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Charging into the Future: The NRCS of the
Future
Remarks by Bruce I. Knight, Chief Natural Resources
Conservation Service at the 59th Annual Meeting of the National Association of
Conservation Districts
Atlanta, GA
February 8, 2005
Thank you, Gary (Mast), for that kind introduction. It has been a pleasure
working with you during your term as President of NACD. Gary, you are a good
friend, or after your speech yesterday, perhaps I should say a good coach; and I
will always remember our time together at this exciting time in the history of
conservation.
I also look forward to working with Billy Wilson as he takes office as the next
president of NACD. I know that Billy and I will work effectively together to
continue the great progress of the past several years.
I’m happy to see Krysta Harden. Happy anniversary, Krysta. You have done an
outstanding job in your first year as executive director of NACD.
Before I begin my remarks, I would like to give a brief commercial for the 70th
anniversary of NRCS. We have been a partner in conservation since 1935, and NACD
has been a major partner for most of that time. I look at this anniversary year
as a good opportunity to celebrate the durable nature of the Conservation
Partnership and to make farmers and ranchers and their city cousins more aware
of the benefits of conservation on private lands.
I would like to premier for you a video regarding NRCS’s role in conservation.
We will have copies of this video for any of you who would like to show it in
local, state, or regional meetings.
Conservation Leadership
Krysta’s arrival at NACD last year and the passing of the torch from Gary to
Billy this year are important leadership changes in the conservation
partnership. But there are other leadership changes, both in and out of
government that are important to the continued implementation of conservation.
Now, for those of you who didn’t make it to the inspirational session Sunday
night, you missed a comparison of leadership change with crop rotation – a
healthy practice for conservation and for organizations. That analogy really
spoke to me.
New Secretary of Agriculture
Within USDA, we have a rotation of leadership at the top. Last month, Mike
Johanns gave up being governor of Nebraska to become the new Secretary of
Agriculture. Secretary Johanns is a friend of a strong agricultural economy and
good conservation. He will be actively involved in creating the next farm bill.
Former Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman provided strong leadership in trade,
food security, and conservation. She led effective implementation of the 2002
farm bill and its portfolio of conservation programs. She went to bet to get you
this year’s program dollars earlier. Conservation benefited greatly from her
leadership, as I am sure it will benefit from the leadership of Secretary
Johanns.
Developing Strong Leadership
There are other changes in the wind that will help develop strong leadership for
the future, within NRCS and NACD and in the partnership as a whole.
– Partner Organization Diversity Awards
One key to effective local leadership is to have diversity all across and at all
levels of the partnership. You all heard Gary speak to this issue in his keynote
address. As you know, we have also been working closely with NACD and our other
partner organizations for a year and a half now in a special effort to increase
the diversity of, boards and committees and other leadership positions.
Each organization has come up with an annual diversity award to recognize the
contributions of their members. That includes NACD, NASCA, NARC&DC, NCDEA and
NRCS. The awards will be presented here at the NACD annual meeting. These awards
will help stimulate both awareness of diversity issues and accomplishment within
the partner organizations.
– Diversity Scholarships
Last year at the NACD annual meeting, I announced that NRCS was sponsoring two
new scholarship programs – one for universities with high numbers of Asian
American, Pacific Islander students, and one for students in natural resources
disciplines at the Tribal colleges and universities.
I am happy to tell you this year that both programs are functioning. The Asian,
Pacific Islander scholarship program is accepting applications for its second
group of students, and the Tribal colleges and universities scholarship program
is nearly ready to send out forms for its first year’s applicants.
Both of these new scholarship programs are similar to programs at the 1890 land
grant colleges and the Hispanic-serving institutions.
New Areas of Cooperation between NRCS and NACD
The NACD leadership is working with us on a new Memorandum of Understanding that
we hope will contain some new areas of cooperation between NRCS and NACD.
