2007 Newsroom Archive

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USDA Announces Fiscal Year 2008 Sign-up for Up to $20 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants

Through Conservation Innovation Grants, conservation partners support sustainable crop production systems such as this no-till cover crop roller developed by the Rodale Institute. The roller is part of a one-pass approach that allows farmers to control a soil-conserving cover crop and plant the next season’s cash crop at the same time by mounting two implements on the same tractor. The system cuts tractor time, energy consumption, and herbicide use. NRCS photo by John Lee.

Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Arlen Lancaster announced the request for proposals for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for fiscal year 2008. The CIG program is designed to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies.

There are three CIG categories available in FY 2008: Natural Resource Concerns, Technology, and Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Applicants should explain how large a geographic area that the project would benefit. Projects may be watershed-based, regional, multi-State, or nationwide in scope. Applications should describe the use of innovative technologies or approaches, or both, to address a natural resource conservation concern(s).

Applications must be received in the NRCS National Headquarters by 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST), on Wednesday, February 20, 2008.

Links...

USDA Announces Fiscal Year 2008 Sign-up for Up to $20 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants, December 17, 2007

Federal Register Notice: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html. Enter NRCS in the Quick Search box, then click on the Submit button. On the Search Results page, look for fr17de07N Conservation Innovation Grants Fiscal Year 2008 Announcement.

Conservation Innovation Grants Web page
 

New Joint Forestry Team to Boost Assistance; Partnership Awards Announced

Teaming up to better serve forest owners. The new Joint Forestry Team brings together NRCS, Forest Service, NACD, and NASF to advance conservation of forest lands and improve delivery of technical assistance to private forest operators. USDA photo.

A new 12-member team has signed on to improve delivery of forestry and related conservation assistance to owners of working farms, forests, and ranches.

The Joint Forestry Team, a partnership of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, (NRCS), the U.S. Forest Service, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), and National Association of State Foresters (NASF), has come together to put forestry issues and concerns in policy development, decision-making, and conservation implementation and to coordinate more effective delivery of technical assistance to private forest operators.

NRCS Chief Arlen Lancaster, Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell, NACD President Olin Sims, and NASF President Kirk Rowdabaugh signed the team's charter for this effort.

Also at the signing, Chief Lancaster and Chief Kimbell announced recipients of the second annual Two Chiefs’ Partnership Awards. Outstanding conservation partnerships in Utah, Kentucky, Oregon, Arkansas, and California received awards for successful conservation and forest stewardship collaboration among Federal, State, and local partners.


Links…

Video: Joint Leadership Meeting: NACD, NASF, Forest Service, and NRCS (registration required)

Five Conservation Partnerships Win Two Chiefs' Partnership Award recipients' page
 

USDA Readies $257 Million in Conservation Security Program Contract Payments

CSP rewards producers who practice good stewardship and offers incentives to increase conservation on agricultural operations. This voluntary program, established as part of the 2002 Farm Bill, supports ongoing conservation stewardship on private agricultural working lands.

Agriculture Department Acting Secretary Chuck Conner announced that nearly $257 million in Conservation Security Program (CSP) payments are being readied for all 19,393 contracts with eligible landowners and producers. The payments are for current contracts in all 280 CSP watersheds. CSP contract holders will receive payment in full for the current Fiscal Year 2008 contract obligations and will be given the option of receiving their payment in calendar year 2007 or 2008.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service anticipates the next CSP signup to take place in early 2008 in the 51 eligible watersheds announced in September 2006. These watersheds include more than 64,500 potentially eligible farms and ranches in nearly 24 million acres of cropland and grazing land throughout the United States, the Pacific Islands, and the Caribbean Area.


Links...

USDA Readies $257 Million in Conservation Security Program Contract Payments, October 29, 2007

NRCS Conservation Security Program - Includes payment information for existing contracts, eligible 2007 watersheds, and program eligibility requirements.

USDA 2007 Farm Bill Proposals

USDA Service Centers
 

Dana York Receives Presidential Rank Award

NRCS Associate Chief Dana D. York. NRCS image.

