NRCS This Week - 02/23/01

When Matt Maring, a Patterson, California, area vegetable row-crop farmer, began getting complaints from the neighboring irrigation district about his chocolate-brown runoff, he knew he had to do something or face possible legal action. Learn from The Grower how Matt handled the problem at http://www.growermagazine.com/home/2PAM.htm.

Also on the 'Net:

AGRICOLA: USDA's AGRICultural Online Access

e-Notes from NACD: Weekly news briefs from the National Association of Conservation Districts: http://www.nacdnet.org/eNotes/.

You may have planted California poppies near your Los Angeles patio or black-eyed Susans in your Cincinnati perennial border, but how much do you really know about gardening with native plants? Test your native intelligence with ENN's native plants quiz at http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/02/02092001/plants_41873.asp?site=email.

Conference & Training Connection!

See the alphabetical-by-subject list of upcoming events. . See NEW listing under Wetlands..

FOCUS ON THE FIELD

Fresno Outreach Effort Yields Impressive Results - In an effort to sustain momentum with their outreach efforts in 2001, the NRCS Fresno, California, Area Office helped three Fresno State students work to develop "A Culturally Sensitive, Elementary Level, Urban-Based Conservation Education Curriculum Project." The goal of the project was to prepare conservation education materials for a team of college students to use in their work with minority students in the city of Fresno and surrounding area. The three students searched for answers to questions such as, are children's learning styles impacted culturally, do learning styles change with age, does economic status impact learning, and does environment influence learning. The answers were catalogued in a database that yielded analysis, summarization charts, evaluations, and a curriculum for minority students. The database tracked more than 50 different characteristics of 60 students of whom 27 percent are Asian, 34 percent Hispanic, and 26 percent African-American. This was no small undertaking with more than 1,000 Earth Team volunteer hours logged in area schools involving observation in four bi-lingual classrooms. Your contact is Sammy Moore, Jr., NRCS Management Analyst for Civil Rights, at 530-792-5608.

Meeting Highlights Strategies for Managing Invasive Plants - NRCS, the Southern New England Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, and several local groups working on invasive plant issues in Connecticut, recently held a meeting that focused on strategies for managing invasives. Nearly 130 representatives from NRCS offices in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, along with others from Federal and State agencies, universities, local governments, the nursery industry, private consultants, and conservation organizations, listened to a keynote address on "Early Detection of Invasive Plants" by nationally known invasive plant expert Dr. Sarah Reichard. Other sessions covered when and how to take action against invasive plants, detailed information on different techniques of invasive plant control, and native plant alternatives. NRCS Connecticut is preparing materials on invasive plants for its website at http://www.ct.nrcs.usda.gov. Your contact is Charlotte Pyle, NRCS Landscape Ecologist, at 860-871-4066 or charlotte.pyle@ct.usda.gov.

Identify Early Spring Weeds - Numerous winter annual, biennial, and perennial weeds are typically present in no-till fields in early spring. Many will need to be controlled before a new crop is planted. Decisions on whether to manage those early spring weeds and what herbicide to apply depend, in part, on proper identification. A new Michigan State University (MSU) Extension publication will help growers, extension agents, and crop consultants identify early spring weeds and select herbicides to control them. The publication uses color pictures and a taxonomic key to identify weeds. Once a grower identifies a weed, he or she can refer to a table in the manual to find the best herbicide to control early spring weeds in no-till fields. The bulletin, NCR 614, is available from county MSU Extension offices or the MSU Bulletin Office, 10-B Agriculture Hall, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824-1039. The cost is $5. Your contact is Leslie Johnson, MSU, at 517-355-0240.

