Have you heard the buzz? NACD wants you to join us at the 2025 Annual Meeting! Hosted in partnership with the Utah Association of Conservation Districts, this year's meeting will take place in Salt Lake City, UT, from February 8-12, 2025. Join us in the Beehive State to explore the theme "Bee the Change: Reaching New Summits in Conservation!"

Register online before this Friday, January 17, to secure your spot and save up to $80 compared to onsite prices!

NACD is excited for a revamped schedule of events for the meeting. Past meeting attendees have said they especially enjoyed networking, so this meeting will have even more opportunities for you to connect with peers, including more breakout sessions, exciting tours and events, and additional hours at the Conservation Showcase.

Ready to book?

The deadline to book rooms in the Hyatt Regency discounted block is Friday, January 17! Rooms are already running out, so limited additional lodging is now available for the nights of February 7-12 at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek. This hotel is located one block from the Hyatt Regency, where the meeting will be held. Rooms in this additional room block are first come, first served. The last day to reserve available rooms in this room block is Monday, January 27, 2025.

Details on these hotels and special discounted airfare with Delta Airlines can be found on NACD's Annual Meeting webpage. If you have any questions, contact events@nacdnet.org. We can't wait to bee in SLC with you!

WORKING LANDS CONSERVATION CORPS SEEK HOST ORGANIZATIONS

NACD, alongside partners NRCS, The Corps Network, and AmeriCorps, announced the request for proposals for host organizations for the second cohort of the Working Lands Conservation Corps (WLCC). This past year, WLCC engaged over 100 corps members, serving 28 organizations in 25 states. In the second year of this program, WLCC will welcome a new cohort of beginning conservationists and seeks organizations to host them. The deadline for organizations to apply to be a WLCC host organization is March 31, 2025.

NACD encourages conservation districts and partners to apply to host WLCC corps members in the coming year. All interested applicants are invited to visit The Corps Network website to learn more about the program and this past year’s WLCC cohort. During their time with WLCC, corps members will work directly with landowners, producers, and communities to learn about and implement conservation and outreach practices.

NACD will continue to provide corps members with virtual training covering conservation concepts, practices, and systems. NACD is pleased to continue to serve alongside these partners in establishing and supporting the WLCC to inspire and prepare the next generation of conservation leaders.

To learn more about the Working Lands Conservation Corps and apply to be a host organization, visit here.

MEMBERSHIP CORNER: STAY TUNED FOR INVOICES & UPDATES

To continue to provide support for conservation districts nationwide, we rely heavily on your membership contributions to support our advocacy, education, and partnership activities. We thank those districts who have already contributed to NACD this year, and to those who have not, stay tuned for your paper invoices!  

We mailed invoices last week to districts that still need to renew for Fiscal Year 2025. Along with a copy of your invoice, you will receive the latest version of NACD's Quarterly Report, The Resource, where you will find updates regarding our upcoming Annual Meeting, a success story highlighting a South Dakota district's experience with the NACD Urban and Community Conservation Grant (stay tuned for this year’s grant cycle!), and information about recent advocacy efforts.  

Once you receive your invoice, you can follow the instructions to mail a check or reach out to membership@nacdnet.org for support. 

To further serve our members this year, we have also streamlined access to our Member’s Only page. We send the access code to that section of our website to the primary email address on file as part of your dues receipt; please share with any staff or board members affiliated with the district.  

However, every conservation district still has access to an online account with NACD, which you can use to change your district’s contact information, update current individuals affiliated with the district (both staff and board members), review past membership contributions, or pay dues online. 

In order to help answer questions about each of the different online accounts and troubleshoot issues, we’ve created a helpful guide to NACD Online Account Management. This resource provides details on the different NACD accounts, what to do with each, and answers questions many of you may have. Our online systems can help you get the most out of your NACD membership, so please reach out if you have any issues at any time! 

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON?

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

This week, Senate committees are holding hearings to consider several nominees to lead federal agencies in the incoming administration, including Lee Zeldin for EPA Administrator, Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Department of the Interior, and Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary. A hearing to consider Brooke Rollins’ nomination for Secretary of Agriculture was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled.

Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a Public Meeting for the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the BLM Public Lands Rule. This meeting is an opportunity to hear from the advisory committee and provide comments. The virtual meeting is scheduled for February 19, 2025. For more information, review the FR notice and/or contact John Gale, DFO, at jgale@blm.gov.

Last Friday, the Treasury Department released proposed guidance for the new 45Z biofuel tax credit, which took effect on January 1 and expires at the end of 2027. The Trump administration will need to finalize the proposal and clarify eligible farming practices omitted from the most recent release. The Treasury Department is accepting comments on the proposed guidance until April 10, 2025.

GROWING FORESTS, BUILDING FUTURES IN MINNESOTA

Over the last three years, Minnesota’s Morrison Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has established and grown a leading cover crop program that benefits soil health and reaches 12,000 acres, which is 5% of all cropland acres in the rural county.  

Morrison County—situated northwest of Minneapolis and home to the military’s Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape—is rural. Its agricultural production is diverse. About one-third of the county is forested. Two-thirds of the land is dedicated to a variety of agricultural uses, including hay and poultry, beef, dairy, and pork production. The county’s irrigated sandy soil near the Mississippi River yields specialty crops like potatoes, peas, and kidney beans. 

For years, the Morrison SWCD had been talking with their local agricultural retailer, Centra Sota Cooperative, about ways to partner for soil health and help producers in their community adopt good soil health practices, but it was difficult to advance a plan without funding. After applying for and being awarded an NACD Technical Assistance Grant in 2019, the district found a way to bring soil health to the forefront for Morrison County producers.

With the grant funding, the conservation district onboarded Conservation Agronomist Kolby Hansen to work with the district and Centra Sota Cooperative to grow the adoption of cover crops in the community. Hansen worked for the conservation district and spent time with the cooperative, working on shared tasks. The cooperative helped contribute to the grant match. Hansen quickly developed trust with Morrison County’s producers and has become a sought-after leader, providing technical assistance to producers on cover crop mixes and planting and termination methods and matching producers and their financial assistance needs with state and federal government resources. 

“There has been a great amount of pressure on farmers to be doing more, and farmers are doing a lot to adopt new conservation practices on their own,” says Hansen. Hansen focused on helping new and middle adopters of cover crops access financial assistance from the district, the Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources, and NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). One-year contracts have been key to the county’s growth in cover crop acres. “For middle adopters, one-year instead of five-year contracts help get them over the hurdle,” she explains. “The majority that sign up continue. A shorter contract means a lower risk to get into the game. Now that the relationship is established, they’re interested in other conservation best management practices.” 

In 2024, the Morrison SWCD handled 40 cover crop contracts, and the district’s efforts continue to grow. Hansen recently helped Morrison producers apply for financial assistance from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The producers received $86,000 in funding for the purchase of soil health equipment. With a different grant from NACD, the district has conducted outreach to encourage landowners around Camp Ripley to conserve working lands for military readiness, agriculture and forestry, and resilience. 

Morrison SWCD now has one of the leading soil health programs in the state of Minnesota and provides resources to new soil health technicians employed by districts and NRCS. Their impact has grown from local to statewide.

“This wouldn’t have happened without the capacity NACD has given through the Technical Assistance Grants,” shared Shannon Wettstein, District Manager.

Read the full story on NACD's blog.