NRCS Associate Chief Dana D. York has been recognized for her exemplary efforts with a Fiscal Year 2007 Presidential Rank Award. All NRCS employees can be proud of this accomplishment. Dana’s outstanding professional achievement, dedication to public service, and commitment to NRCS is commendable.

Each year, the President recognizes and celebrates a small group of career Senior Executives with the President's Rank Award for exceptional long-term accomplishments. Winners of this prestigious award are strong leaders who achieve results and consistently demonstrate strength, integrity, industry, and a relentless commitment to excellence in public service.

Dana began her career with the Soil Conservation Service as a student trainee while attending Tennessee Technological University. She has held various positions with NRCS in Tennessee and Ohio, including soil conservationist, district conservationist and deputy state conservationist. She joined National Headquarters staff in 1999 as a Special Assistant to the Chief. From 2001 to 2004, Dana served as director of Operations Management and Oversight Division and directed our efforts on quality assurance, oversight and evaluation.

Throughout her years of service and especially since becoming Associate Chief in 2004, Dana has consistently represented NRCS and public service with vision, leadership, results, and unquestioned integrity.
 

NRCS Partners with National Audubon Society to Restore Over 6,000 Wetland Acres in South Carolina

WRP helps repair world's largest virgin cypress-tupelo swamp forest. WRP will restore and permanently protect over 6,000 acres. The Francis Beidler Forest is owned and operated by the National Audubon Society. Image courtesy of the South Carolina Audubon Society.

Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Arlen Lancaster dedicated more than 6,000 acres of the Beidler Forest in South Carolina as part of the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). The dedication took place with the National Audubon Society at the Francis Beidler Forest, the world's largest virgin cypress-tupelo swamp forest.

Norman L. Brunswig, Executive Director of Audubon South Carolina, said, “The WRP is enabling NRCS and Audubon to repair the only significant hydrologic defects in the main body of the Francis Beidler Forest. It is a great day for conservation in South Carolina.”

The WRP easement will restore and permanently protect over 6,000 acres in the forest. The plan calls for restoring natural hydrology to original pre-development conditions. Located in Four Holes Swamp in Dorchester County, the Forest is comprised of approximately 15,500 acres with more than 1,800 acres of ancient trees, some dating back 1,000 years.

“The Wetlands Reserve Program is just one of many conservation programs Congress has authorized for use on private lands, but it is a critical one. The program offers eligible landowners an opportunity to address wetland, wildlife habitat, soil, water and related natural resources concerns on their private lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner, through easements or cost-share agreements,” said NRCS Chief Lancaster.

Links…
Wetlands Reserve Program

National Audubon Society – Beidler Forest

 

NRCS and Partners Preserve Historic West Virginia Property

Partners celebrate historic preservation. Patrick Bowen (West Virginia Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations and FRPP Program Manager), Kevin Wickey (West Virginia State Conservationist), Gary Mast, (Deputy Under-Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment), and Grant Smith (Land Trust of the Eastern Panhandle President) discuss the success of the WV FRPP. NRCS image.

NRCS' Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) contributed $200,000 in matching funds to help protect historic Harewood Estate because of its prime agricultural and historic value.

The Harewood Estate, which lies outside of Charles Town, West Virginia, contains roughly 170 acres of prime farmland and about 50 acres of marl wetlands. Harewood Estate was owned by George Washington’s brother Samuel Washington, and is now protected from development in perpetuity thanks to partnership efforts of NRCS, National Park Service American Battle Field Protection Program, The Nature Conservancy, and the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board.

The Harewood Estate is a private residence built by Samuel Washington, brother of George Washington in 1770. Harwood Estate is also the site of the wedding of James and Dolley Madison in 1794.

In addition to the historic significance, the grounds are also important for other agricultural and preservation reasons. In West Virginia, marl wetlands, now protected on the property, exist only in Jefferson and Berkeley counties and provide a habitat for several rare plant and animal species native to West Virginia, including the spotted turtle.

