Assessments Underway in NJ, NRCS Aids Congressional Information Efforts - NRCS New Jersey reports that nearly $500,000 of Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program assistance has been requested in areas struck by Hurricane Floyd. Additional NRCS staff has been assigned to assist in the urban northeastern counties. Damage assessments are underway; additional requests for assistance continue to be received. With information from NRCS, Congressmen Rush Holt, Frank Pallone, and Bob Franks sent out press releases with information about assistance available through EWP. Representatives Holt and Franks also sent out releases that express their interest in working with NRCS and local conservation districts to reduce flooding in future storms through PL-566. Information about NRCS and EWP is featured on Representative Holt's web site. Your contact is Irene Lieberman, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (732) 246-1171x124.

Buffers, Structures Protect PA Citizens, Property - NRCS Pennsylvania reports that both buffers and conservation measures in riparian areas prevented flood damage from Hurricane spillways. In two storm-struck watersheds, water control structures prevented $4 to $8 million dollars in damage. Though much flooding occurred, damages typical of such an extreme event Floyd. Many NRCS water control structures designed for 100-year flood events performed as expected despite being filled to capacity or having slight flows through their emergency did not occur. In some areas, stream channels were cleaned out without damage to natural streambeds. In some areas struck by Floyd, NRCS was at work repairing damage caused by Hurricane Dennis. Your contact is Stacy Mitchell, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (717) 237-2208.

FOCUS ON THE FIELD

Lights, Camera, Action, Mel! - NRCS South Carolina's Chester Field Office is helping film company Universal Studios create movie magic. Universal recently contacted the field office to find out if a small creek could be converted into a raging river for the filming of "The Patriot," an upcoming movie starring Mel Gibson. The NRCS field staff visited the site and met with the Universal film crew. The agency referred them to a company that specializes in creating temporary dam structures that do not permanently harm or alter the environment. The Chester office continues to assist the film crew and do all they can to increase the visibility of NRCS. Your contact is Perdita Belk, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (803) 765-5402.

NRCS Takes PBS on Streamwalk - NRCS Connecticut personnel will soon be seen in an upcoming episode of Trailside: Make Your Own Adventure, the award-winning outdoors television series on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS). The episode features a streamwalk through the Quinebaug River with Trailside host Ray Browning, Sue Audette (a member of the first U.S. Canoe and Kayak Marathon Team to attend the World Championships), and NRCS employees Vivian Felten, Javier Cruz, and Todd Bobowick. Look for it in January. Your contact is Carolyn Miller at Carolyn.Miller@CT.usda.gov

Growing Georgia Co-op Praises USDA Agencies - The Coastal Georgia Small Farmer's Cooperative, Inc., based in Glennville, started less than 2 years ago as a "five-headed monstera very loosely knit group," according to its administrator Harold Brown. "But now, we have a working committee and government agencies getting together in a coordinated fashion," said Brown. According to co-op president Jesse Rhodes, "This is the first true private agricultural marketing cooperative in Georgia, with farmers as directors, that's made it this far." The co-op is in the process of acquiring a building for use in grading, storing, cooling, and shipping vegetables. "We're very satisfied with the assistance and cooperation from USDA agencies. If we don't make it, it won't be because of any government agency or university. They enabled a tremendous, coordinated effort in getting this cooperative going." Your contact is Art Greenberg, NRCS Outreach Coordinator, 706-546-2056, or art@ga.nrcs.usda.gov

"Problem-Solving" DC Honored in Wyoming - George V. Davis, district conservationist for the Casper, Wyoming, Field Office, was recently recognized as the 1999 Casper Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Person of the Year. Davis received the award for his work in helping farmers and ranchers in Natrona County prevent problems with soil, water, and crops. He was commended for his contributions to a water-saving project that sealed a long irrigation canal to prevent seepage. His work to improve irrigation practices on a selenium project also was noted. Your contact is Nancy Atkinson, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (307) 261-6482.

WHAT''S UP IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Lucas' Watershed Bill Gets Positive Reception - Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment gave Oklahoma's U.S. Sixth District Congressman Frank Lucas' Watershed Rehabilitation Amendments Act of 1999 a positive reception at a recent hearing and commended him for moving the bill swiftly through the committee process. Subcommittee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert praised Lucas for "single-handedly energizing three House Committees" to consider and move on the rehabilitation of approximately 10,450 small upstream flood control dams across the Nation. Lucas was pleased with the support the bill received. "It was obvious that they understood the need and the importance of addressing rehabilitation of aging dams."

