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A Story Inside An EWP Story
Knowing a sleepy little stream could turn into a roaring monster
following the Trigo Fire motivated Natural Resources Conservation
Service employees, with permission from owners of a camp, to develop a
plan to protect structures and possible lives of campers in bunkhouses.
A Story Inside An EWP Story (PDF;
860 KB)
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SWCD and RC&D Team to Fight Noxious Weeds
The Tierra y Montes Soil & Water Conservation District and Adelante
Resource Conservation & Development Council in Las Vegas, New Mexico
teamed up to attach their noxious weed infestations.
SWCD and RC&D Team to Fight Noxious
Weeds (PDF;
604 KB)
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Role of Soil Health Promoted
Continued success in agriculture is dependent upon the ability to
maintain soil health and manage water resources through conservation
planning, according to New Mexico NRCS agronomists, water quality
specialist, and soil scientists. And, they are out to increase
understanding of the role conservation planning plays in the maintenance
and improvement of soil health.
Role of Soil Health Promoted (PDF;
579 KB)
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Beginning Rancher Achieves in Bootheel
sometimes it is hard to decide what approach to take when writing a
conservation success story. That is true for the Kanzas Massey
story. Should it be about how her success is "All in the Family"
or "Conservation Fits Ranching Operation Like a Hand in a Glove?"
In Massey's case, both approaches are true.
Beginning Rancher Achieves in
Bootheel (PDF;
811 KB)
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Being Kind is Not Always the Answer
Being too kind is not the answer sometimes – as the Los Lunas Plant
Material Center has learned in its efforts to produce vine mesquite for
riparian restoration uses.
Being Kind is Not Always the Answer (PDF;
532 KB)
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Tribes, Pueblos Explore Native Plants
NRCS New Mexico’s Plant Materials Center in Los Lunas is an incubator
for native plant technology for a wide variety of farmers, ranchers, and
industries – and recently had the opportunity to showcase some of its
work to the Intertribal Nursery Council.
Tribes, Pueblos Explore Native Plants (PDF; 780 KB)
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Conservation Innovation Grant Researches Soil Moisture Issues
Water is a key ingredient in New Mexico’s economic development – and
a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) experiment in the Burro Mountains
is just one of the state’s many NRCS supported projects to help
watersheds yield more of this precious resource.
Conservation Innovation Grant Researches
Soil Moisture Issues (PDF; 446 KB)
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Big Problems Get Big Solutions
Take miles of New Mexico mesquite and counter them with a watershed
initiative, and you have the Lovington Field Office working at its best.
In 2007 NRCS New Mexico challenged its field offices to devote funding
on a landscape or watershed scale, and it would match dollar-for-dollar
monies that were set aside for such purposes. The Lovington Field
Office along with the Portales Field Office, and its locally-led work
groups, accepted the challenge and set aside funds to manage brush in
the Lost Draw Area. These funds were matched by the NRCS New
Mexico State Office under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Big Problems Get Big Solutions (PDF; 687 KB)
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Ciudad SWCD Takes Healthy Watershed Mission to Heart
To ensure healthy watersheds in New Mexico it takes public
landowners, private landowners, Natural Resources Conservation Service,
soil and water conservation districts, State Forestry, private
non-profits, other federal and state agencies, and a whole cadre of
individuals and organizations to make it happen. And, the Ciudad
Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is taking this mission to
ehart in the east mountain communities of Bernalillo county with healthy
forest funding provided by the U.S. Forest Service and administered by
the New Mexico State Forestry.
Ciudad SWCD Takes Health Watershed Mission to Heart
(PDF; 406 KB)
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NM NRCS Program to Protect Expiring CRP Acres
Pressures such as higher commodity prices are being placed on
producers to take Conservation Program (CRP) fields out of grass and put
back into production. The New Mexico NRCS is taking an innovative
approach to stem the flow of CRP fields going back into crop production,
which at the same time helping ranchers by using Farm Bill programs not
normally associated with CRP.
NM NRCS Program to Protect Expiring CRP
Acres (PDF;
324 KB)
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What's Good for the Prairie Chicken is Good for Cattle
The grasslands that the Lesser Prairie Chicken needs, also responds
to Causey rancher Jim Weaver's goal of developing wildlife habitat while
operating an economically viable ranch. Cattle thrive in the wide
open spaces that meet the Lesser Prairie Chicken's requirements.
What's Good for the Prairie Chicken
is Good for Cattle (PDF;
460 KB)
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Fuel, Fertilizer Prices Drive New Technology for Portales Farmer
To plow or not to plow, that is the question for farmers like Rick
Ledbetter of Portales. The answers all stack up on the side of
conservation tillage for Ledbetter, however - resulting in production
costs savings and soil improvements at the same time.