Representatives of local and national preservation and conservation groups attended a ceremony at Harewood to honor and celebrate the new easement.

For more information on the Harewood Estate easement and FRPP as well as other programs for conserving private agricultural land, visit:

Links...
FRPP Grand Slam

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

Natural Resources Conservation Service Programs

 

Producers Can Use NRCS’ Web-based Energy Awareness Tools to Save Energy and Money

October has been designated as Energy Awareness Month, offering an opportunity to inform producers how wise energy choices can save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect natural resources and the environment. USDA-NRCS has various services and tools to help producers reduce their energy costs, including four Web-based energy awareness tools for tillage, nitrogen fertilizer, irrigation management and animal housing. These tools are designed to reduce the impacts of high energy costs and to help develop long-term solutions for producers. USDA launched the first energy estimator--tillage--in December 2006. Since then, the four Web-based tools have received nearly 111,300 visits and about 376,300 page views. Producers also can receive incentives for energy enhancements to their operations through the Conservation Security Program. USDA-NRCS is using its Conservation Innovation Grants to find ways to help producers enhance energy efficiency on their farms and ranches.

Links...
USDA's Energy Page

NRCS Energy Page

National Energy Conference
 

Pork Checkoff Announces 2007 Pork Industry Environmental Stewards

The Pork Checkoff has selected four pork production operations to receive the 2007 Pork Industry Environmental Steward Awards. These operations have demonstrated their commitment to the environment and communities that surround them. Award recipients will receive the recognition of their peers at the 2008 National Pork Industry Forum scheduled for March 6-8, 2008, in St. Louis, Missouri.

This year’s honorees are:

• Meadowlane Farms of Frankfort, Indiana
• Keppy Farms of Durant, Iowa
• M and J Farms of Hadley, Minnesota
• Seaboard Foods’ Wakefield Farms of Turpin, Oklahoma

Meadowlane and M and J farms have worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The environmental stewards were selected by judges drawn from pork producers and environmental organizations. The judges reviewed the applications or nominations from pork producers representative of the pork industry’s commitment to minimizing its footprint on the environment. Operations were evaluated on their:

• Manure management systems;
• Water and soil conservation practices;
• Odor-control strategies;
• Farm aesthetics and neighbor relations;
• Wildlife habitat promotion;
• Innovative ideas used to protect the environment; and
• An essay on the meaning of environmental stewardship.

“Pork producers in general make the choice to farm responsibly and to protect the natural resources--air, soil, and water," said Lynn Harrison, a member of the environmental stewards selection subcommittee and National Pork Board president. "These producers in particular made the choice to share what they do with their neighbors, their communities and with us. As always, an exceptional group of pork producers has applied or been nominated for this award.

“Each one of the award-winning operations deals with a different environment, different inputs, different type of soil, different regulations, etc. Each one of them employs sound environmental management practices to deal with its particular situation,” said Harrison whose Elk Mound, Wisconsin, farm received the environmental steward award in 2002. “We believe this commitment and responsibility merits our recognition and elevates our industry’s image.”

The Pork Industry Environmental Steward Awards are sponsored by the Pork Checkoff and National Hog Farmer magazine.


Link...
-- Winners' Profiles - 2007 Pork Industry Environmental Steward Awards

 

Johanns Announces Additional Conservation Security Program Activities

More funds for CSP implementation. Additional funding will reward farmers and ranchers who meet the highest standards of conservation and environmental management on their operations. CSP supports ongoing stewardship, providing payments for maintaining and enhancing natural resources. Above, contour stripcropping, a best management practice, prevents soil erosion and improves water quality on an Iowa farm. NRCS image.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the release of additional funding for Conservation Security Program (CSP) implementation. "These steps represent a way to bring the past program to completion, and set the stage for the future of CSP, beyond passage of the Farm Bill," Johanns said.

