Yesterday, the NACD Board of Directors elected Gary Blair of Starkville, Mississippi to serve as the association’s President-Elect. He will serve a one-year term as President-Elect alongside current NACD President Kim LaFleur and will assume the role of NACD President in 2025.
Blair has served NACD in a number of roles since 2015, including as a board member, executive board member, and most recently as an officer in the role of First Vice President. He also serves on the board of his local conservation district, the Carroll County Soil and Water Conservation District, and is a former president of the Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts and Mississippi Forestry Association.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to take the helm and move NACD and its mission forward during this very important time in the history of soil and water conservation,” said NACD President-Elect Gary Blair. “We promote conservation practices on Every Acre, for Every American, Every Day, with our almost 3,000 conservation districts across this great nation. I look forward to leading NACD by continuing to work collaboratively with my fellow officers, board members, and conservation districts.”
Blair will be sworn in as President in February 2025 at NACD’s 79th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. Read more about the election of Gary Blair as NACD’s President-Elect in NACD's newsroom.
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EQUITY, CLIMATE, AND MORE EXPLORED AT TUESDAY GENERAL SESSION
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Tuesday morning’s general session of NACD's 2024 Annual Meeting featured keynotes and panel discussions with a variety of conservation and natural resources experts. The session was presided over by Second Vice President Bill Simshauser.
Carlos Suarez, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist for California was the opening keynote speaker and introduced the California Conservation Planning Partnership, which is getting more conservation on the ground by increasing and streamlining the delivery of technical assistance to producers.
Following Suarez, Agri-Pulse Communications Managing Editor Spencer Chase moderated two discussion panels. The first panel identified obstacles, challenges, and barriers underserved producers face in accessing resources, and how to overcome these challenges. Panelists included: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Senior Advisor for Racial Equity Dr. Dewayne Goldmon, Seanicaa Edwards Herron with the Freedmen Heirs Foundation, Jeanette Lombardo with the Farmer Veteran Coalition, Gary Matteson with Farm Credit, and Nancy Wahl-Scheurich with the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts.
The second panel, with panelists Alyssa Charney of the White House
Office of Domestic Climate Policy, Terry Baker with the Society of American Foresters, Kris Johnson, Ph.D. with The Nature Conservancy, and Rachel Petitt with the Southern California Soil & Water Hub, discussed ecosystem service tradeoffs, how companies are meeting environmental and social goals, and the impact of data collection impact on producers.
President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council Krysta Harden closed out the general session with a keynote address on how dairy can provide a sustainable source of nutrition and help meet environmental stewardship goals.
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CONSERVATION LEADERS RECOGNIZED AT BANQUET
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Last night's Annual Meeting Appreciation Banquet recognized some remarkable leaders in conservation across the nation.
The Hugh Hammond Bennett (HHB) Awards, which honor one national planner and one producer who demonstrate commitment to conservation planning and soil health were presented to Mark Lefebvre and brothers, Ryan and Michael Hough. They were presented the HHB planner and HHB producer award, respectively.
Anthony Mallott of Sealaska in southeast Alaska was presented with the Olin Sims Award, recognizing his efforts in private lands conservation. NACD’s Friend of Conservation Award was bestowed upon Jon Jackson from Comfort Farms in Milledgeville, GA for his outstanding contributions to conserving the nation’s natural resources. Shelli Lamb of Riverside, CA was honored with the NACD Distinguished Service Award for her work in conservation and management of our nation’s natural resources.
The National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) presented their Outstanding Conservation District Board Member Award to Cliff Lane of McKean County Conservation District in Pennsylvania, and their Outstanding Conservation District Professional Award to Henrietta Taylor of Lawrence County Soil and Water Conservation District in Alabama.
NRCS Assistant Chief Kenneth Walker and NACD President Kim LaFleur presented the Harford Soil Conservation District from Maryland with the NACD + NRCS Earth Team Award.
Finally, NACD President Kim LaFleur honored NACD Chief Operating Officer Karla Maldonado-Mitchell with the President’s Award for her leadership and dedication to NACD, growing and learning together with President LaFleur for the past seven years.
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Additional information can be found in the programs and meeting app.
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Start Your Day with a Conservation Symposium!
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Learn about regenerative agriculture, barriers to markets, and more in your choice of three conservation symposiums from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m., including:
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Film Lunch Spotlights Regenerative Agriculture in California
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Yesterday, attendees had a chance to watch “The Biggest Little Farm: The Return” while enjoying lunch.
This film centers on the husband-and-wife team of John and Molly Chester and their farm—Apricot Lane Farms—which regeneratively grows more than 200 varieties of fruits and vegetables and raises sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, and ducks.
Thank you to National Geographic for sharing the film with us at no cost!
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Complete a Survey on Reforestation
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Complete this voluntary survey to help the NACD and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) better understand conservation district and district partner involvement in reforestation.
The survey will help NACD and its partners refine programs, advocate for funding, and inform technical assistance for reforestation on private lands.
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Tell us your thoughts on how we did!
Share your 2024 NACD Annual Meeting feedback with us to help us celebrate what we did well and improve upon the event in future years.
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Download the
Event Mobile App
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Don't miss the mobile Annual Meeting app hosted by Sched! The app allows you to see the full event schedule, session descriptions, speaker profiles, and more. After you've set up a public profile, you will be able to create a personalized schedule and you can message and network with other attendees right from the app.
To download it, you can scan or click the QR code, or download the Sched app (Apple) (Android) and search NACD to join the event.
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Have you been taking photos during the 2024 NACD Annual Meeting? We want to see them!
Email them to us at nacdnews@nacdnet.org, tag us at @NACDConserve, or use #NACD2024 on social media.
Check out all of our photos from the week here.
See our photos from the week on Flickr!
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Questions?
The registration desk is open in the Seascape Foyer from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. today. Stop by for questions, tickets, and more!
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