– Walk a Mile In My Boots
The first area of cooperation is the “Walk A Mile In My Boots” initiative. Once
we iron out the details, NACD and NRCS intend to launch our own version of the
“Walk a Mile in My Boots” program, an exchange between ranchers and farmers and
government employees. The program already includes the National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
NACD will assist in the program through a contribution agreement with NRCS.
These exchanges will give producers and NRCS employees a way to learn more about
each other’s responsibilities and daily challenges.
– Strategic Planning
The second new area of cooperation is in NRCS strategic planning. NRCS is
launching an ambitious strategic planning process this year. Given the
challenges ahead of us, we must have a vibrant strategic planning process.
As we wrap up farm bill implementation and farm bill rules, we need to approach
the next farm bill with a new, vibrant strategic plan in place. I have asked
Richard Coombe, our Regional Assistant Chief – East, and Kathy Gugulis, our
Deputy Chief for Strategic Planning and Accountability, to head up an effort to
create a new strategic planning process this year.
We are hopeful that NACD will assist us by helping bring in our partners to
assure a vibrant, locally led process that will help build the conservation
effort of the future.
New Regions – New Leaders
Last fall, we completed our reorganization at NRCS, which means a change in our
regional structure and leadership. The six NRCS regions have been reduced to
three: the West, Central, and East. The three Regional Assistant Chiefs have
offices directly above mine at National Headquarters in Washington, DC. They
have been visiting the States as quickly as they can, so I am sure many of you
have already seen your State’s Regional Assistant Chief.
Sara Braasch is the new Regional Assistant Chief for the western States. Sara
comes to us from the Idaho Rural Partnership, where she was Executive Director.
Merlin Bartz, a former legislator from Iowa, who was a special assistant in
Under Secretary Mark Rey’s office, is the new Regional Assistant Chief for the
central States.
Richard Coombe is the new Regional Assistant Chief for the Eastern States. Dick
is a businessman and public servant from New York.
The new Regional Assistant Chiefs will be meeting with the NACD national board
tomorrow.
Conservation on the Ground
NRCS and the conservation partners had many accomplishments in FY 2004 -- with a
record investment in conservation during the year (nearly $2.8 billion),
including several new conservation programs.
When I say ‘We,” I mean NRCS and the districts.
We provided conservation technical assistance. We applied conservation system
plans on more than 27 million acres of crop and grazing lands. We developed and
applied nearly 10,000 comprehensive nutrient management plans (up from just over
8,000 in 2003). We mapped soils or updating soils maps on 28 million acres (up
from 22.5 million acres in 2003). We signed Nearly 48,000 EQIP contracts and
more than 3,000 WHIP contracts.
We created or restored nearly 228,000 acres of wetlands. That is a lot of
wetlands, but only 92 of our target. We need to do more if we are going to do
our share in meeting the President’s target of creating or restoring 3 million
acres of wetlands.
We closed nearly 750 WRP easements last year. Louisiana was the top state with
94 easements. We also approved the first two Wetlands Reserve Enhancement
Program projects -- one in Nebraska and one in Minnesota.
We also helped protect more than 550 ranches and farms through the FRPP program.
We provided emergency watershed protection assistance in nearly 100 cases. And
we helped fund more than 1,700 watershed protection and flood prevention
projects. Our Earth Team volunteers donated nearly a million hours of their
time.
Other accomplishments included: reaching out to be sure every farmer and rancher
knew about farm bill programs and had an opportunity to participate, developing
national and local priorities for conservation programs, reducing costs through
program efficiencies, management, and automation, writing program rules based on
thousands of comments from our conservation partners, and implementing
Conservation Innovation Grants.
We successfully reorganized many parts of NRCS to provide even better support to
the conservation efforts of America’s farmers and ranchers.
Rounding out the Conservation Portfolio
We added two new programs in 2004 to round out the conservation portfolio.
Conservation Security Program
The first was the Conservation Security Program. The first year of CSP was a
great success! We enrolled producers in 18 watersheds in 22 States. We signed
more than 2,000 contracts. This year, we will have more than 200 watersheds –
enough to have at least one in every State and the Caribbean Basin.
