NRCS Announces Acceptance of Proposals for Pilot Program - NRCS recently announced that proposals are being accepted for participation in the Conservation Farm Option (CFO) pilot program.

"The CFO offers to farmers one annual payment that will provide them with the independence they need to address natural resource problems, benefit the environment, and make their farms more productive," said NRCS Chief Pearlie Reed. "It is another opportunity to come out of the 1996 Farm Bill that will help improve the quality of natural resources on America's farms." CFO is administered by NRCS and USDA's Farm Service Agency.

The CFO is specifically for producers of wheat, feed grains, cotton, and rice who have a production flexibility contract. Participation is based upon a 10-year contract between the Secretary of Agriculture and the producer.

To be eligible for CFO, a producer must implement a single conservation plan that addresses soil, water, wetlands, or wildlife conservation measures. In return, a producer receives a single annual payment for implementing the contract and, in exchange for one consolidated payment, agrees to forgo payments under USDA's Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, and Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Any individual, organization, or eligible entity may submit a proposal. Proposals will be ranked by a USDA interdepartmental team that will forward the highest-rated proposals to NRCS for final selection.

USDA Works With Certified Crop Advisors to Help Agricultural Producers - NRCS recently signed the first national memorandum of understanding with a third party vendor organization - the American Society of Agronomy Certified Crop Advisers.

Third party vendors - authorized in the 1996 Farm Bill - are organizations, in both the private and public sectors that the Secretary of Agriculture certifies as approved sources of conservation assistance.

Chief Pearlie Reed said, "This is an historic occasion. We look forward to working with the Certified Crop Advisers at the national, State, and local levels. This partnership certainly expands the amount of conservation assistance available to America's agricultural producers."

Dr. Robert Barnes, American Society of Agronomy, and Perry Petersen, Chair of the International Certified Crop Advisers Program, signed the agreement for the American Society of Agronomy Certified Crop Advisers.

The Certified Crop Advisers will provide technical assistance to agricultural producers in nutrient management, pest management, and residue management. Any assistance provided by members of this group will meet NRCS standards and specifications, and become part of the producer's overall conservation plan.

The Certified Crop Advisers will establish a registry of participating members, the service they are qualified to provide, and the geographic area they cover. NRCS will distribute the registry to USDA Service Centers and local conservation districts.

Producers are not required to use third party vendors, but have this resource available to help them implement their conservation plans. Third party vendors increase the amount of conservation assistance available to farmers and ranchers. USDA looks to third party vendors to provide additional assistance in conserving the Nation's natural resources.

Administrative Convergence Implementation Planning Team (ACIPT) - The ACIPT has organized into five functional teams to assist in planning for administrative convergence; they are: Information Technology, Human Resources, Financial Management, Civil Rights, and Management Services. ACIPT also has named a 14-member union/management group that includes union representatives from the Union Coordinating Council, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, National Treasury Employees Union, and American Federation of Government Employees.

Employee questions and comments about administrative convergence are encouraged. ACIPT will respond to questions via weekly updates to employees or by individual messages. Please fax any comments or questions to the attention of NEW ACIPT Communications: 202-690-2578. Administrative Convergence Update messages are available by phone. Call 1-800-384-8090 for the current week's message. Messages are available to hearing-impaired employees on TDD. The phone number is 202-720-7882. Please let hearing impaired employees know about its availability.

Personnel Changes - Effective May 10, 1998, Fen C. Hunt, Soil Conservationist, Community Assistance and Resource Development Division, was detailed for 90 days as Acting Director, Civil Rights Program Compliance Division.

NRCS Resource Conservationist Finishes 100-Mile Run - Jeanne Christie, of the NRCS Headquarters Watersheds and Wetlands Division staff, spent her weekend running 100 miles. She was one of 67 finishers who ran and walked the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100-Mile Run, up and down mountains in the George Washington National Forest located in Virginia's scenic Shenandoah Valley. Jeanne finished among the top 6 women of the 12 who ran the entire 100-mile race. "Times were slower this year because of the rain, drizzle, and low cloud cover." explained Jeanne, who completed the course in 29 hours and 53 minutes - only 6 hours and change behind front-runner Eric Clifton, who clocked in at 23:03.