Funds will be made available for both the completion of payments on Fiscal Year 2007 CSP contracts as well as to prepare for a future program signup. Specifically, $35 million has been made available to complete payments to producers who received only partial funding for their Fiscal Year 2007 payment.

In addition, $2.93 million is being made available to help producers and Natural Resources Conservation Service field staff prepare for a future program signup in 51 watersheds in 50 states, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean Area.

Links...
Johanns Announces Additional Conservation Security Program Activities  August 7, 2007

Conservation Security Program

List of Eligible Watersheds

Watershed Agricultural Council Gets Top Prize for CIG Poster Presentation

NRCS Chief Arlen Lancaster presents top CIG Poster Presentation award to Brian LaTourette, Agricultural Program Manager of the Watershed Agricultural Council. John Thurgood, Dairy Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension looks on. Cornell University is a key conservation partner to the Watershed Agricultural Council and NRCS. NRCS image.

The Watershed Agricultural Council, a conservation partnership in New York, received top prize for top Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) poster presentation. The presentation was made at NRCS’ first CIG showcase as part of the 2007 Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Annual Conference. The CIG showcase featured 36 presentations including 22 posters that provided an opportunity to learn about innovative conservation projects at various levels of completion from across the United States.

CIG is a voluntary, competitive program for development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. Presentations were judged for innovation, clarity, and appeal with the Watershed Agriculture Council receiving the highest score for their poster demonstrating a new conservation technology for small-scale dairy producers.

The grants enable NRCS to partner with public and private entities to accelerate the transfer and adoption of promising technologies to address some of the nation’s most important natural resource concerns.

Links...

Watershed Agricultural Council
Conservation Innovation Grants
Soil and Water Conservation Society
 

USDA Awards Nearly $20 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants

Through a Conservation Innovation Grant, past grantee the Propane Education & Research Council uses a propane engine like this one in a system that allows real-time adjustments to irrigation pump operations. This low-emission system, at work on a school farm in Northern California, provides chemical-free weed control and reduces farm equipment emissions. Atarus image.

Agriculture Under Secretary Mark Rey announced the award of nearly $20 million in Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to 36 states to fund 51 projects designed to develop and refine cutting-edge technologies and approaches that can help producers maintain viable agricultural operations.

“CIG accelerates development, transfer and adoption of promising new technologies and approaches to some of the Nation's most pressing natural resource concerns,” said Johanns.

Approved projects address traditional natural resource issues such as water quantity, water quality improvement, livestock nutrient management, grazing lands and forest health, and soil resource management. Approved projects also address emerging natural resource issues, including agricultural air emissions, energy conservation and market-based approaches to conservation.

Links...

USDA Awards Nearly $20 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants   June 27, 2007

Conservation Innovation Grants

FY 2007 Conservation Innovation Grants Projects

FY 2007 Conservation Innovation Grants Projects  (Adobe PDF file)

Coalición para la conservación modifica la publicación nacional conservación en su jardin (Backyard Conservation)

WASHINGTON, 11 de Juno de 2007—USDA y National Audubon Society han modificado la popular publicación “Conservación en su Jardín”. La versión impresa ha estado siempre disponible en inglés; ahora está también disponible en español. “Conservación en su Jardín” pone en relieve 10 prácticas para la conservación utilizadas por agricultores y hacendados que los dueños de casas pueden adaptar para usar en sus jardines en entornos urbanos o suburbanos. Audubon Society ayudó a modificar y volver a imprimir “Conservación en su Jardín”. También publicaron la primera versión impresa en español.

Conecciones…

-- Comunicado de Prensa de NRCS: Coalición para la Conservación Modifica la Publicación Nacional Conservación en su Jardin (Backyard Conservation)  In English

-- Conservación en su Jardín  In English
 

USDA Provides Nearly $35 Million to Fund Wetlands Reserve Program Special Projects

Wetland in northern Iowa. NRCS image.