CSP is a major change for all of us. It complements our other programs by
filling the missing link of conservation for leading-edge conservationists.
Concepts like the self-assessment process and management intensity will spread
to other programs.
Grassland Reserve Program
We also implemented the Grassland Reserve Program. We released the interim final
rule for the program last summer. Last month, we completed the first
conservation easement in the Grassland Reserve Program,
Building Technical Support
We also worked hard last year to build up our capacity to provide technical
support for conservation activities all across America.
Technical Service Providers
One thing we did was to make improvements to the Technical Service Provider
process. The Technical Service Provider process gives us a way to provide the
increased amount of service demanded by the 2002 farm bill, while keeping
government small and keeping functions that are available commercially from
becoming part of the Federal government. This is not just plain good management,
but also very key during this time of fiscal austerity.
The Technical Service Provider process is actually strengthening the partnership
between NRCS and conservation districts, States, professional associations,
Tribes, and others who will be providing the service. We made adjustments to the
rule last year to ensure that we would continue to build upon the partnership.
The final rule was published in the Federal Register on November 29.
More than 2,200 TSPs have completed the certification process. We also have
determined new not-to-exceed rates for TSPs, based on new data. The rate
increased overall by about 20 percent. These rates are posted on the Web and
being used today.
The TechReg site is a wonderful example of e-Government at its best. Through it,
we have a great tool that service providers can use to apply for certification,
NRCS can use in the certification process, and producers can use to locate
providers.
Digitizing Soil Surveys
We provided nearly 340 new soil surveys in digital format and revised nearly
1,400 additional surveys in digital format.
Annual NRI
We continued to make progress in the transition to an annual National Resources
Inventory.
Wetlands data
On Earth Day – one of my proudest moments as Chief -- the Secretary of
Agriculture announced that the United States had achieved no net loss of
wetlands due to agriculture. The data supporting that announcement came from the
National Resources Inventory.
The President cited the same data in announcing his goal of restoring or
improving 3 million acres of wetlands in the next five years.
National Technology Support Centers
In September, NRCS opened its new National Technology Support Centers and Remote
Sensing Laboratories in Greensboro, NC; Fort Worth, TX; and Portland, OR. We had
great opening ceremonies in each location. Local dignitaries, State
conservationists, region assistant chiefs, other headquarters officials, and the
local NRCS employees and conservation leaders attended.
The centers and labs will become our agency’s nucleus for developing innovative
conservation technology for private lands as well as increasing the
effectiveness of its technological legacy that has served the needs of farmers
and ranchers for more than 70 years.
We created these centers with the primary goal of providing better technical
support to our State-level conservation experts, so they can better serve our
customers and partners.
Innovation
NRCS is announcing a number of initiatives this week. I would like to take a few
minutes to tell you about them.
New CTA Program Policy
First of all, we are releasing a new comprehensive policy for operating the
Conservation Technical Assistance Program (CTA). We’ve been working on this new
policy for quite a while now, and it is ready to go. This policy will address
the concerns raised yesterday by Chairman Goodlatte as well as others.
The new CTA Program policy establishes national priorities for the program. One
of this year’s priorities is to help farmers and ranchers comply with
environmental regulatory burdens. The other four priorities are the same as
those already established for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program –
air, water, soil, and habitat.
Measuring the CTA Program against established priorities will demonstrate how
effective and efficient CTA is and how it contributes to the President’s
Management Agenda. Having a clearly defined policy will provide direction to
NRCS employees, partners, and others as t what CTA cam and cannot accomplish.
Additional EQIP Funds for High-Performing States
Second, we are awarding and additional $20 million in Environmental Quality
Incentives Program funds to17 States for their high levels of performance in
implementing the program.
