On Monday, Apr. 1, conservation leaders from Nebraska gathered in Washington, D.C., to talk with their federal legislators and federal agency partners during the Nebraska Association of Natural Resources Districts' (NRDs) annual legislative conference.

NACD Director of Projects and Partnerships Rich Duesterhaus and Director of Government Affairs Coleman Garrison joined Nebraska's district representatives to discuss the 2018 Farm Bill and what to expect moving forward as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) begins implementing the new law.

Garrison also prepared the attendees for meetings with their Members of Congress, including NACD's priorities in the Fiscal Year 2020 federal appropriations cycle.

Duesterhaus provided updates on NACD's second round of technical assistance grants, the Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative and Conservation Planning Boot Camp, noting funds are available from NACD for districts employees to attend.

Last week, NACD’s Northeast Region Representative Eric Hansen presented on the 2018 Farm Bill at the annual New England Leadership Meeting of conservation districts.

The 2018 Farm Bill made a number of changes of interest to New England districts, including enhancements to the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program, changes to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and an increased focus on source water protection.

The New England Leadership Meeting, held annually in Portsmouth, N.H., brings together leaders from conservation districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) from each of the six New England states.

This year, NRCS Chief Matt Lohr keynoted the event and provided an overview of his priorities for NRCS. Additional presenters touched on climate change, forestry and stream restoration. 

NACD is honored to have Ron Rayner as the first Soil Health Champion in Arizona. His operation “A Tumbling T Ranches” is a family partnership with Rayner’s brothers, Robert and Earle, and his two nephews, John and Perry. They farm approximately 6,000 acres in Arizona, while in California, they own another 3,200 acres of which they lease a portion to other growers.

“A Tumbling T Ranches” showcases the unique aspects of farming in a relatively dry area and the benefits of keeping the ground covered all year round. Keeping the ground covered has spurred the Rayner farm into a double-cropping system of durum wheat-cotton-alfalfa production, which not only brings in additional income, but also lowers input costs for the benefits it provides. Such benefits include creating root channels for water infiltration and increased holding capacity, cooling the ground surface so crops do not experience heat stress. Keeping the ground covered also provides additional and beneficial organic matter to the soil from previous crops, along with any of the residual nutrients they contained, and the pest management that comes from a biodiverse environment rather than a monoculture.

On Wednesday, Mar. 27, 2019, representatives from across the conservation delivery system met in Spokane, Wash., for the semi-annual face-to-face meeting of the Washington Tribal Conservation Advisory Council.

Regional tribes, including the Lummi, Quinault, Quileute, Spokane and Yakama Tribes attended the meeting and described their work with Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects to put conservation on the ground across the state.

NACD First Vice President Michael Crowder attended the event, providing an update on the 2018 Farm Bill and describing funding opportunities for tribes and tribal conservation districts. Crowder explained that the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)'s Conservation Planning Boot Camp in Nebraska is open to tribal conservation district employees and highlighted NACD's grant initiatives - including the technical assistance grants - which enable innovative tribal conservation funding opportunities.

The next NACD Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar, scheduled for Thursday, April 18, 2019, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, will spotlight pollinator conservation practices.

 

The Pollinator Stewardship Council will report on an ongoing project, "Pollinator Habitat on Three Different Types of Corporate Properties." For four years, Ohio businesses have collaborated with beekeepers to provide pollinator habitat, encourage new beekeepers through 4-H, inspire other businesses and individuals to create habitat, and collect data showing the benefit to pollinators.

 

The West Multnomah SWCD in Oregon has incorporated pollinator habitat into opportune projects throughout the area and trained volunteers to monitor them for pollinators over the past three seasons. Information about this community science model will be shared, including the program’s model, results, lessons learned and resources. The district also developed informative tools such as the Meadowscaping Handbook and Pollinator Bloom Time Chart to help people develop pollinator habitats in urban yards and rural landscapes.

 

These popular webinars, held on the third Thursday of each month, are sponsored by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation in partnership with the NACD Urban and Community Resource Policy Group. There is no cost to participate, but space is limited. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register, email Debra Bogar at [email protected] with your name, title, district or business name, state and email address. Information to access the webinar will be sent by email.