Soil Compaction Solutions – Pennsylvania Style - This past year, Pennsylvania NRCS conservationists Joel Myers, Barry Frantz, and Ed White worked with two farmers in northcentral Pennsylvania to evaluate effectiveness of chiseling and subsoiling to treat soil compaction. They've come up with some observations to compaction problems in that area that could be useful in other localities. They found that spring, early summer, or fall, when soil is moist enough to allow for easy probing and sampling, are the best times to evaluate soil compaction. Deep tillage can improve drainage and reduce runoff on some compacted soils; however, it may not break up compacted soil beyond the immediate vicinity of the chisel shank, especially when soil is wet. Hardpans, 8-to 12-inches deep, were penetrated with either a chisel plow or paraplow. In the slit left by the chisel shank, bulk density was in the normal range for the soil, even at the end of the growing season. Between where chisel shanks had run, soil remained compacted with densities that restrict root growth and water movement. The farmers were very happy with the improved drainage and plan to continue the deep chiseling technique. Your contact is Barry Frantz, NRCS Soil Conservationist, at 717-237-2216.

NATIONAL

Historic Partnership Caps Conservation Conference - NRCS, the National Water Resources Association, the Western States Water Council, Bureau of Reclamation (BoR), National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), and National Association of State Conservation Agencies recently took an historic step as they joined together in a new "Bridging-the-Headgate" partnership. In terms of western agriculture, a "headgate" can be thought of as an agricultural "faucet" through which local farmers receive their irrigation water from local water suppliers or districts. The partner organizations, responsible for managing western agricultural water supplies, signed the agreement at the Water Resources Forum at the NACD convention in Fort Worth, Texas. The overall intent of the partnership is to encourage and facilitate increased collaboration among local irrigation districts, conservation districts, State water resource agencies, conservation agencies, and local BoR and NRCS offices in addressing western agricultural water management issues and opportunities. The partners' agreement acknowledges the need to work together for the sustainable and efficient use of western agricultural water supplies Your contact is Ron Francis, Director of Public Affairs, NACD, at 281-332-3402

NRI OASys97 Now Available - State National Resources Inventory (NRI) specialists will now be able to query NRI data directly using the 1997 Online Analysis System, NRI OASys97. The system allows users to define a query in order to produce a table of statistical summary estimates. NRI data for the years 1982, 1987, 1992, and 1997 may be queried with the system to produce estimated values for either a single or all four years or to estimate change between two years. Queries may be defined for geographic areas to produce information on land use, urbanization, irrigation, erosion, grazing lands, wetlands, and so forth, in terms of area (acres) or related erosion characteristics.

The NRI is conducted by the NRCS in cooperation with the Iowa State University Statistical Laboratory. NRI data are used to assess conditions and trends of soil, water, and related resources on non-Federal lands of the United States. Information extracted from NRI data is used in national, State, and local planning, university research, and private-sector analysis and is also the basis for shaping agri-environmental policy and land-use decisions. National level NRI results and additional information about the NRI are available at http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/NRI. This web-site also provides links to active State level NRI web-sites. State level NRI tabulations can be obtained through the State NRI Specialist at the local NRCS State Office. Your contact is Jeff Goebel, NRCS Resource Inventory Division, at 301-504-2270.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON

Celebrate National Black History Month! - National Black History Month is celebrated during February to salute and honor the contributions that African-Americans have made in this country. This year's theme is "Creating and Defining the African-American Community: Family, Church, Politics, and Culture." In 1926, Harvard educated Dr. Carter G. Woodson began the observance to instill a sense of pride, heritage, and honor in African-Americans and to encourage other racial groups to learn more about the African-American culture. In 1976, the week-long event was expanded to the month of February to allow more time for observances. Woodson's choice of February honors two well-known civil rights leaders born during the month: Frederick Douglas (February 14) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12). Your contact is John Glover, NRCS Acting National Black Emphasis Program Manager, at 301-504-2181, or john.glover@il.usda.gov.

Biosolids Field Guide Available - USDA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have published "Guide to Field Storage of Biosolids," which provides a set of consistent "recommended management practices" for field storage of biosolids - the elements needed for good site design and operation. The guide also includes a discussion on the need for continuing partnership and communications between generators and managers responsible for storage and land use. To foster a holistic approach to management of organic by-products, there is a discussion of recommendations for storage of organic by-products other than biosolids, as well as composting issues. An electronic version is available at http://www.epa.gov/owm/bio/fsguide/index.htm. Your contact is Patricia D. Millner, Ph.D., Agricultural Research Service research microbiologist, at 301-504-8163 or millnerp@ba.ars.usda.gov.