Each year, NRCS has set aside a portion of the EQIP budget to offer its State
offices and partners an incentive to increase the efficiency and effectiveness
of EQIP in their States. Those States that invest their EQIP money most
effectively receive additional funds to help even more farmers and ranchers.
The States receiving the EQIP performance award this year are Louisiana,
Oklahoma, Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Maine, South Carolina, Mississippi, Ohio,
Utah, Montana, New Mexico,
Texas, Georgia, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. Each will receive an
additional $1 million or more. Congratulations on a job well done.
State-Level Conservation Innovation Grants
Third, we are adding more opportunities for Conservation Innovation Grants
through State-level competitions in 12 States and the Pacific Basin. The
State-level competitions are a pilot program under EQIP. The State component
gives State conservationists a way to target CIG funds to individual producers,
groups of producers and smaller organizations that submit proposals to address
the priority natural resource concerns in the State.
State-level competitions will be available in California, Colorado, Iowa,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, and the Pacific Basin.
What the Future Holds
The future of conservation continues to be bright. The overall investment in
conservation continues to grow. This year, we have about $3.2 billion -- which
nearly double the $1.7 investment in 2002. Yesterday, The White House released
the President’s Budget Proposal for 2006. Total NRCS spending is proposed at
$2.7 billion – less than $100 million down in total from the 2005 budget. This
is a modest cut compared to many other spending areas.
While we have wake-up calls for watershed and RC&D, we also have increases for
CTA—$37 million for AFO/CAFO, and $10 million to control invasive species.
Preparation for Next Farm Bill
Meanwhile, we have a lot of conservation to do this year, and in 2006 and 2007.
But, it is not too early to start thinking about the 2007 farm bill.
– Finish Rulemaking
One thing we need to do to get ready for the next farm bill is to finish
rulemaking for the present farm bill. Fortunately, we are almost done! And, what
a job it has been. I thank NACD for its input into the rulemaking process.
We only have a few rules left to go: The Final Rule for the Conservation
Security Program is almost ready for publication. The final rule for the
Grassland Reserve Program and the rule for the Emergency Watershed Protection
Program are also in clearance. And, we are still working on the rules for the
Healthy Forest Reserve Program and for confidentiality.
– Streamline Programs
We also need to continue our efforts to streamline existing farm bill programs.
We have worked hard to improve program management by eliminating duplication of
effort and unnecessary steps in conservation programs, and we must continue to
do so. We have also learned some things from the Conservation Security program
that would help make other programs more efficient.
– Maximize Contracts
Another thing we need to do is get as much conservation done as we can this
year. The performance of the conservation programs this year will be the basis
for how Congress sees the future of conservation. How well are we serving the
public? How well have we lived up to the confidence Congress placed in us by
passing the 2002 farm bill?
So, we need to maximize our performance this year. We need to complete
unfinished work from 2003 and 2004 – look at older contracts, and get them done.
We need to maximize our effectiveness, sign the largest number of contracts,
benefit as many producers as possible, and buy as much conservation as we can.
– Increase Accountability for CTA
As I have already mentioned, we need to demonstrate greater accountability for
CTA. We need to help the livestock sector comply with the exploding burden of
air and water regulations.
– Improve Strategic Planning
And we need to place more emphasis on strategic planning. I look forward to
having the assistance of NACD in this effort.
Factors in Growth of Conservation
In conclusion, let me say that there are five factors that will help us maintain
and build on the high levels we have attained under the 2002 farm bill:
The first is the leadership of our new Secretary of Agriculture. The second is
innovation. The third is continued delivery of 2002 farm bill. The fourth is
preparation for the next farm bill. And The fifth is communications and
outreach.
The conservation partners have done an outstanding job of keeping farmers and
ranchers informed of the opportunities presented by the 2002 farm bill. We need
to continue that effort, and also do a better job of letting producers and
others know the benefits produced by conservation on private lands.
I think we are in a good position to maintain the momentum of this Golden Age of
Conservation through the remaining years of the current farm bill and into the
next.
Thank you.
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