Jeanne is a veteran of 7 marathons, including Boston, New York and Marine Corps, as well as a half-dozen 50 kilometer and 50-mile trail runs. When we asked Jeanne if she could foresee a time when she might hang up her running shoes for good, she smiled and replied, "The oldest finisher in the 100-miler last week was 71 years old, I've got a lot of miles and a lot of races left to run."

IN THE FIELD

Professional Hispanic NRCS Employees Training - The National Organization of Professional Hispanic NRCS Employees (NOPHNRCSE) is hosting its sixth annual training conference, June 22-25, 1998, in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Conference registration is $60 and is open to anyone. For more information, contact Patrick Conner at 830-426-2521.

NRCS Salinas, California Field Office Wins Hammer Award - The Salinas field office won Vice President Gore's Hammer Award for its erosion prevention work with Hispanic farmers. NRCS identified both cultural and conservation needs of the local farmers, most of whom had not previously taken part in Department of Agriculture programs. As a result, 20 farmers participated in conservation cost shares and established erosion control practices. This initiative successfully reinvented the agency's Small Watershed Program by producing a mix of technical and cultural solutions to meet a complex conservation need.

Salmon Corps Creates Habitat For Fish, Careers, and For People in the State of Washington - The Idaho-based Lapwai Salmon Corps, a group organized to restore salmon and steelhead habitat in the Northwest and its partners are repairing and enhancing the habitat in the Asotin, Pataha, and Tucannon watersheds in Washington State. They are also providing educational and economic opportunities to members of local Native American tribes as well as non- tribal individuals.

Salmon Corps members come from five Native American tribal nations: the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. The Salmon Corps is administered through the Earth Conservation Corps northwest office, based in Portland, Oregon. Salmon Corps members are 18-25 years old and work in 11-member squads, occasionally with private contractors.

"It's a win-win situation and it's cost-effective," said Brad Johnson, District Manager for the Asotin County Conservation District. "Most of the work has been on private property and the landowners have been impressed. It's never a question of do we want the Lapwai Salmon Corps back, but when can we get them," said Johnson.

In the three watersheds, Salmon Corps members have built fences, planted trees and grass, and helped install fish habitat structures. The Bonneville Power Administration funds some of the dam mitigation projects through the conservation district, while other projects, including some 1996 flood-damaged stream mitigation work, are part of a coordinated watershed restoration plan.

The Salmon Corps is also working with the Forest Service, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Park Service, and the Department of Energy, as well as working on tribal contracts. Although they work on a variety of projects, the primary focus of their activities is the restoration of native salmon runs within the Columbia River Watershed. Demand for the Corps' service is expected to increase as a result of additional Endangered Species Act listings in the watershed tributaries of the Columbia and Snake rivers.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

Vermont Conservation Partners Team-Up for Tree Planting - Riverbank erosion was threatening to cut off parkland, undermine a popular hiking trail, and impede the safety of shoreline trails for hikers and skiers at several sites along the Winooski River in Vermont. A Community Action Team, consisting of employees from Ben & Jerry's (a Burlington, VT-based ice cream maker who funded the effort) and technical assistance from NRCS, worked to plant over 150 trees to create a riparian buffer at the historic Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington. The team's efforts will not only help to stabilize the banks of the Winooski River, but the buffer will intercept pollutants from both surface and ground waters before they reach the river.

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

NRCS Small Watershed Program - Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Boehlert, of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, held a hearing on the NRCS' Small Watershed Program and proposed projects in Washington this week. Larry Clark represented NRCS at that hearing.

EPA Regulations of Animal Waste Management - Forestry, Resource Conservation, and Research Subcommittee Chairman Larry Combest and the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee Chairman Richard Pombo, of the House Agriculture Committee, held a joint hearing on how Environmental Protection Agency regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations may affect small operators. Craig Cox represented NRCS at that hearing.

USDA YEAR 2000 COMPLIANCE - Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, held a hearing this week to review USDA's information technology systems to ensure year 2000 compliance.

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UPCOMING

May 1-31 - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

June 1-3 - The First International Conference on Geospatial Information in Agriculture and Forestry, Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL. The conference will focus on trends in the development and use of geospatial information technology by the agricultural and forestry communities. For more information, call 313-994-1200, ext. 3234; fax: 1-313-994-5123; e-mail: wallman@erim-int.com; or visit the conference website at: http://www.erim-int.com/CONF/ICGIAF/Aghome.html.