2001 National Cooperative Soil Survey Soil Scientist Awards - Each year, through the NCSS Soil Scientist Achievement and Soil Scientist of the Year awards, NRCS recognizes exceptional achievements by individuals working in production soil survey under the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) Program. Award criteria include technical achievement that has led to a significant advancement in any phase of the soil survey program; exceptional management of a soil survey program at any level that has resulted in enhanced productivity, technical innovation, and soil survey quality; sustained excellence in recruiting, training, or developing soil survey talent at all levels of the NCSS organization; or an exceptionally innovative or creative research or technical paper, project or concept that has significantly enhanced the art and science of soil survey. States may make one nomination for each award. Completed nomination forms should be sent to the Director, NRCS Soil Survey Division, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013. Nomination forms can be obtained from Horace Smith, Director, NRCS Soil Survey Division, at 202-720-1820. Deadline for submissions is April 25, 2001.

TECH TIPS

National Forage Quality and Animal Well-being Program Helps Ranchers - Forage quality and animal nutrition are important to grazing land management and total resource planning. Today's livestock producers must constantly consider the management of their resources and the economics of their operations to reduce input costs. Supplemental feed (hay or concentrates) can be the largest variable cost of an operation. Strategic feeding of livestock can enable operators to sustain their animals, their resources, and livelihood. Knowledge of the nutrient value and quantity of the forages available can assist producers in making strategic feeding and land management decisions.

The National Forage Quality and Animal Well-being Program, in conjunction with the Nutbal software, provides information about supplemental feeding, if needed; least-cost feeding alternatives; and potential land management changes, such as rotational grazing adjustments. The Grazing Lands Technology Institute is working with States and Texas A&M University Grazinglands Animal Nutrition Lab to conduct training workshops throughout the country to introduce the new Windows version of Nutbal called Nutbal Pro. This software program is used in conjunction with the National Forage Quality and Animal Well-being Program to evaluate the diet quality of grazing resources and the contribution to the animals' needs. NRCS employees working with cooperators who are collecting fecal samples are using the diet analyses with this software to evaluate natural resources and present conservation alternatives to land managers. For the schedule and location of these sessions, refer to the Grazing Lands Technology Institute website http:www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/glti/homepage.html and click on "Current Projects and Issues." Look under "NUTBAL" and then click on "Training Schedule." Your contact is Arnold J. Norman, NRCS Ecosystem Decision Support Specialist, at 817-509-3214.

CONFERENCE & TRAINING CONNECTION

February 23, 2001

As a service to NRCS personnel and the agency's partners, "NRCS This Week" offers the following by-subject list of conferences and training sessions. To add an event, please send an e-mail message to fred.jacobs@usda.gov

AFO/CAFO

Agricultural Economics

Agricultural Engineering

Agroforestry/Forestry

Coastal Zone Management

Forestry
Geographic Information Systems

Global Climate Change
Grazing Land & Grassland

Invasive Plant Species

Locally Led Conservation

Nutrient Management
Riparian and Floodplain Restoration

Rural History

Soil Science/Erosion Control

Water Quality

Watersheds

NEW! Wetlands

AFO/CAFO

Dairy Manure Systems: Equipment and Technology Selection

March 20-22

Rochester, New York

an educational

Dairy Manure Systems: Equipment and Technology Selection is a conference intended for farm managers and their advisors, soil and water conservation district staff, nutrient management consultants, cooperative extension educators, equipment distributors, university specialists, farm system designers and builders, and environmental professionals. It will examine technology and equipment selection for manure handling, treatment, land application, and odor control.. The conference will focus on a systems approach to planning. For more infomration call 607-255-7654 or visit the conference website at http://www.nraes.org/conferences/manure.html.

Agricultural Economics

American Agricultural Economics Associtaion Annual (AAEA) Meeting

August 5-8

Chicago, Illinois

AAEA seeks submission for posters, papers, organized symposia and free sessions for the 2001 annual meeting in Chicago. For more information, contact Nancy Herselius at 515-233-3202, or nancy@aaea.org or visit the meeting website at http://www.aaea.org/meetings/.