School will be starting soon, and districts everywhere have new conservation education materials to share with educators and use in their own outreach programs. NACD is excited to announce that the 2024 NACD Stewardship Week materials are now available for free download on NACD's Marketplace. The 2024 topic is Forestry, and the theme is May The Forest Be With You Always.

These materials are a giant step forward in educational content and lesson planning for NACD. The 2024 Stewardship Materials have hands-on-learning and experience-based activities for K-8 grades all in a single guide with comprehensive background material, easy instructional resources, and suggestions for modification to include all students. There are also accompanying student journal resources for extending the learning experience.

The 2024 Stewardship Week Poster and Photo contest starting in spring of next year will mirror the Stewardship Week topic and theme. NACD Stewardship Week is one of the largest national programs to promote natural resource conservation and has been celebrated annually since 1955 between the last Sunday in April and the first Sunday in May. The creation of these new conservation education materials is funded in part by NACD’s federal conservation partner the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

We are still celebrating the 2023 NACD Stewardship Week topic of watersheds and the theme of One Water for the reminder of the year. Materials and resources supporting the One Water theme can also be found on our Marketplace. The short videos shared during the 2023 NACD Stewardship Week can be viewed on our YouTube page. 2023 Poster and Photo Contest entries are due by December 1, 2023. NACD has made it easier to submit those entries here.

For 68 years NACD Stewardship Week has been reminding us of our responsibility to conserve natural resources and promote the idea of conservation with all ages. For more information on NACD Stewardship Week or any of the NACD conservation education resources contact us at stewardship@nacdnet.org.

MASSACHUSETTS TEAM NAMED 2023 NCF-ENVIROTHON COMPETITION CHAMPIONS

On July 28, the Massachusetts Envirothon team from Lexington, Massachusetts, was named the champion of the 2023 National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon, with the teams from Pennsylvania and Ontario coming in second and third place respectively.

Forty-nine teams from across the U.S., Canada, and Singapore traveled to this year’s competition, from July 23-28, hosted in partnership with the Envirothon New Brunswick and Science East Science Center, Mount Allison University in Tantramar, New Brunswick, Canada. Throughout the week-long competition, students demonstrated their knowledge on soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry and wildlife management through written tests and interactive stations featuring New Brunswick’s natural resources. The teams were also tested on and then prepared oral presentations on this year’s current issue, “Adapting to a Changing Climate.”

“Over the past week, we have come together from all corners of the world to immerse ourselves in the wonders of our natural environment and create memories that will forever hold a special place in our hearts,” said New Brunswick Host Committee Chair Becky Geneau. “The activities we organized were carefully designed to challenge students' intellect, creativity, and teamwork skills. We witnessed their enthusiasm and dedication tackling each challenge with determination, always striving to find innovative solutions to complex environmental problems. Their passion for sustainability and environmental stewardship shone through every activity, in the true essence of the NCF-Envirothon spirit.”

The winning NCF-Envirothon teams are awarded scholarships and prizes, with the top three scoring teams receiving $30,000 in total, thanks to the support of Smithfield Foods, Inc. Scholarships for fourth through tenth place were awarded thanks to financial donations from NCF and last year’s host, Ohio Envirothon.

Find the full list of winners and more information on the Envirothon website. The 2024 NCF-Envirothon annual international competition will be held in Geneva, New York, from July 28 - August 3, where students will be tested on the topic, “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future.”

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON? GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to pass a measure that rolls back protection under the Endangered Species Act for the lesser prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat. The legislation, which passed the Senate this May on a narrow 50-48 vote, faces possible veto from President Biden.

The House Rules Committee ended their meeting last Wednesday without coming to a vote on the appropriations bill that would fund USDA and FDA in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). The current fiscal year will end on October 1, and House activity will be in recess until September 12, potentially delaying discussion on the Farm Bill.

The August recess provides Representatives with time to hold hearings and listening sessions with their local constituents, an opportunity NACD urges members to participate in. House Ag Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson will be hosting a Farm Bill listening session in Morgan, Minnesota on Wednesday, August 2, at 9:30 a.m. CT. He will be joined by Rep. Brad Finstad (MN-01) along with members of the House Ag Committee, and representatives from state and local delegations. Keep an eye out for events in your district and reach out to the government affairs team for resources on upcoming meetings.