Fuel, Fertilizer Prices Drive New
Technology for Portales Farmer (PDF;
462 KB)
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Lava SWCD Farmer Tackles Russian Knapweed
One of the passions of New Mexico's soil and water conservation
districts is the control of noxious weeds. And, control of Russian
Knapweed is a particular passion for Alfred Saavedra of the Lava Soil &
Water Conservation District.
Lava SWCD Farmer Tackles Russian
Knapweed (PDF;
201 KB)
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Mimbres River Farmers Benefit from Natural Combination
Farmers in the Mimbres River area are benefitting from a revetment
fence that slows floodwater, thanks to the initiative and desire of
staff from the New Mexico Environment Department and NRCS Silver City
field office to make cooperative conservation happen.
Mimbres River Farmers Benefit from
Natural Combination (PDF;
430 KB)
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Pulling it Together as RC&Ds Can
Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Councils are known for
their ability to pull together divergent entities or resources when the
tasks at hand require the involvement of a number of organizations or
facets. The Sureste RC&D proved this out in July when they
spearheaded an outreach initiative to gain greater participation in USDA
programs from minority landowners and limited resource and beginning
farmers and ranchers.
Pulling it Together as RC&Ds Can (PDF;
257 KB)
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FSA, NRCS Team Up to Help Restore Gilles Farms Cropland
A couple of years ago when a levee broke, depositing yards of
sediment on a field at Gilles Farms near Arrey, New Mexico, the teamwork
of NRCS and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) came into play. NRCS
offered the support of its technical assistance program, and FSA
utilized the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to answer the needs of
this vegetable and crop producer.
FSA, NRCS Team Up to Help Restore
Gilles Farms Cropland (PDF;
676 KB)
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Riparian Restoration Team Pushes Knowledge Into the Field
This spring, NRCS New Mexico, in major push, carried its riparian
restoration technology into the field. In a series of four workshops,
the NRCS New Mexico riparian restoration team introduced its "Guide for
Planning Riparian Treatments in New Mexico," and offered key information
about assessing alternatives and arriving at sound decisions when
planning for these unique ecosystems.
Riparian Restoration Team Pushes Knowledge Into the Field (PDF;
778 KB)
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Claunch-Pinto, East Torrance, and Edgewood SWCDs Respond to Threat
Being the true-hearted partners they are, the Claunch-Pinto, East
Torrance, and Edgewood Soil and Water conservation Districts (SWCD)
Kicked in high gear when the Trigo Fire in the Manzano Mountains
happened.
Claunch-Pinto, East Torrance, and Edgewood SWCDs Respond to Threat (PDF;
642 KB)
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Coordination Assistance Aids Navajos
In early 2007, the Hub RC&D Council responded when the Ojo Encino
Ranchers Committee on the Navajo reservation about securing financial
and technical assistance to improve solid waste management in Ojo Encino
and possibly other surrounding communities such as Torreon, Counselor,
and Pueblo Pintado.
Coordination Assistance Aids Navajos (PDF;
228 KB)
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SWCDs, Others Bring Conservation to Kids
Do you remember racing around the farm yard as a kid playing the Lone
Ranger or Gene or Roy? Many of today's kids lack the opportunity
to learn about the kind of rural life you may have known back then.
Several of the state's soil and water conservation districts (SWCD) are
setting out to change that.
SWCDs, Others Bring Conservation to Kids (PDF;
1005 KB)
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Carrizozo Area Strives to Save Stock Water, Wildlife
Water tanks, troughs, and ponds that New Mexico ranchers build and
maintain for livestock, also become critical sources of water for a
large array of wildlife. Taking some simple measures to create escapes
routes for birds, bats, squirrels, and other small animals that fall
into these structures not only helps valuable wildlife survive, but
prevents livestock water degradation caused by decaying animals.
Carrizozo Area Strives to Save Stock Water,
Wildlife (PDF; 877 KB) |
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Navajo Code Talker Honors NRCS Personnel
Producer Joe Vandever’s Navajo name is ta-de-yhi which means ‘going
places’. Little did this child of the land know when he was born west of
Grants, New Mexico in 1923 that he was going to play an important role
in United States history, as a Navajo Code Talker in World War II.
Navajo Code Talker Honors NRCS Personnel
(PDF; 2 MB) |
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"Basin Absolutely Did Its Job"
The topography of Truth or Consequences and neighboring Village of
Williamsburg, combined with New Mexico’s propensity for cloudbursts, has
created an environment that is flood prone. However, some clever
engineering, provided by NRCS, has helped to bring safety to these
communities and prevent disruption of travel, damage to businesses and
homes, and sedimentation in the communities and Rio Grande.