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2007 — Eleven states will receive nearly $35 million in fiscal year 2007 to fund 12 special projects designed to protect threatened and endangered species and enhance wildlife habitat on wetlands. Through this Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) special projects initiative, states can obtain funding for projects that exceed their normal allocation. It also allows states to fund large-scale projects in defined geographic areas that include partner involvement and contributions. Using technical and financial assistance provided by NRCS, landowners will enroll an additional 17,329 acres into WRP this fiscal year through special projects.

Links…

USDA Provides Nearly $35 Million to Fund Wetlands Reserve Program Special Projects

Wetlands Reserve Program
 

USDA and EPA Formalize Actions for Chesapeake Bay

Marsh grasses provide valuable habitat for wildlife and help filter runoff from nearby farms.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced additional measures for coordination and cooperation among the two agencies in prioritizing and implementing nutrient reduction activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is home to nearly 17 million residents and covers more than 64,000 square miles extending over the District of Columbia and parts of six states: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It is the largest estuary in the United States and is critical to the region’s economy, culture, and recreation.

Crop and pasture use account for 25 percent of the Bay Watershed. USDA and EPA will focus nutrient reduction activities on septic systems, municipal wastewater, storm water runoff from growing urban and suburban areas, and agricultural contributions from livestock, cropping and forestry operations. Major environmental challenges affecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed include landscape change, toxic chemical contaminants, air pollution, sediment, and excess nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorous.

Links...
NRCS news release USDA and EPA Formalize Actions for Chesapeake Bay  May 10, 2007

NRCS Chesapeake Bay Information

USDA Honors South Dakota Grassland Coalition with Highest Conservation Award

Family inspects grass on a ranch in South Dakota. Outreach by the award-winning South Dakota Grassland Coalition has enabled conservation partners to apply conservation practices on nearly 1 million acres in the state. NRCS image.

The South Dakota Grassland Coalition is the recipient of the 2007 Excellence in Conservation Award. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Arlen Lancaster presented the national award at a ceremony held at the State Capital Rotunda. South Dakota’s Secretary of Agriculture, Bill Even, and NRCS State Conservationist, Janet Oertly, joined Chief Lancaster in recognizing the many accomplishments, leadership, and guidance in the cooperative efforts of the coalition. Since its formation, the South Dakota Grassland Coalition’s outreach efforts have enabled the NRCS along with other partners to write conservation plans covering more than 1.8 million acres and applied conservation practices on close to a million acres.

The NRCS Excellence in Conservation Award as a national award is the highest award the agency gives to honor those outside the Federal government for their work in conservation. This award is given to only one group or individual one time per year. This annual award recognizes the voluntary contributions of non-governmental individuals, groups, and Tribes through their conservation efforts in areas of technical assistance, programs delivery, technology transfer, outreach, or communication.

Links...
NRCS news release USDA Honors South Dakota Grassland Coalition for Conservation Work  May 2, 2007
South Dakota Grassland Coalition
South Dakota Department of Agriculture

 

Johanns Marks Earth Day by Designating a Representative Soil for the District of Columbia

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns (right) and Chief Arlen Lancaster (left) watch as soil scientists from NRCS in Maryland pull the "Sunnyside" soil profile from a pit at the National Arboretum. The soil profile will be converted to a soil monolith. USDA image.

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2007— Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns unveiled “Sunnyside” as the representative soil for the District of Columbia at a recent Earth Day event at the U.S. National Arboretum. USDA soil scientists carved a “Sunnyside” soil profile from a pit dug in the Arboretum’s Maple Collection. A soil monolith of “Sunnyside” is scheduled to become part of a planned exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in 2008.

Other speakers included Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Arlen Lancaster; Dr. Thomas Elias, the Arboretum’s Director; Elizabeth Duggal, Associate Director, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; and Robert Hyman, Chairman, District of Columbia Soil and Water Conservation Board. Sammy Soil Saver, or Kari Cohen, a Watershed Management Specialist based in Maryland, played Sammy Soil Saver to the amusement of about 40 children from LaSalle Elementary School and John Burroughs Elementary School in Washington, D.C.. The children also made soil profile of “Sunnyside.”

