NRCS This Week - 03/09/01

See the alphabetical-by-subject list of upcoming events. . See NEW listing under Agroforestry/Forestry, Agricultural Marketing, Conservation Communications, and Grazing Land & Grassland.

FOCUS ON THE FIELD

Women in Ag Conference Held in Nebraska Panhandle - The first Women in Agriculture Conference in the southern Nebraska panhandle region was recently held in Sydney. Kathy Buttle, NRCS soil conservation technician, together with the Cheyenne County Extension, University of Nebraska at Lincoln's Panhandle Learning Center, and a group of local women planned the conference, entitled Pocketing Change for Posterity. Based upon survey results received before the conference that revealed women weren't clear about the NRCS, Farm Service Agency, and South Platte natural resource district (NRD) programs, presentations on each agency's programs were produced by Buttle; Ivan Johnson, FSA; and Kerry Ferguson, NRD Information and Education Specialist. Bolstered by a positive response to this first conference, the three trainers are enthusiastic and want to take their presentations on the road. Kathy Buttle, NRCS Soil Conservation Technician, at 308-254-4507.

Buffer Fact Sheets Available On-line - The Connecticut River Joint Commission has recently published a series of ten fact sheets designed to inform local residents of the value and function of buffers. Both the New Hampshire and Vermont NRCS, along with many State, local, and Federal partners, provided technical assistance to the Joint Commission for the buffers publications. The fact sheets include Introduction to Riparian Buffers, Backyard Buffers, Urban Buffers, Buffers for Habitat, Buffers for Agricultural Land, Urban Buffers, Guidance for Communities, Planting Riparian Buffers, Field Assessment, and Sources of Assistance. These buffer fact sheets represent a part of the education effort needed to improve and maintain water quality in the Connecticut River watershed. Although designed for New Hampshire-Vermont communities in the watershed, these publications have universal value through their readability, artwork, and comprehensive approach that includes urban and suburban issues. You can download and reproduce the fact sheets from http://www.crjc.org/riparianbuffers.htm. Your Contact is Laura Morton, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 603-868-7581, ext. 104, or lmorton@nh.nrcs.usda.gov.

Ecological Site Descriptions Updates - More than 130 NRCS employees are part of a seven-year effort in which the Northern Plains Region is leading the Nation in completing new or updated ecological site descriptions and forage suitability groups. These updated ecological site descriptions and forage suitability groups tools will help NRCS field office staff provide better technical assistance on grazing lands and help producers to make more informed land management decisions. Chuck Ring, a rangeland management specialist in the Cheyenne, Wyoming NRCS office, coordinates the work across the seven-State region. The target for Ring's group is to complete more than 2,000 ecological site descriptions and about 1,000 forage suitability groups. Employees are members of local work groups working in eight Major Land Resource Areas across the region. Local work groups are developing draft ecological site descriptions based on available data and field experience. These site descriptions will then be verified, refined, and more fully described as knowledge and experience is gained over the coming years. A Progress Report for this and other technology tasks is available at Northern Plains Region website at http://www.np.nrcs.usda.gov. Your contact is Brad Anseth, NRCS Quality Management Specialist, at 402-437-4068.

Tennessee Partnership Addressing Water Quality Issues - NRCS, the University of Tennessee Water Resources Center, and the Knox County Soil Conservation District have formed a successful partnership to address water quality issues through educational efforts at area high schools where students want to learn more about soil and water quality. With partnership support, NRCS has taken up the challenge to improve understanding of the physical, biological, and chemical factors that play a role in water quality in area streams and lakes. By using the NRCS National Water and Climate Center's Technical Note 99-1 as a foundation, the agency conducts training sessions for students on stream visual assessment protocol - a technique using field observations to estimate water quality as affected by stream bank erosion, sediment levels, aquatic life, and other factors. Your contact is Chip Ramsey, NRCS District Conservationist, at 865-523-3338, ext. 3.

NRCS Shines at Cotton & Rice Conference - More than 500 participants attended the Fourth Annual Conservation Tillage Cotton & Rice Conference in Houston, Texas, where NRCS - the only State or Federal agency represented - staffed a booth. Producers, State agency and private industry representatives stopped by the NRCS booth to share success stories, ideas, and views at an event that featured farmers' presentations on their experiences and lessons learned. Speakers at the event praised the conservation work and assistance NRCS provides producers in Texas. Norma J. Tucker, NRCS Office Automation Secretary, at 254-742-9810.

NATIONAL

Celebrate Women's History Month! - The first International Women's Day was March 8, 1911. In 1981, U.S. Representative Barbara Mikulski and U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch cosponsored a Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming the week of March 8, as National Women's History Week. In 1986, the National Women's History Project helped expand the celebration to the entire month of March. In 1987 and subsequent years, National Women's History Month resolutions have been approved by Congress.