Basin Absolutely Did Its Job (PDF; 782 KB) |
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Locally Led Work Group Acts to Save Playas
Much has been written about the deterioration of the Ogallala Aquifer
in eastern New Mexico and adjacent plains states. Conservationists in
the Central Curry Soil & Water Conservation District are not willing to
sit idly by and let this huge natural resource issue go unanswered,
however. The retort of their local work group has been to make the playa
lakes in their area a priority resource concern, and source of action to
preserve these valuable environments.
Locally Led Work Group Acts to Save Playas (PDF; 782 KB) |
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Cleaning Up Yesterday's Trash
Conservation practices, like the one at Rainbow Ranch near Clayton,
NM, are reviving the littered landscape from years of discarded old
cars, tires, and refrigerators.
Cleaning Up Yesterday's Trash (PDF; 782 KB) |
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Conservationist Creates Awesome Ranch
Wanting the best for his family's ranch near Mora, New Mexico, Mike Reardon
has embarked on a conservation journey. He has employed many types of
conservation practices, including using controlled fires to eradicate
invasive brush and trees, planting native species that attract and
support wildlife, and streambed restoration.
Conservationist Creates Awesome Ranch (PDF; 818 KB) |
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Tallpot and Hydrogel Technologies Team Up in Semi-Desert Climate
Planting shrubs alongside a semi-desert road near Santa Fe, then only
watering them twice and expecting them to thrive sounds like an
impossible mission. Yet, that is exactly what the group of innovators at
the NRCS Los Lunas Plant Materials Center are doing.
Tallpot and Hydrogel Technologies Team Up in Semi-Desert
Climate (PDF; 818 KB) |
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Instilling "Tried and True" into Technology
NRCS has a reputation for bringing "tried and true" technology to New
Mexico's farms and ranches. One of NRCS New Mexico's recent innovations
currently undergoing a real-world trial is a plastic-lined steel water
tank with a false bottom.
Instilling "Tried and True" into Technology (PDF; 614 KB) |
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Study Yielding Initial Answers to Water Depletions in Sacramentos
The Otero Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is tackling water
depletion problems in a 750 square mile area of south-central New
Mexico, and instituting a scientific approach to watershed management
that they and others can use.
Study Yielding Initial Answers to Water Depletions in
Sacramentos (PDF; 695 KB) |
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Conservationists Nearly Double Water Flow in the Abo Arroyo
The eradication of salt cedar and the reintroduction of native plants
to the banks of the Abo Arroyo have initiated the return of a healthy
landscape. This conservation effort is significant because the Abo
Arroyo, as a tributary of the Rio Grande is a seed source for both
invasive plants, like salt cedar, and beneficial vegetation for large
areas downstream.
Conservationists Nearly Double Water Flow in the Abo
Arroyo (PDF; 695 KB) |
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Dam Rehab Achieves Goals
Through a partnership between local, state and federal entities, the
Piedra Liza Dam, originally built in the late 1950s, has been brought up
to modern-day standards. This successful project will ensure the
continued protection of the land and people of the Bernalillo area from
potentially devastating flooding.
Dam
Rebab Achieves Goals (PDF; 923 KB) |
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PMC Makes Rancher's Crop a Mission
Striving to making more drought-tolerant grasses commercially
available to New Mexico ranchers has become one of the many pursuits of
the Plant Materials Center (PMC) in Los Lunas.
PMC
Makes Rancher's Crop a Mission (PDF; 308 KB) |
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Sometimes it Takes Tweaking
A s New Mexico’s innovative farmers and ranchers seek new and
better ways to conserve our natural resources, resounding successes do
not always happen the first time. Sometimes it takes tweaking.
Sometimes
it Takes Tweaking (PDF; 308 KB) |
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Warm Pecan Pie has Roots in Deming
When you are sitting around the kitchen table after supper immersed
in that delectable piece of warm pecan pie dripping with melting ice
cream, think of Rick Holdridge and subsurface drip irrigation.
Warm
Pecan Pie has Roots in Deming (PDF; 757 KB) |
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Old Ways Die Hard
The Los Lunas Plant Materials Center staff finds a challenge in
spreading the word about new riparian restoration technology that runs
counter to traditional wisdom.
Old
Ways Die Hard (PDF; 750 KB) |
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Sichler Farms Produce Introduces Subsurface Drip Irrigation to Socorro County
Sichler Farms Produce is pioneering drip irrigation systems in their operation
this spring near San Antonio.
Sichler
Farms Produce Introduces Subsurface Drip Irrigation to Socorro County (PDF; 750 KB) |
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Weeds Meet Their Match in Southeastern New Mexico
Multiple agencies formed the Cooperative Weed Management Area to establish
countywide organizations to tackle week infestation.