Millenium Committee Now Underway - NRCS's new Millennium Committee has been established to be a clearinghouse for ideas, projects, and recommendations from agency leadership. It will also contribute to USDA's Millennium Council activities for the millennium. The committee was announced by Chief Reed and consists of members from each deputy chief's area and one member from each regional staff. It is chaired by the director of legislative affairs.

TECH TIP FROM THE NRCS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPUTY AREA

Here are some fascinating "factoids" from the National Soil Survey Center that show why soil is such an important resource. Be sure to share them! Your contact is Stan Anderson on (402) 437-5357.

• Shrinking and swelling of some kinds of soil damage buildings, roads, and other structures. Repairing this damage costs our Nation more each year than repairing the total damage from hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods.
• The tips of small plant roots move through the soil with a twisting screwlike motion. Mature trees can have as many as 5 million active root tips.
• A single spade full of rich garden soil contains more species of organisms than can be found above ground in the entire Amazon rain forest.
• Although the soil surface appears solid, air moves freely in and out of it. The air in the upper 8 inches of a well-drained soil is completely renewed about every hour.
• The plants growing in a 2-acre wheat field can have more than 30,000 miles of roots, greater than the circumference of the Earth.
• The wonderful "earthy" smell of newly plowed ground is believed to result from chemicals produced by micro-organisms. One of these chemicals, called geosmin, is produced by actinomycetes, organisms that have some properties of both bacteria and fungi.
• About 10 percent of the world's land is used to grow plants and to feed either animals or humans. About 20 percent of the land in the United States is used to grow crops.
• Soil can act as either a sink or a source of greenhouse gases. An estimated 30 percent of the carbon dioxide, 70 percent of the methane, and 90 percent of the nitrous oxide released to the atmosphere each year pass through the soil.
• Worldwide, an estimated 25 percent of the soils used for agriculture are being degraded at an unacceptable rate.
• The American Midwest has the largest area of Prime Farmland soils in the world. Other large areas are in South America and in Eastern Europe and Russia.
• In the spring of 1934, a dust storm originating in the Great Plains carried an estimated 200 million tons of soil to the Northeastern United States and out to sea. This storm caused "muddy rains" in New York and "black snows" in Vermont.
• In 1950, there was more than half an acre of grain land for each person on earth. By 1990, there was less than one-third acre per person. By 2030, there will be only one-fifth acre per person.
• At field capacity, the amount of water available for plant growth ranges from less than 5 to as much as 50 percent, with an average of about 15 percent.
• It takes about 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of crop residue per year to maintain the content of organic matter in a soil.
• Modern farming practices that minimize soil disturbance (plowing) and return plant residues to the soil, such as no-till farming and crop rotations, are slowly rebuilding the Nation's stock of soil organic matter.
• Of the carbon returned to the soil as plant residue, about 5 to 15 percent become tied up in the bodies of organisms and 60 to 75 percent is respired as carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere. Only 10 to 25 percent is converted to humus in the soil.

SPECIAL EVENTS

October 1999

 

Building on Leopold's Legacy: Conservation for a New Century

Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison, Wisconsin

October 5-7, 1999

National Leaders in Conservation celebrate our historical foundations and explore the future direction of conservation. Forty-eight working sessions and noted plenary speakers. Complete conference information on the web site at http://www.wisc.edu/wisacad/landethic/

 

Second National Small Farm Conference

St. Louis, Missouri

October 12-15, 1999

The conference's title: "Building Partnerships for the 21st Century." For more information, see the conference's web site: www.luce.lincolnu.edu/nsfc

 

49th Triennial National Convention Girl Scouts of the USA

Kansas City, Missouri

October 14-17, 1999

Stop by NRCS' hands-on learning exhibit and make your own soil profile in a tube.

 

1999 Association of State Wetland Managers Annual Symposium

Annapolis, Maryland

October 25-27, 1999

This year's theme: Restoration: Applying Restoration Science.

 

Exploring Opportunities for Carbon Sequestration: A National Conference

Missoula, Montana

October 26-28, 1999

Hosted by the Montana Carbon Offset Coalition. Researchers, policy makers, Federal and State agencies, conservation and commodity groups and private consultants will discuss issues and concerns related to carbon sequestration and to discuss the future of carbon storage. Contact Kit Sutherland, Bitter Root RC&D, on (406) 363-5450 for agenda and registration materials.

 

Future Farmers of America National Career Show

Louisville, Kentucky

October 27-29, 1999

NRCS will exhibit conservation technology. A representative from the National Soil Survey Center will mark the soil survey centennial.

