NACD is excited to announce that the 2023 Request for Applications (RFA) for the Outreach and Technical Assistance (TA) Grants Program. The RFA is available on the 2023 program webpage.

The Outreach and Technical Assistance Grant program is a partnership between NACD and NRCS. Our mutual goal is to achieve equitable outcomes for producers and communities while addressing conservation issues on private lands.

Conservation Districts, their respective state/territory associations and agencies, Resource Conservation & Development Councils, and Tribal organizations are eligible to apply for this funding to help provide the outreach, education, mentoring, and technical assistance that helps farmers, ranchers, and forest stewards make informed decisions on their lands to enhance its sustainability. 

Approximately $15 million is available for Conservation Operations Technical Assistance (COTA), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). All funds will be awarded through a competitive application process. Interested applicants should discuss their plan of work with their state and territory conservation partnership leadership before submitting an application. Tribal organizations should inform the NRCS State Office of their intention of applying.

Applications must be submitted online by Sunday, August 6, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

NACD will also host a webinar on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern to provide further details and answer questions on the application process. The webinar will be recorded and available on the program webpage for those who cannot make it. To learn more and register for the webinar, visit NACD's 2023 Outreach and Technical Assistance webpage.

For questions, please contact the NACD Conservation Programs team at conservationprograms@nacdnet.org.

EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION FOR SUMMER MEETING CLOSES NEXT WEEK!

Early bird registration for NACD's 2023 Summer Meeting closes in TEN DAYS! Hosted in partnership with the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts, the 2023 Summer Meeting will take place in Bismarck, North Dakota from July 15-19, 2023. You don't want to miss these networking opportunities, workshops, or tours!

Sign up to attend before June 23, 2023 to save up to $100 on registration costs with this early-bird special!

Learn more about upcoming meeting, agenda, tours, speakers, and how to register and reserve your hotel room on NACD's website.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON? GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

A request for public feedback from the House Agriculture Committee will be closing this Friday, June 16. Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson and Ranking Member David Scott have asked stakeholders to fill out an online form that will help direct House Ag priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill. NACD urges members to participate and voice support for Title II Conservation programs to remain fully funded. You can access the survey here.  

On the Hill, an impasse between conservative representatives and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has slowed action on the House floor. Prompted by disagreements over the recently passed debt ceiling bill, 11 conservatives joined Democrats in successfully blocking a procedural vote last Tuesday that would have allowed four bills to be voted on throughout the week. Rep. Andy Biggs (R- AL), a member of the newly formed contingent, stated that he is concerned with the Speaker’s intentions with major upcoming bills, including the 2023 Farm Bill. This week’s activity will indicate how McCarthy intends to preserve his majority and will set the stage for ongoing conservation negotiations. 

CENTRAL TEXAS SWCD ADDRESSES LOCAL NATURAL RESOURCE CONCERNS

The Central Texas Soil and Water Conservation District (CTSWCD) is situated in one of the most productive ecoregions of Texas. Houston Black soil is one of the reasons this region is so productive, but with the soil’s blessings also comes its curse. Houston Black soil, though nutrient dense, can also be highly erodible. The CTSWCD works to bring conservation practices to help producers increase soil health, reduce erosion, and achieve their production goals though conservation planning.

The district delivers conservation assistance to local producers through a partnership with local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) staff, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension service, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They hold an annual local working group meeting for the district’s agriculture producers. This year’s meeting was held in Jarrell, Texas to receive input from producers about their priorities and concerns.

“Requesting input from local producers helps us to better understand the concerns of producers for the following year and provide services producers want," said Stanley Glaser, Chairman of the CTSWCD.

As priorities were identified through the local work group, the district moved to address the issues and implemented projects. These included efforts such as feral swine trapping and eradication, an ongoing battle with Ashe Juniper, and flood control. Protecting water quality is important while implementing conservation practices and replanting as soon as possible helps hold the soil on the land. Having available grass seed through the district during the short planting season is crucial for the district’s producers. The district offers many seed mixes from a range of grasses, to cover crops, and even work with their local Master Gardeners to provide special mixtures for pollinators.

Read more about this district's efforts on NACD's blog.

IMPROVING SOIL HEALTH THROUGH EDUCATION, APPLICATION, AND ENGAGEMENT WITH CENTRAL OREGON YOUTH AND SCHOOLS

The joint NACD-NRCS Urban Agriculture Conservation (UAC) grant initiative has provided over five years of great examples of districts providing technical assistance to agricultural sites at schools, Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District (DSWCD) in Oregon provides one of those many examples.

The district received a 2021 UAC to partner with several organizations on projects in Central Oregon. Together with partners—The Environmental Center, Bend Pollinator Pathways, and Kaci Rae Christopher, the author of ‘The School Garden Curriculum: An Integrated K-8 Guide for Discovering Science, Ecology, and Whole-Systems Thinking’—DSWCD collaborated with local schools on several projects:

• Developing and presenting a Soil Health Workshop for local schools with or wanting a school garden. This was an in-person event and had 25 attendees. It included a 2-hour classroom presentation and an hour using the principles learned interactively in a school garden. Each participant received native pollinator plants, cover crop seeds, dinner, a gift card, and funding for the school to purchase soil health amendments. This workshop has also been recorded and available at https://www.deschutesswcd.org/urban-agriculture-a35f465;
• Presenting this workshop at a live virtual online seminar for the Oregon Farm to School and Garden Network Annual Conference;
• Helping five schools receive funding to perform school garden projects; and
• Developing a curriculum and lesson plans for an Earth Smart Food Waste series that will be utilized in elementary schools in the coming school year.

This program was successful in developing workshops and curriculums for organizations and schools to utilize in the future. This project was a kicking off point for this strong partnership to pursue Urban Agricultural programs in the future for Central Oregon.

Learn more about all grantees through the UAC program online.