June 14-16 - National Association of Conservation Districts, Northern Plains Regional Meeting, Badlands Motel, Medora, ND. For more information, contact Robert Raschke at 303-988-1810; fax: 303-988-1896.

June 21-23 - National Association of Conservation Districts, Water Resources Committee Meeting, Statehouse Inn, Boise, ID. For more information, contact Bill Horvath at 715-341-1022; fax: 715-341-1023.

June 28-July 2 - The President's Interagency Council on Women will host the "Second International Conference on Women in Agriculture" in Washington, DC. The conference is chaired by Under Secretary Jill Long Thompson and will focus on the business of agriculture, the agricultural economy, and the agricultural community. SF-182 training forms are being accepted for the $250 conference registration fee. For more information, contact Robin Bailey at 301-585-1030 or visit the conference web site at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/icwa/."

July 3 - 50th Anniversary Ceremony, Cordell, OK. The ceremony will mark the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Cloud Creek Site 1, the first small watershed dam built in the United States.

July 5-9 - Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) Annual Conference, "Balancing Resource Issues," San Diego, CA. For more information, contact Pat Mulligan at 515-289-2331, extension 17, or visit the SWCS website at: http://www.swcs.org/AnnConf98/ACWelcome.htm.

July 12-14 - National Association of Conservation Districts, North Central Regional Meeting, Holiday Inn, Worthington, OH. For more information, contact Brad Ross, 614-265-6614; fax: 614-262-2064.

July 19-22 - The Iowa State University College of Agriculture and University Extension will host a conference on "Animal Production Systems and the Environment: An International Conference on Odor, Water Quality, Nutrient Management, and Socioeconomic Issues" to be held at the Convention Center in Des Moines, IA. For more information, contact Deb Schmidt, 515-294-5961; e-mail: x1schmid@exnet.iastate.edu.

July 23-26 - 1998 Global Summit of Women, "Women & The Global Market" in London, UK. Deadline for hotel reservations at the Stakis Metropole Hotel is July 1. For more information, fax the Global Summit of Women at 202-466-6195; e-mail: GlobSummit@aol.com.

July 27-August 1 - 11th National Envirothon, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI. For more information, contact Brenda Weiser at 800-825-5547, ext. 27 or e-mail: envirothon@nacdnet.org.

October 11-14 - The Association of Dam Safety Officials will host "Dam Safety '98," Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. For more information, call 606-257-5140; fax: 606-323-1958; or e-mail: damsafety@aol.com.

November 10-13 - ETC/Environmental Technology China will present "The 4th International Exhibition on Environmental Protection, Pollution Control and Green Production Technology," China International Exhibition Centre, Beijing, P.R., China. For more information, contact Rebecca Fung at 852-25163346; fax: 852-25165024; or e-mail: aes@adsaleexh.com.

January 24-27, 1999 - Colorado State University will host "Tailings and Mine Waste '99," Ft. Collins, CO. The conference will provide a forum for presenting state-of-the-art information on mill tailings, mine waste, and current and future issues facing the mining and environmental communities. Contact Linda L. Hinshaw at 970-491-6081; fax: 970-491-3584; or e-mail: lhinshaw@engr.colostate.edu.

May 23-28, 1999 - The International Soil Conservation Organization will host the 10th International Soil Conservation Conference, "Sustaining the Global Farm," Purdue University, West LaFayette, IN. For more information, call 765-494-8683; fax: 765-494-5948 c/o ISCO99; e-mail: isco99@ecn.purdue.edu, or visit the conference website at: http://soils.ecn.purdue.edu/~isco99.

QUOTE

"Patience and the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown."

-- Chinese proverb.

NRCS This Week is issued weekly by the Conservation Communications Staff, NRCS headquarters, Washington, D.C., and posted in the SCS:SCS shared folder on FTS2000Mail. Please send correspondence and material via FTS2000Mail to !A16SCSOPA and type "This Week" on the subject line or e-mail: fred.jacobs2@usda.gov or mail to Editor, "NRCS This Week," NRCS, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013 or fax to Editor, "NRCS This Week," 202-690-1221.

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