 

Sharing the Heartland: Practical Tools for Conserving Farmland and Natural Resources

Bloomington, Minnesota

October 29-30, 1999

Information on helping local decision-makers and organizations protect productive farmland and natural resources. See the conference's web site at www.mn.nrcs.usda.gov/heartland

 

American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society, and the Soil Science

Society of America Annual Meeting

Salt Lake City, Utah

October 31-November 4, 1999

 

November 1999

 

National Earth Team/ NRCS Public Affairs Specialists Meeting

Albuquerque, New Mexico,

November 1-4, 1999.

"Changing Patterns: Conservation, Communication and Volunteerism."

 

American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers Annual Meeting

Reno, Nevada

November 4 - 6, 1999

NRCS and NASS will host data and technology displays.

New Directions in Buffers: Common Sense Conservation

Billings, Montana

November 8-9, 1999

Hosted by the Montana Chapter Soil and Water Conservation Society. Contact Valerie Oksendahl, Program Chair, on (406) 538-7401x117.

 

National Forage Quality and Animal Well-Being Training

New Orleans, Louisiana

November 15-18, 1999

Grazing Lands Specialists and other NRCS personnel will participate in a forage quality and animal well-being case study workshop and receive advanced nutritional training provided by the Grazing Lands Technology Institute and Texas A&M Universityís Grazing Land Animal Nutrition Lab. For more information, please contact Arnold Norman, Grazing Lands Technology Institute @ 817-509-3214 or email him at: anorman@ftw.nrcs.usda.gov

 

Third Annual Training Conference: NRCS American Indian/Alaskan Native Employees Association

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

November 15-19, 1999

"Tears in the Past--A New Trail into Our Future." Held in conjunction with the Intertribal Agriculture Council Annual Symposium.

Native Plant Summit V

Bismarck, North Dakota

November 16-17, 1999

The theme is biodiversity. Addressed will be conservation programs, revegetation standards, mitigation efforts, and environmental mandates. Visit the web site at http://www.nativeplantsummit.org Contact Melissa Reep on (701) 223-8536; fax on (701) 223-9024; or e-mail at melissa.reep@nd.usda.gov

 

Eastern Native Grass Symposium

Baltimore, Maryland

November 17-19, 1999

Sponsored by NRCS, Agricultural Research Service, and the National Association of Conservation Districts. For more information, contact Gwen Meyer at the National Plant Materials Center, (301) 504-8175, or visit the following web sites: www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/BCS/links/eNG.html and www.NACDNET.org

December 1999

 

Adding Value through Environmental Marketing: Opportunities for Food

Producers, Processors, and Retailers

Madison, Wisconsin

December 6-7, 1999

Production, marketing, and distributing field crops, meat and dairy products. Contact the IPM Institute of North America, 1914 Rowley Ave., Madison, Wisconsin, 53705; call (608) 232-1528; or fax (608) 232-1530. E-mail tagreen@compuserve.com See the web at iatp.org/labels/envcommodities/index.htm

 

Agricultural Total Maximum Daily Loads Workshop/Conservation 2000 Conference

New Orleans, Louisiana

December 14, 1999 (Workshop)

December 15-17, 1999 (Conference)

For information, check the web at ctic.purdue.edu, or call (765) 494-9555.

 

January 2000

 

National Association of Conservation Districts 54th Annual Meeting

Colorado Springs, Colorado

January 30 to February 3, 2000

Registration information and agenda are at nacdnet.org/meetings/00annual/index.htm

March 2000

 

Sustainable Agriculture Coming of Age in the Year 2000

Portland, Oregon

March 7-9, 2000

Innovative agricultural techniques, scientific research, networking, visions of the future, and examples of successful sustainable agriculture. Sponsored by USDA Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, with contributions from land-grant universities and the Federal sustainable agriculture effort. Check the web site at http://wsare.usu.edu/2000

 

Global Sustainability Conference

Springfield, Illinois

March 28-29, 2000.

Carbon sequestration and ecological practices in agriculture and forestry, global warming, water quality, bio-energy, soil health, world food security, production agriculture, and ecological economics. Sponsored by the Gallatin County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Shawnee RC&D Council. E-mail: Michele.Gidcumb@ilridgway.fsc.usda.gov

 

May 2000

 

Use of Conservation Buffers on Urbanizing Landscapes

Arbor Day Farm, Nebraska City, Nebraska

May 9-11, 2000

For more information, please check the National Arbor Day Foundation's web site on

arborday.org

There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.

– Aldo Leopold, American conservationist

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