Today, schools and communities celebrate the month with special curriculum and events, and many States and cities have extended the observance year-round by creating Women's Halls of Fame. Check out the many interesting events highlighting Women's History Month at the Feminist Majority website calendar at http://www.feminist.org/calendar/Calendar.asp

"The Leader in You" 2001 Series - The NRCS Social Sciences Institute, in cooperation with the National Association of Conservation Districts, the National Association of State Conservation Agencies, and the Federal Training Network, and others will again present "The Leader in You" series. The lineup and broadcast dates of the satellite seminars are as follows:

"Beyond Management to Dynamic Leadership" - April 12, 1-3 p.m. Eastern Time, is intended for those individuals and managers who want to build a solid foundation to help enhance leadership abilities. Satellite broadcast information will be available by March 26.

"Supercharger 2001 - Motivating the Motivators" - May 3

"On Leadership" - May 16

"Stress Mastery" - June 14

"The Leader in You" training program is designed to enhance skills to implement locally led conservation and is intended for all levels of the conservation partnership. Your contact is Barbara Wallace, NRCS Social Sciences Institute, at 616-942-1503.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON

Agricultural Outlook Forum 2001 Speeches Available - Speeches from USDA's 2001 Outlook Forum, held in late February, are available now. Industry leaders, analysts, and government officials discussed prospects and trends shaping agriculture's future. Topics included the next farm bill, world trade talks, the impact of industry changes and emerging environmental issues. USDA released new long-term commodity projections. To download the speeches or the projections report from the Internet, access www.usda.gov/oce and click on Outlook Forum. Your contact is Ted Kupelian, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 202-720-5776.

Making Teams Accessible for People with Disabilities - The NRCS Operations Management and Oversight Division's publication (OMOD) "Making Teams Accessible for People with Disabilities" is now available for use by civil rights and NRCS program managers and the conservation partnership. The publication includes a demographic profile, training and interaction tips for effective communication, sources for further information, success stories, and a step-by-step action planning process that offices and work teams can use to enhance the workplace environment for employees with disabilities. "Making Teams Accessible for People with Disabilities" addresses questions on team building and team performance as they relate to people with disabilities. Copies of the publication may be obtained by writing to the NRCS Operations Management and Oversight Division, attn: Denise Decker, Room 6171-S; P.O. Box 2890; Washington, DC 20013. The publication is also available on the SPA website at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/SPA/team_access/mta.html.

Your contact is Denise Decker, NRCS Operations Management and Oversight Division, at 202-690-0648 or denise.decker@usda.gov.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Minnesota Engineer Honored - NRCS Minnesota engineer, Sonia Maassel Jacobsen was recently honored as the NRCS Engineer of the Year at an award banquet held in Washington, D.C. She was also recognized as one of ten candidates for "Federal Engineer of the Year," an honor bestowed by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Lawrence E. Clark, Deputy Chief for Science and Technology, presented the award to Ms. Jacobsen on behalf of NRCS. As Hydraulic Engineer for NRCS in Minnesota, Jacobsen is a nationally recognized expert in the emerging field of wetland hydrology. She has collaborated with experts representing Federal and State agencies and universities nationwide to devise and publish procedures that can be used by engineers to predict the impact of drainage activities on nearby wetlands. In addition, Jacobsen played a lead role in recovery efforts from the 1997 flood that hit Minnesota. Your contact is Sylvia Rainford, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 651-602-7859.

TECH TIPS

New Soil Quality Test Kit Tools Developed - Two additional tools have been developed to enhance the Soil Quality Test Kit, which was introduced in 1998. First, the Test Kit Guide, an 82-page booklet containing procedures for twelve on-farm tests, guidance for interpreting results, data recording sheets, and instructions for building a test kit, has been translated into Spanish. Secondly, the Soil Quality Institute (SQI) has developed an Excel spreadsheet (available in English only) for Test Kit data that will calculate test results and basic summary statistics when raw test data are entered. The Soil Quality Test Kit is effective for creating an awareness of the importance of soil quality. It can be used to compare soils under different land management systems, track changes in soil quality over time, or demonstrate the effects of practices, such as conservation tillage, on soil quality. The spreadsheet and the Spanish language version of the Guide are available on the SQI web site at http://www.statlab.iastate.edu/survey/SQI/kit2.html. Your contact is Michael Hubbs, NRCS Agronomist, at 334-844-4741 ext.177, or mhubbs@eng.auburn.edu.

CONFERENCE & TRAINING CONNECTION

March 9, 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

NEW! Agricultural Marketing

NEW! Agroforestry/Forestry

Coastal Zone Management

Conservation Education

NEW! Conservation Communications

Forestry
Geographic Information Systems

Global Climate Change
NEW! Grazing Land & Grassland

Locally Led Conservation

Nutrient Management
Policy

Riparian and Floodplain Restoration

Rural History

Soil Science/Erosion Control

Wildlife and Natural Resource Conservation

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/.