Links...
-- news release Johanns Announces Designation of Representative Soil for District of Columbia  April 23, 2007
-- video news release Earth Day Event at the National Arboretum
-- NRCS Web Soil Surveys
-- NRCS' Web Soil Survey Program
-- Event video and images
-- National Arboretum
 

USDA, DOI, and AFWA Sign Habitat Credit Trading Agreement

Partnership to preserve endangered species habitat. NRCS Chief Arlen Lancaster, DOI Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall, and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Executive Director Matt Hogan agree to evaluate endangered species habitat credit trading as supplemental way to preserve endangered species habitat. USDA image.

April 13, 2007—USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Arlen Lancaster, DOI Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall, and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Executive Director Matt Hogan today signed a partnership agreement to evaluate endangered species habitat credit trading as supplemental way to preserve endangered species habitat. Through cooperative conservation efforts, the signing agencies will explore ways to coordinate related programs and activities to assist habitat credit trading markets as way to increase the conservation of endangered or at-risk species habitat.

Conservation banking creates an opportunity for landowners to generate income for their contribution to the preservation of endangered or at-risk species habitat. Habitat credit banks act a lot like a savings account but instead of money, credits are earned for land preservation of the habitat. The credits can then be sold to land use industries or others, who are required to mitigate the loss of habitat by the Endangered Species Act and other laws that restrict or prohibit development.
 

Links...
NRCS news release  USDA, DOI, and AFWA Sign Habitat Credit Trading Agreement
USDA, DOI, and AFWA Partnership Agreement  
 

USDA Proposes Market-Based Conservation

USDA proposes market-based conservation. Under Secretary Mark Rey (center), Michael Jenkins (left) of Forest Trends, and Clyde E. 'Skip' Rankin of the Baker & McKenzie law firm were part of an April 12th briefing on the future of market-based conservation. NRCS image.

Mark Rey, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, conducted a briefing on April 12th on market-based conservation, a component of the Conservation Title in the Administration’s proposal for the 2007 Farm Bill. The goal of market-based conservation is to take conservation beyond the boundaries of the farm, ranch, and forest and develop a system that will make environmental credit trading mainstream.

USDA’s proposal for market-based conservation starts by establishing a board to develop and agree upon uniform standards for environmental credit trading. USDA has taken an initial step by signing partnership agreements with EPA to develop water quality credit standards, and with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop habitat credit trading standards.

Other elements of market-based conservation that will improve environmental performance include:

-- Modifying certain conservation and forestry programs to include market mechanisms that provide additional incentives for greater environmental returns on federal and landowner investments;
-- Linking buyers and sellers of environmental credits by defining and identifying who the players and how to bring them together; and
-- Expanding green labeling options by promoting the creation and marketing of conservation–friendly labels for producers who meet a certain minimum environmental threshold.

Links...
--  Market-Based Conservation recorded briefing
--  Transcript of briefing  
-- An Evolving Framework: USDA Farm Bill Proposal Takes Bullish Approach to Market-based Conservation (A Katoomba Group publication.)
 

USDA To Provide Federal Funds to Protect Working Farms and Ranches

FRPP protects the Sabbathday Lake Shaker village, forest and farm in New Gloucester, Maine. This 1,700-acre complex, a National Historic Landmark, is the last viable working community in the U.S. for the Shakers.

April 3, 2007—Nearly $70 million is available to protect agricultural land nationwide through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) in fiscal year 2007. NRCS will accept proposals through April 27 from state, federally recognized tribes and local governments and non-governmental organizations interested in working together to acquire conservation easements. NRCS expects to announce final projects in June 2007.

Links…
-- Announcement of Program Funding
-- Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program




 

NRCS Announces Signup for Healthy Forests Reserve Program

The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker. Endangered since 1968 due to habitat loss and degradation, the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker is one species landowners can benefit through the Healthy Forests Reserve Program.