WASHINGTON DISTRICTS DELIVER STEM ACADEMY PROGRAM TO LOCAL STUDENTS

Evolving organically from long-standing local partnerships, the Foundation for Water & Energy Education Ag. & Sustainable Energy Career Academy Tri-Cities was designed to connect students to hands-on, professional-led, career-focused experiences in the energy, agriculture, and conservation industries. The Benton Conservation District (CD) board has long recognized the importance of river services to the local community’s quality of life, maintaining and growing their commitments to water quality and quantity as priority resource concerns. Stemming from an ongoing series of partnerships with local schools and public utility districts (PUD), a program evolved to educate students about salmon habitat, migration, dams, and fish passage. Through the collaborative efforts of Benton CD and the Benton PUD, the decision to expand upon their existing Salmon in the Classroom program and co-host a STEM Career Academy was naturally supported by surrounding partners. Key support was provided by the upstream Chelan PUD who hosts a STEM Academy of their own at Rocky Reach Dam, as well as long-standing Tri-Cities neighbors Franklin Conservation District and Walla Walla Conservation District.

From building small-scale water-power turbines, to touring fish passage and powerhouse facilities at operating dams, to visiting barge mooring and grain storage facilities in and adjacent to local waterways, students experienced a wide variety of opportunities to learn about the systems that numerous Tri-Cities industries rely on. The 3 day event in June was infused with a diversity of experiments and experiences – like touring a nuclear power plant control room simulator and cooling towers, safety equipment/hot dog roasting demonstrations by Benton PUD linemen, building/racing solar powered cars, drone building/piloting, and hearing from a panel of scientists and interns from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. When asked about the recipe for such success, Benton CD outreach coordinator & fisheries biologist Rachel Little recommends sharing leadership resources, working through existing/established networks while expanding into new ones, prioritizing the time and effort to market a new idea/program, and using templates for success when and where applicable.

Read the full story on NACD's blog.

Ray and Jamie Weaver run their farming operation with the help of their wives Elaine and Ashley. Their operation is a combination of two century farms – one was the Weaver Farm, established in 1919 – but their family has been farming since the Civil War.

Upon graduating high school in 1971, Ray assumed the farm operations with his wife Elaine. When their son Jamie graduated from the University of Tennessee, he joined the family business with his wife and three children taking an active part– making this truly a family farm. Ray and Elaine’s other son John is a Methodist preacher, and his children love to come to the farm to help their grandpa and ride in the combine.

The Weaver’s farm includes eight acres of vineyards, 600 acres of row crops, 20 acres of Peaches and Cream sweet corn, and less than an acre of pumpkins. They also have added a high tunnel to their operation to expand their growing season, adding other produce to their harvest such as okra, squash, and cantaloupe. The rotation and choice of produce depends on variables such as the weather, resources, and scheduling. The Weavers also raise livestock for meat business which includes pasture-raised beef, pigs raised on an all-vegetarian diet, and sheep.

All their farm products from their farm are sold locally whether online or at local farmers markets, and the way they raise their livestock and grow their produce/crops, all add value their customers appreciate. The diversity in their operation has also provided the Weavers with the opportunity for long-term successes as they are not fully depending on one area of their operation to make a living.

The Weavers strive to be good stewards of the land through their farming practices. Ray bought his first no-till planter in 1975 and began experimenting with minimum tillage throughout the mid-1970s, eventually transitioning to completely no-till. In 2014, the Weavers began using multiple species cover crops in addition to their no-tilling. Today, they have been no-tilling for over 30 years and plant cover crops on 100 percent of their cropland.

Ray and Jamie agree that farmers reap more benefits when they combine no-till with planting cover crops. Jamie says the key to improving soil health is carbon. By keeping a living root in the soil for as long as possible, the Weavers keep a regular flow of carbon into the soil which benefits the soil structure and the soil biology. This not only helps the crops, but it also limits, if not eliminates erosion of the soil. The Weavers have experienced greater water infiltration in the soil and their nitrogen efficiency is better. This means that they’re making more of a profit with less inputs as their soils increase in functioning capacity. And that is good news with today’s rising cost of inputs.

Ray is both a Friends of NACD Lifetime Member and an NACD Southeast Region Hall of Fame Inductee. For more information on Ray and Jamie Weaver, visit the NACD website for their Soil Health Champion profile and the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts’ website for their Soil Health Heroes profile.

If you or someone you know would like more information on becoming an NACD Soil Health Champion, please visit the NACD website or contact Beth Mason at beth-mason@nacdnet.org.