Registration for The National Association of Conservation Districts' (NACD) 77th Annual Meeting is ongoing! Hosted in partnership with the Louisiana Association of Conservation Districts, the 2023 Annual Meeting will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana from February 11-15 at the New Orleans Marriott. Early bird registration for the discounted price of $575 will be open through December 23, 2022.

NACD's Annual Meeting is the biggest event of the year and brings hundreds of conservation leaders from across the nation together. The Annual Meeting agenda is newly available to explore. It includes a full NACD board meeting and is packed with opportunities for attendees to network and hear from a variety of conservation speakers. You can also download the event app to create your own personal schedule!

Attendees may also elect to purchase additional event and tour options. This year, the Louisiana Association of Conservation Districts will host a Mississippi River dinner jazz cruise on The Creole Queen. Experience an evening of Louisiana cuisine and entertainment on this Victorian era paddle-wheeler! Dinner cruise tickets are $120 per person. 

We will also offer two tour options. Participants can learn more about conservation efforts at the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion or the Partnership Potpourri-Conservation in the St. Bernard Parish Central Wetlands. Participants will learn about the ecosystem of the local wetlands, and will see the impact of ongoing vegetation and infrastructure restoration projects. Tours are priced at $30 per person.

The group hotel room rate at the New Orleans Marriot is $236 per night plus tax. To reserve your room, click here. The deadline to reserve rooms is Friday, January 20, 2023. More details, including hotel and tour information, can be found here.

NACD WEIGHS IN ON USDA PROGRAM TO HELP PRODUCERS WHO EXPERIENCED DISCRIMINATION

On November 14, NACD joined 45 organizations in submitting comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to inform the development of a new program providing financial assistance for producers who have experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending programs. The new program was recently authorized by section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act. NACD and partnering organizations called for the formation of an advisory board to help develop and guide program implementation; the development of a framework to guide the review, payment, and oversight processes; and eligibility and payment procedures to benefit a wide range of producers who have experienced different kinds of discrimination.

Learn more about the program here and view NACD’s joint comments here.

NRCS CALLS FOR INPUT ON CONSERVATION PROGRAM FUNDING

On November 17, NRCS announced that they will be accepting public input to inform the administration of more than $19 billion recently provided for conservation programs through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Specifically, NRCS is requesting input on to how to maximize benefits for climate mitigation and identify strategies to mitigate, monitor, and quantify emissions in the agriculture sector. The agency is also soliciting recommendations on ways to streamline and improve NRCS conservation program delivery to increase efficiencies and expand access to programs.

To learn more and to submit comments, view the request in the federal register here. To learn more about IRA investments in NRCS conservation programs, visit NACD's blog.

KACD RECIEVES GRANT AND SURPASSES GOAL

In partnership with Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) awarded the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts (KACD) a grant in 2022 to help producers plant cover crops across Kansas. Awarded under NFWF’s Midwest Cover Crop Initiative, this grant supported implementation of beneficial agricultural practices. Other partners participating in this effort included the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Conservation and the Kansas Soil Health Alliance.

Named the Kansas Climate Smart Initiative, the goal was to plant 100,000 acres of cover crops this year. Kansas producers stepped up and enrolled over 100,000 acres. Producers receiving contracts were given the option of single year or multi-year contracts and paid $10/acre to plant a cover crop that met NRCS practice standards and specifications.

“This program promotes sustainability and regenerative agriculture practices. The ultimate goal is to create more value for the crops farmers are growing regeneratively by adding environmental characteristics to the practices that positively impact the environment,” said Dan Meyerhoff, KACD Executive Director. “This was a total team effort but the majority of the credit goes to our local conservation districts. They were driving force behind making sure local producers were made aware of this opportunity and taking applications to get them enrolled.”

Article written and provided by KACD. Learn more about KACD's efforts on their website.

USDA RELEASES NATIONWIDE FARMER, RANCHER, AND FOREST MANAGER SURVEY

As a farmer, rancher or forest manager, your on-the-ground contribution to American agriculture is vitally important. Your efforts are key to the Nation’s production of food, fuel and fiber, and your feedback is essential in helping the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a vital partner of NACD, to improve government programs and services to support you.

USDA has released a nationwide survey asking for feedback from all farmers, ranchers, and forest managers. USDA would like to hear from existing customers, and they hope to also reach a new audience of prospective customers, specifically those that don’t know about USDA, have yet to work with USDA, and those who were unable to participate in the past.

Please visit here by March 31, 2023, to access the survey online in multiple languages! The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete, and responses are anonymous.

DISTRICTS AND PARTNERS GATHER FOR ALABAMA'S ANNUAL MEETING

On Nov. 16 – 18, about 250 conservation district supervisors, employees, and partners gathered in Orange Beach, Alabama for the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Alabama Association of Conservation Districts (AACD). NACD President-Elect Kim LaFleur helped to kick off the event during the first full day’s opening session, sharing an update on NACD’s advocacy efforts and new and current programs. Later that morning, a plenary session got back to basics, explaining the roles of districts and supervisors. NACD board member Dr. Carol Knight shared an overview of Alabama’s conservation partnership (pictured), and NACD Soil Health Champion Charles Holmes provided information to attendees about NACD’s Soil Health Champions Network.

The afternoon’s breakout sessions explored a variety of topics, including: working with public officials, conservation district projects, grassroots community change organizations, and conservation district and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) relations. An evening awards banquet celebrated a slate of distinguished awardees, and presented a proclamation from Governor Kay Ivey, declaring Nov. 13 – 19, 2022 as Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors’ Week in Alabama.

The final day of the meeting featured partner updates, and convened the AACD Annual Business Meeting, where outgoing AACD president and alternate NACD board member Johnny Lee passed the gavel to incoming AACD president Chris Langley.

WHAT IS ONE WATER?

In 2023, NACD's Stewardship Week will be focused on watersheds and the theme of "One Water." But what is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, eventually leading to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean. Those bodies of water are all connected, so every drop that falls becomes part of one water.

Watersheds can be any size and usually have some high points of land like hills, mountains, or ridges. When rain, sleet, or snow falls to the ground, the precipitation runs from those higher points to the lower points. Gravity pulls the water downhill until it reaches a body of water. If the land in the watershed is steep, the water usually runs off into rivers or streams. If the land in the watershed is level, the water will slowly flow into lakes or ponds, or seep into the soil and add to groundwater. If the watershed is close to the ocean, then tidal marshes, estuaries, and wetlands will be part of the watershed. From the top of the mountain all the way to the coast, it is all one water.

Have you ever watched it rain? The raindrops fall on the ground and flow through the soil. Water soaks through the soil until it reaches groundwater, which is water that moves through spaces in soil and rock underground. A lot of the water we use and drink every day comes from water in the ground. As it rains and the water runs off, it collects in rivers, lakes, and oceans and then returns to the atmosphere to fall as rain somewhere else. All land across the entire earth is made up of watersheds. We all live in a watershed. We share the water in our watershed with other people, with animals, and with plants because… it is all one water.