Each year, hundreds of conservation district leaders from across the country travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in NACD’s Spring Fly-In. The event provides our members with the opportunity to build relationships with congressional representatives and their staff, highlight the importance of locally led conservation, and advocate for strong federal conservation policies.

This Fly-In is critical for conservation districts and our country’s conservation delivery system. Your members of Congress need to hear from you directly about the critical impact of conservation districts and the need to pass a Farm Bill. The process of moving this necessary piece of legislation through the chambers of Congress has already begun. It aims to ensure clarity, consistency, and ongoing support of this nation’s producers.

Join us on March 25, beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET in the Hart Senate Office Building Room #902 with a Breakfast Briefing, followed by individually scheduled meetings with congressional offices. The day will end with a reception at 5:30 p.m. ET. Stay tuned for the reception location. If you will be attending, please RSVP here.

The NACD Government Affairs team will also hold two virtual advocacy training sessions on March 16 and 19 at 4:00 p.m. ET. These sessions will provide time for members to review NACD's priorities, learn some tips and tricks for meeting with representatives, and ask the Government Affairs team any questions ahead of fly-in. The same information will be presented at both sessions, so be sure to attend one of them before making your trip to Washington. Register here for session one on March 16. Register here for session two on March 19.

Visit the Spring Fly-In page for more information, including the day's agenda and answers to your frequently asked questions.

JOIN WEBINAR ON SOIL: WHERE IT ALL BEGINS EDUCATION PROGRAM

The next Urban and Community Conservation Webinar, 'Soil: Where It All Begins,' will be on March 18, at 4 p.m. ET, covering NACD’s Stewardship & Education Programming. Register here.

Hosted in partnership with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, join to hear from Aimee Figgatt, NACD Stewardship and Education Coordinator, about NACD's conservation stewardship and education materials. With Stewardship Week just around the corner, this is your opportunity to prepare by getting familiar with this year's soil health themed education materials!

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON? GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

The House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson introduced a current version of the Farm Bill titled the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, to reauthorize major agricultural and nutrition programs. NACD applauded this introduction and urges swift passage to strengthen Conservation Title II.

The bill is scheduled for markup beginning today, March 3, at 6:00 p.m. ET. This legislation would update and extend policies, not fully covered in the OBBA, covering commodity programs, crop insurance, conservation, agricultural research, rural development, and nutrition assistance. NACD will provide a closer look, after markups, in a future update.

NACD PRESIDENTS ASSOCIATION RELEASED FINDING THE FOUNDERS TO CELEBRATE 80TH ANNIVERSARY

To celebrate NACD’s 80th anniversary, the NACD Presidents Association recently debuted their new publication, Finding the Founders. The report allows readers to travel back in time to our first meeting in Chicago in 1946. With Finding the Founders, rediscover our ‘deep roots’ in conservation, so we can all move towards ‘bold horizons’ together.

This short booklet shares information on the individuals at the forefront of the locally led conservation movement all those years ago and is newly available digitally.