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 (SWCD), our 80th meeting will take place on February 15-19, 2026, at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter. This special anniversary meeting with explore the theme "Deep Roots, Bold Horizons," to look back on NACD's past and ahead to its future.

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:

• Virtual Fencing for Landscape Health: A Conservation District Approach dives into an Eagle County Conservation District (ECCD) project to explore virtual fencing for livestock. With multiple grants secured and lessons learned from producers on the ground, ECCD has developed a district-scale vision for how other conservation districts can engage with virtual fencing to achieve coordinated ecosystem benefits.
• Telling the Story Right: How Media Strengthens Conservation, Community Trust, and Partnerships, led by Media and Grants Specialist Logan Parks, will teach attendees to recognize the role of media as a source of conservation innovation; understand how visual storytelling, social media, and digital outreach can build trust and visibility for conservation programs; translate conservation projects into compelling stories; and more.
• Conservation Connections - Resources for Training, Certification, and Employee Development will feature speakers representing state conservation training programs at various stages of development. Attendees will hear practical insights on what it takes to launch a new program, the challenges and opportunities in scaling training efforts, and strategies for sustaining long-term success with support from the National Conservation Planning Partnership.

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.

Joining us? Plan out which sessions you want to attend by adding them to your personalized online agenda!

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON? GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

The Senate is continuing to tackle yearly appropriations this week as a partial shutdown is set to begin on Friday, January 30. While the proposed minibus containing the remaining spending packages looked popular at the end of last week, increased controversy around funding for the Department of Homeland Security has jeopardized negotiations. If Senators push for amendments, the House will need to reconvene and pass the changes – a large task with less than a week remaining. USDA programs will continue without interruption regardless of this week’s outcome, as the Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Bill has been passed.

On January 21, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the launch of the New World Screwworm (NWS) Grand Challenge to combat NWS and prevent its northward spread. As part of the Grand Challenge, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will make $100 million available to support innovative projects that enhance sterile NWS fly production, strengthen preparedness and response strategies, and better safeguard U.S. agriculture, animal health, and trade.  

APHIS invites proposals that support one or more of the following objectives: 

• Enhance sterile NWS fly production 
• Develop novel NWS traps and lures 
• Develop and increase understanding of NWS therapeutics/ treatments (i.e. products that could treat, prevent, or control NWS) for animals 
• Develop other tools to bolster preparedness or response to NWS  

The notice of funding opportunity, including application instructions, eligibility, and program requirements, is available on the NWS Grand Challenge webpage. The deadline for filing is February 23.  

On Wednesday, January 28, at 10:00 a.m. ET the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works will hold Part 2 of a Hearing to Examine the Federal Environmental Review and Permitting Processes, a relevant subject for many in the conservation community. Check out the committee website for a list of participants and a live stream of the event.

SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPS: STAR & NACD

By Caroline Wade, STAR Executive Director

Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) is a national scale framework for conservation evaluation, implementation, and coordination that supports technical assistance providers and streamlines conservation progress for producers. It is available for cropland in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah and for grazing lands in Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Missouri.

The NACD Technical Assistance (TA) Grants program, funded by NRCS, has played a role in building and expanding STAR across Illinois and Missouri as a tool to amplify and streamline existing conservation efforts and to initiate new programs for farmers. These grants have enabled local conservation districts to provide hands-on technical assistance, strengthen state partner collaboration, and deliver innovative tools that help farmers adopt conservation practices at scale.

In Illinois, STAR began with its first NACD TA grant in 2019, which funded a Resource Conservationist (RC) position at the Champaign County Soil and Water Conservation District (CCSWCD). This RC provided education, hosted field days showcasing conservation practices, and worked one-on-one with farmers using the STAR Tool to start them on their conservation journey and to promote enrollment in NRCS programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). These efforts demonstrated STAR’s ability to streamline conservation planning and reduce workload pressures for conservation professionals.

Building on that foundation, subsequent NACD TA grants helped CCSWCD retain experienced staff, expand statewide leadership, and increase producer engagement and enrollment in conservation programs. STAR field signs have become a visible symbol of conservation success, increasing program recognition in farming communities.

In Missouri, the first NACD TA grant to support STAR was received last year by the Missouri Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD). Grant funding enabled the hiring of a STAR Coordinator who has been critical in building local leadership and statewide coordination by sharing the value of the STAR tool for districts and producers. The grant supported development of the Missouri STAR field forms available on STARtool.ag, where producers can complete a simple conservation evaluation and get a 1-5 STAR rating on their field. They are then guided to a local technical advisor and relevant financial and technical resources through a Conservation Innovation Plan (CIP) for the following crop year. The CIP provides a valuable launching point for conservation district staff to engage with producers on conservation efforts and interests and to jump-start the conversation about program enrollment, such as NRCS cost share or market incentives.

NACD TA grants have delivered measurable results, helping Illinois STAR grow into a statewide program that supports all districts and engages producers at scale and setting Missouri STAR on a path toward similar successes. These investments demonstrate the power of technical assistance to drive conservation innovation and impact. Learn more about becoming a STAR Navigator here.

Read more about the STAR program on NACD's blog and explore the possibilities of STAR in your state by hearing directly from Illinois and Washington STAR during their breakout session at the NACD 2026 Annual Meeting titled State Agency Perspectives on Moving Soil Health Programs Forward With STAR.