Weeds
Meet Their Match in Southeastern New Mexico (PDF; 215 KB) |
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Deming Producer Sold On Subsurface Drip Irrigation
Kevin Penn is using 30 to 40 percent less water on his crops due to drip
irrigation systems.
Deming
Producer Sold On Subsurface Drip Irrigation (PDF; 452 KB) |
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Dad Had the Paperwork Everywhere
What is positive about comprehensive nutrient management
plans (CNMPs)? Listen to Linda Armstrong from Dona Ana County who is the
daughter of a local dairyman, and environmental consultant for five
dairies that are owned by or affiliated with the family
Dad
Had the Paperwork Everywhere (PDF; 417 KB) |
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So You’re Thinking About an Easement Program
To some, conservation easements are controversial while to other landowners they
answer a strong desire. Seth Fiedler, NRCS resource conservationist, recently
took a minute to explain a little about the Farm and Ranchland Protection
Program (FRPP).
So
You're Thinking About an Easement Program (PDF; 374 KB) |
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Solar Smarts Turn Forest Area into Prime Habitat
Solar panels that power a water well are making a portion of the Smokey Bear
District in the Lincoln National Forest habitable during dry periods for wild
turkey, mule deer, elk, and an occasional javelina thanks, in part, to the
efforts of the South Central Mountain RC&D, their NRCS RC&D coordinator, and the
U.S. Forest Service .
Solar
Smarts Turn Forest Area into Prime Habitat (PDF; 646 KB) |
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Brine Rehabilitation Poised to Revolutionize
If it would cost you 30 cents a barrel to reinject unusable oil brine back into
the ground or 10 cents to clean it up and irrigate a pasture, what would you do?
Brine
Rehabilitation Poised to Revolutionize (PDF; 326 KB) |
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NRCSers On Mission To Spread Word
The Los Lunas Plant Materials Center is on a mission to spread the word about
riparian planting techniques that work. Their recent demonstration illustrates
their efforts to spread the technology they have developed over the past two
decades.
NRCSers
on Mission to Spread Word (PDF; 308 KB) |
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Bunchgrass Demo Launched
Giant sacaton is a native warm season bunchgrass that can reach
heights in excess of seven feet and more than four feet wide. The PMC
has been evaluating giant sacaton since 1999, by installing windstrip
plantings to help protect areas from wind erosion.
Bunchgrass
Demo Launched (PDF; 1 MB) |
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Restoring Grasslands
Grassland/watershed restoration in the Mangus Watershed meant
prescribed burns and erosion control structures – lots of them. The
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service assisted throughout the
process with technical expertise and some funding.
Restoring
Grasslands (PDF; 254 KB) |
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Takes One to Know One
The old adage “It takes one to know one” couldn’t be truer when it
comes to farmers. It takes a farmer to know what a farmer really needs.
That is why when a farmer like Jimmie Fisher from Aztec speaks up and
tells his neighbors how conservation improvements have worked for him,
people listen.
Takes
One to Know One (PDF; 332 KB) |
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Flipping the Power Switch
Do you want to save energy on your farm? You bet – who doesn’t? Do
you have an operation that uses irrigation pumps, a greenhouse, or
refrigeration?
Flipping
the Power Switch (PDF; 214 KB) |
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Awkward Buzz Word Yields Answers
Collaborative conservation may be a new and somewhat awkward buzz
word in New Mexico conservation circles, but to Stacy Mills of the JC &
Frances Mills Family Ptr. LTC of Carlsbad it means finally being able to
access the benefits of USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in a way that makes
sense for his operation.
Award
Buzz Word Yields Answers (PDF; 219 KB) |
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Cowboy Ingenuity Aids Lovington Rancher
Southwestern ranchers know the need for being inventive and finding
practical solutions for issues on the range.
Cowboy
Ingenuity Aids Lovington Rancher (PDF; 127 KB) |
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Conservation Proves Itself at Cuba Fire
Don Moore's continuing drive to improve his rangeland near Cuba, New
Mexico is attributed to restricting a wildfire that would otherwise have
spread into the Los Pinos area.
Conservation
proves itself at Cuba Fire (PDF; 444 KB) |
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WHIP Used to Capitalize on Fly-Zone in Tome
Andrew Hautzinger's small farm south of Tome and east of Los Lunas,
New Mexico is in a major fly-zone for many migratory birds.
WHIP
used to capitalize on fly-zone fire (PDF; 662 KB) |
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Entrepreneur Eyes PMC Products
Giant Sacaton was originally developed by the Plant Material Center
for non-woody windbreaks in area vegetable fields. Breeding by the PMC
has made a dramatic difference – resulting in a large grass that
surpasses Pampas grass in stature and is much bigger and showier than
its unimproved native forms.
Entrepreneur
eyes Plant Materials Center products (PDF; 476 KB) |