive Species Advisory Committee (NISAC) met recently during the National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week VII in Washington, D.C., to develop a first draft of a three-year action plan for NRCS — along with our partners — to better address invasive species concerns.

Sutainable Agriculture Research and Education Spotlight Feature header bar

cows graze on the farm of Dan Specht, a beef and pork producer in McGregor, Iowa, who was one of 16 participants in the CLA studyMidwest Graziers Seek to Capitalize on Nutritional Benefits of Pasture-Raised Products
Last summer, in response to interest from beef producers, NRCS grazing specialist Jim Ranum incorporated information about health-promoting fatty acids in grass-based cattle into his monthly pasture walks in northeast Iowa. The information, published as part of a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)-funded study measuring the presence of those acids – conjugated linoleic (CLA) and omega-3 – prompted a few farmers to switch to a pasture-based system for their animals.

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Minnesota NRCS State Conservationist William HuntHunt recipient of Agriculture Heritage Award
Minnesota NRCS State Conservationist William Hunt was recently awarded the Agriculture Heritage Cultivating Youth Development award at the 2006 Minority Youth in Agriculture Conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
 

 

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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.