Eligible private forest landowners in selected counties in Maine, Mississippi, and Arkansas can apply for the Healthy Forests Reserve Program at their local NRCS field offices. Applications will be prioritized according to ranking criteria that promote the recovery of the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker in the Lower Ouachita River Flatwood region of Arkansas, the Canada Lynx in the northern boreal forest of Maine, and the Gopher Tortoise and Black Pine Snake in the longleaf pine ecosystem along the gulf coast of Mississippi.

Links...
NRCS news release NRCS Announces Signup for Healthy Forests Reserve Program  March 26, 2007

Healthy Forests Reserve Program




 

USDA Announces Christina Muedeking as NRCS Regional Assistant Chief

Regional Assistant Chief Christina Muedeking. As Regional Assistant Chief, Muedeking will direct NRCS programs and activities consistent with the Chief's guidance and oversee State Conservationists in the Agency's Central Region. USDA image.

Christina Muedeking has been named Regional Assistant Chief for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Muedeking will serve as Regional Assistant Chief for the NRCS Central Region. NRCS is organized into three regions—East, Central and West with each region headed by a Regional Assistant Chief. Regional Assistant Chiefs are management representatives of the Chief and are responsible for providing overall direction of NRCS programs and activities consistent with the Chief’s guidance and overseeing NRCS State Conservationists.

Muedeking, a native of Minnesota, grew up on a family farm outside Tracy, Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris, with a degree in political science and earned her law degree from George Washington University in 1995. In addition to her legislative experience Muedeking worked for Koch Industries as a Program Officer and for National Pork Producers as International Trade Specialist.

Links...
NRCS news release  USDA Announces Christina Muedeking as NRCS Regional Assistant Chief  February 26, 2007
Christina Muedeking biography
NRCS Region Map
 

MOU to Boost Conservation of At-Risk Species and Habitats

Attwater's Prairie-Chicken. This endangered subspecies is confined to an extremely limited range and has a very small population size. Loss to natural predators is having a serious impact on its populations. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department image.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies have entered into an agreement to identify and create more opportunities to conserve at-risk plant and animal species and their habitats. Under this memorandum of understanding, the agencies agree to work together to help preempt the need to list additional species under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA); foster the recovery of species already listed; and address similar needs for State species of conservation concern.

Links…
-- MOU Feature Page
-- Memorandum of Understanding, NRCS, USFWS, and AFWA
-- Natural Resources Conservation Service
-- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
-- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

USDA Announces Appointment of Mast as Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment

Deputy Under Secretary Gary W. Mast. As USDA Deputy Under Secretary, Mast oversees NRCS and works closely with NRCS and NRE on conservation policy and operations issues. USDA image.

Secretary Mike Johanns announced the selection of Gary W. Mast as Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment (NRE). The NRE mission area at USDA includes two agencies—the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Forest Service. As Deputy Under Secretary, Mast will oversee NRCS and work closely with NRCS Chief Arlen Lancaster and Under Secretary Mark Rey on conservation policy and operations issues.

Prior to his appointment, Mast served as Senior Advisor to the Chief of NRCS and before that as NRCS Special Assistant and Chief of Staff. Mast served as President of the National Association of Conservation Districts and is a sixth-generation family farmer.

NRE ensures the health of the land through sustainable management.

Link...
news release USDA Announces Appointment of Mast as Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment  February 5, 2007
 

2006 Environmental Stewardship Awards Presented

The 2006 Environmental Stewardship National Award winners. Dennis and Sandra Thaler with the Thaler Land & Livestock Company of LaGrange, Wyoming, and family, pictured here with NRCS Chief Arlen Lancaster (second from right), took home the 2006 Environmental Stewardship Program National Award.  NCBA image.

The 2006 Environmental Stewardship Awards were presented February 1 at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association's (NCBA) annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. The ESAP National Award has been awarded to Dennis and Sandra Thaler with Thaler Land & Livestock Company of LaGrange, Wyoming.

Thaler Land & Livestock has been active in conservation for nearly a century. Today, Dennis and Sandra Thaler, along with daughter and son-in-law, Brandy and Kevin Evans, represent the third and fourth generations. Together, they operate the 1,500-head commercial cattle ranch.

