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Michigan NRCS Partnerships

Partnerships are the foundation of natural resources conservation on private lands.  Since the birth of the Soil Conservation Service in 1937, partnerships with Conservation Districts have made responding to local natural resource issues possible with federal government assistance.  Since that time the "Conservation Partnership" has expanded to include many diverse organizations.  However, the essence of partnerships has remained - people working together towards the conservation of natural resources.

Customers

Private landowners requesting technical assistance with conservation planning comprise a majority of the NRCS customer base.  Rural homeowners, urban dwellers and local governments also look to NRCS for assistance in protecting and preserving wildlife habitat, disaster clean-up, and conservation education.

Conservation Districts

Michigan has 80 Conservation Districts, one serving nearly every Michigan county.  The NRCS works with Conservation District boards, a locally elected 5-member governing body responsible for private land conservation at the county level.

Michigan Department of Agriculture

The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) and Michigan NRCS have entered into a Contribution Agreement to deliver conservation technical assistance to producers. Under this contribution agreement, MDA and Michigan NRCS contribute equal shares of the resources needed to carry out the technical assistance.

These documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat DocumentNRCS/MDA Contribution Agreement for Farm Bill-Related Technical Assistance (728K)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentUSDA NRCS/MDA Contribution Agreement (as amended 11/06) (289KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentFrequently Asked Questions (60K)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentStep-by-Step Process for Implementing the Contribution Agreement (116KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentInstructions for Using the Tracking Database revised 1/06 (108KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentContribution Agreement Talking Points (38KB)

Letters from MDA to Conservation District Chairs
Adobe Acrobat DocumentMDA Contribution Agreement Letter 11/05/04 (50K)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentContribution Agreement Amendment Letter 4/1/05 (60K)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentMDA Contribution Agreement Letter 12/20/05 (60KB)

The following were presented at the Conservation District Employee's Conference which took place on June 28-29, 2005.
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWhy a Contribution Agreement.ppt (131KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentHow the Agreement Works (266KB) presented at 2007 MACD Conference
 Adobe Acrobat DocumentMDA - NRCS Engineering Contribution Agreement  presented at 2007 MACD Conference
Adobe Acrobat DocumenteAuthentication Affiliate Accounts.ppt (246KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentPractice Standard Statement of Work.ppt (5.24MB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentContract Support.ppt (709KB)

Technical Service Providers

Technical Service Providers are individuals certified to provide technical assistance on behalf of USDA. Technical assistance includes conservation planning and design, layout, installation, and checkout of approved conservation practices.

Michigan Technical Committee

The Michigan Technical Committee (MTC) is comprised of both governmental and non-governmental leaders representing environmentally related disciplines. The committee is chaired by the State Conservationist of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Michigan. 

Last Modified 10/18/2007