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NRCS UNVEILS NEW ELECTRONIC
TECHNICAL GUIDES FOR CONSERVATION
Terry Bish 202-720-3210
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2002—The U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today
unveiled the new electronic Field Office Technical Guide (eFOTG). This
innovative technology supports the President’s management initiative on
expanding e-government and will support Farm Bill implementation and program
delivery at the local level.
“Using this technology, we will be able to provide more timely information and
data to more people nationwide than previously has been available,” said NRCS
Chief Bruce I. Knight. “This is a major step forward in providing conservation
information and scientific and technological resources on the Web in an
easy-to-use environment.”
This project makes the scientifically proven and time-tested NRCS conservation
technology available online to anyone who uses the technical resources in the
FOTG. The old FOTG was a traditional, paper-based reference used in NRCS field
offices to organize technical resources and activities for conservation, but the
electronic technical guides make NRCS technical information available instantly
to anyone with Internet access.
The electronic technical guides are linked to 8,000 NRCS web pages and external
sites, including the latest material on the 2002 Farm Bill. Content includes
data in technical handbooks and manuals, scientific tools that help generate
conservation alternatives, conservation practice standards, conservation effects
case study reports and other electronic tools for evaluating the effects of
conservation technical assistance.
“The electronic technical guide will become a staple for America’s farmers and
ranchers in managing their land,” said Knight. “Landowners, technical service
providers, conservation planners, students and others can use the material on
their home, school or office computers. The data will be updated electronically
on a regular basis.”
During May and June of this year, 10 states pilot tested the electronic
technical guides: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Missouri,
Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Texas. All states are developing
electronic technical guides and have varying amounts of material currently
available.
To access electronic technical guides, visit the NRCS website at
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov. Look under
Technical Resources for eFOTG and then select a state.
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