Native range is the most important natural resource to Thaler Land & Livestock. As such, the spread of noxious weeds is an increasing concern in their area of Wyoming and across the West.

“One of our biggest conservation accomplishments has been transforming a 200-acre parcel overrun with leafy spurge into the best haying ground we own,” says Brandy Evans.

The family collaborated with the Goshen County weed and pest authorities to develop a plan to eliminate the spurge, which Evans says had a positive environmental impact. “Now, we use no chemicals on the ground, and we are able to put up 5 tons of hay/acre,” she says.

The Thalers also use gated pipe irrigation, low-pressure center-pivot sprinklers, and flood-irrigation practices to irrigate orchard grass, regar brome and alfalfa.

For their efforts, the Thaler family received an award from the Wyoming chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society for their efficient grazing system and irrigation accomplishments.

The Environmental Stewardship Award Program recognizes outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of U.S. cattle producers. The program, established in 1991 by the NCBA, is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences LLC and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Both regional and national award winners are commended for their commitment to protecting the environment and improving fish and wildlife habitats while operating profitable cattle operations. The common trait among all winners is the desire to leave the land in better shape for future generations while also inspiring the next generation of land stewards.

Links…
National Environmental Stewardship Award Program
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Dow AgriSciences
 

USDA Unveils 2007 Farm Bill Proposals

Following months of gathering input around the nation and working through a very deliberative process, Secretary Johanns announced USDA’s proposal for the 2007 Farm Bill. The process revealed virtually unanimous support for conservation for the next farm bill. The proposal reflects that support and contains the right policy at the right time. Proposals would increase conservation funding by $7.8 billion, simplify and consolidate conservation programs, and create a new Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Links…
news release Johanns Unveils 2007 Farm Bill Proposals  January 31, 2007  en Espanol
USDA 2007 Farm Bill Proposals
USDA 2007 Farm Bill Proposals by Title
USDA's 2007 Farm Bill Proposals fact sheet
USDA 2007 Farm Bill Proposals Power Point presentation
 

USDA Releases State-by-State National Resources Inventory on Soil Erosion and Land Cover and Use

Delivering data about natural resources. The National Resources Inventory is a statistical survey of the status, condition, and trends of land, soil, water, and related resources on the nation’s non-Federal land. Above, an NRCS employee (on right) provides agency information to a landowner in Monterey County, California. NRCS image.

State-by-state results on soil erosion and land cover/use are available for the first time through the NRCS National Resources Inventory (NRI). The NRI provides comprehensive and statistically reliable information on various natural resource conditions and trends on nonfederal lands. NRCS conducts the NRI in cooperation with Iowa State University’s Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology.

The state-level NRI data released represents 2003 conditions only. It does not include a trend analysis for individual states and can not be used to evaluate change from previous inventory cycles. State-level change estimates and associated trending information from the 2003 NRI will be available for release later this winter.

Links…
NRCS news release USDA Releases State-by-State National Resources Inventory on Soil Erosion and Land and Cover Use  January 16, 2007

National Resources Inventory
 

USDA Provides More Than $42.5 Million for Additional Natural Disaster Recovery

Flooded cropland in Iowa. EWP assists with implementation of critical emergency measures to relieve imminent hazards to life and property created by natural disasters. Measures must be environmentally and economically sound and generally benefit more than one property owner. NRCS image.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced that an additional $42.5 million will be provided through NRCS’ Emergency Watershed Protection program (EWP) to help with natural disaster recovery efforts in 13 states.

The states—California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vermont—will receive up to 75 percent of the funds needed to restore the natural function of a watershed and up to 90 percent ion limited resource areas damaged by a natural disaster. The community or local sponsor for the work pays the remaining cost-share, which can be provided by cash and/or in-kind services.

Links…
USDA News Release: USDA Provides More Than $42.5 Million for Additional Natural Disaster Recovery  January 16, 2007

Emergency Watershed Protection program
 

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