NACD is excited to introduce Conservation in the Field: Careers Where the Land Leads, a new high school level guide connecting students to real world conservation careers. This resource highlights careers supported by conservation districts and NRCS, including field, technical, scientific, and administrative roles. The guide includes career profiles, hands on projects, and classroom ready activities designed for formal and informal education settings. It is a valuable tool for districts engaging youth in workforce development and conservation leadership.

Visit our District Guides page or Marketplace to access the guide.

EXPAND YOUR CONSERVATION SKILLSET THROUGH BREAKOUT SESSIONS

NACD invites you to join us in San Antonio, Texas, for the 2026 Annual Meeting! Hosted in partnership with the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, our 80th meeting will take place on February 15-19, 2026, at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter.

This year, NACD will host close to 60 breakout sessions, providing all attendees opportunities to learn and network across a wide variety of themes: Building and Expanding Your Skillset; Conservation Innovation; District Management: Embracing Change; and Partnerships for Impact. Attending breakout sessions will allow you to hear and learn from conservation district leaders, partner organization professionals, and natural resource experts from across the country. A few exciting sessions to note are:

• Community Connection and Your Conservation District led by Vicki Carter, Director at Spokane Conservation District in Washington. This session will lay out the who, what, where, and when of securing nearly $5M to bring a new community resource to Spokane.
• Grow the Partnership: Using History to Tell the Conservation Story - Hear from leaders of the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society on how they built a successful state-level history non-profit organization, working with diverse partners to collect, preserve, and share the conservation story in their state.
• Farm Force: A Scalable Model for Conservation Career Development highlights an innovative workforce development model created by the White River Natural Resources Conservation District in Vermont and the Virgin Islands Women in Agriculture Association. Participants will learn how to structure conservation workforce boot camps that combine online learning with immersive, field-based training.

New this year, we are proud to offer opportunities for certified professionals in agronomy, soils, and forestry to continue their education to maintain their certifications. For select breakout sessions, we will offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through the Science Societies and Continuing Forestry Education (CFEs) through the Society of American Foresters. The sessions eligible for continuing education credits have a CEU, CFE, or both next to the session title on our agenda. They cover diverse topics such as the role of cover crops in nutrient management, agroforestry, media training, the use of biochar as a soil amendment, precision agriculture and the use of unmanned aerial systems, and more.

Ready to jump in? Register for Annual Meeting by January 26 and save up to $80 per attendee.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON? GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

This week, Congress is addressing Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations to avert a partial government shutdown set for January 30. If it comes to fruition, a shutdown would not be all-encompassing, as three funding bills were passed earlier this year – Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Agriculture, which funds USDA until September 30. The House easily passed another package, or “minibus”, earlier this week, sending funding language to the Senate for a vote to determine if it will make it to President Trump’s desk. Appropriations in the package include Commerce, Interior-Environment, and Energy-Water, providing for the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. The Senate is expected to pass the minibus, leaving six must-pass appropriations packages left for consideration.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 14, at 2:00 p.m. ET, the House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee will be holding a hearing on multiple bills, including H.R. 4038 (119), the "Wildfire Response and Preparedness Act of 2025." Watch live here.

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IN ACTION: JOURNEY ON THE YELLOWSTONE

At the foot of Montana’s Crazy Mountains in Big Timber, Dan and Tami Sanders are transforming their leased 500-acre ranch along the Yellowstone River into a working model of regenerative agriculture. Guided by the wisdom of local ranchers and supported by modern soil-health practices, they’re blending tradition and innovation to tackle today’s agricultural challenges.

Dan, a veteran Air Force pilot with an engineering degree, and Tami, a microbiologist and certified Soil Food Web Consultant, bring a strong mix of technical and scientific knowledge to their operation. Through Holistic Management International courses, they’re learning to balance ecological health with economic sustainability, something they both care deeply about.

Their ranch sits near a canal system fed by a tributary of the Yellowstone River. The water supply is a blessing, but in heavy clay soils, excess moisture can be hard to work with and can slow productivity if not managed properly. High water tables and leaky ditches have caused persistent saturation in parts of their fields.

To address the issue, the Sanders turned to the Yellowstone River Conservation District Council (YRCDC) and NRCS for help. With support from the Boulder River Watershed Association and the USDA, the team launched an Irrigation Water Management (IWM) project to make their water use more efficient and improve soil health.

They installed three soil-moisture sensor sites around their 134-acre pivot to monitor infiltration, water tables, and soil response across different soil types. The system connects with a variable-rate pivot, allowing them to fine-tune irrigation to match each soil’s needs, a small but powerful step toward precision conservation.

With help from YRCDC and NRCS, the Sanders are applying the five principles of regenerative agriculture, keeping soil covered, minimizing disturbance, maximizing diversity, maintaining living roots year-round, and integrating livestock. Together, these practices are improving soil structure, water infiltration, and productivity.

For the Sanders, regeneration also means community. “Regeneration is about more than soil. It’s about rebuilding community ties and respecting the wisdom passed down for generations,” shares Dan. Together, he and Tami share their experiences with neighbors, strengthen local food systems, and honor Montana ranching traditions. It’s a good example of how local partnerships help restore land and support livelihoods along the Yellowstone River. “We’re just getting started,” said Tami. “The land has so much to teach us, and we’re eager to keep learning.”

Read the full story on NACD's blog.