Since 1935, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (originally called the Soil Conservation Service) has provided leadership in a partnership effort to help America's private land owners and managers conserve their soil, water, and other natural resources.
NRCS employees provide technical assistance based on sound science and suited to a customer's specific needs. We provide financial assistance for many conservation activities. Participation in our programs is voluntary.
Our Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program provides voluntary conservation technical assistance to land-users, communities, units of state and local government, and other Federal agencies in planning and implementing conservation systems.
We reach out to all segments of the agricultural community, including underserved and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, to ensure that our programs and services are accessible to everyone.
We manage natural resource conservation programs that provide environmental, societal, financial, and technical benefits.
Our science and technology activities provide technical expertise in such areas as animal husbandry and clean water, ecological sciences, engineering, resource economics, and social sciences.
We provide expertise in soil science and leadership for soil surveys and for the National Resources Inventory, which assesses natural resource conditions and trends in the United States.
We provide technical assistance to foreign governments, and participate in international scientific and technical exchanges.
