“Soil is crucial to our health as a nation,”  NACD CEO Jeremy Peters said. “The earth below us is teeming with life, and it is our duty as stewards of the land to all do our part to protect it.”

NACD and the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) partnered with the Soil Health Institute (SHI) to promote the “ Living Soil” film, celebrate NACD Stewardship Week, and take on the opportunity of making this the century of living soil. Released in late 2018 by SHI through the generous support of the Noble Research Institute, the 60-minute documentary features innovative farmers, including several  NACD Soil Health Champions, and soil health experts describing the state of America’s soils.

“Our soils support food and fiber production, filter our water and host wildlife; the benefits of productive soils are countless,”  SHI President and CEO Dr. Wayne Honeycutt said. “‘Living Soil’ challenges its viewers to think of how we can protect this invaluable resource and make this the century of living soil.”

“Everyone on this earth depends on soil,”  SWCS CEO Clare Lindahl said. “In turn, it is up to all of us to keep it healthy, protected and productive. When we take care of our soil, we are caring for all life that depends on it."

Read NACD's Stewardship Week press release in the Newsroom and visit the association’s  Stewardship Week webpage for resources and materials to help conservation districts and partners host successful Stewardship Week events.

NACD ATTENDS TEXAS SOIL HEALTH SHORT COURSE

On Apr. 23-24, the Texas USDA NRCS, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts (ATSWCD), the Texas Wildlife Association, Texas AgriLife Extension and the Victoria and Goliad County Soil and Water Conservation Districts sponsored a Texas Soil Health Short Course in Victoria, Texas.

The two-day intensive course focused on the theme "Increasing Biological Wealth with Ecological Principles" and provided information on leading soil health research, practical approaches to implementing soil health practices, field tours with soil pits, pasture and soil assessments and several conservation demonstrations. Additionally, the course addressed producer concerns, such as the rising cost of inputs and degraded soil function, as well as water quality and quantity concerns.

Specific learning activities included demonstrations on water cycles and movement of water in soils, nutrient cycling and timing, harvesting solar energy to power the soil system, partnering with soil biology to gain efficiency, and building resiliency in extreme climatic areas.

The field day included a visit to Hahn Farm near Yorktown, Texas, where course participants learned about how crop residue, cover crops, soil organic matter and no-till planting benefit the soil and the bottom line. Participants also visited the Mitchell Ranch, where alternate grazing methods on temporary paddocks are used to prevent drought loss to the herd and increase production and soil organic matter.

The second day of the course included presentations by researchers from Texas AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M University Kingsville professor Dr. Stephen Lukefahr and producers relying on soil health practices to keep their operations profitable in drought-stricken areas.

MAY U&C WEBINAR FOCUSES ON COASTAL CONSERVATION CONNECTIONS

The next NACD Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar, scheduled for Thursday, May 16, 2019, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, will explore the challenges and opportunities for conservation districts and their partners to address current and emerging coastal issues.

The Chair of NACD’s Coastal Resource Policy Group (RPG) will discuss the challenges of managing natural resources in our nation’s coastal environs. Natural resources associated with the coasts of 30 states and seven trust territories are incredibly diverse, as are competing land uses of populations living and working along the coast. 

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s state engineer will present a state-of-the-art stormwater basin web database derived from the site soil erosion and sediment control regulatory program administered by the department and New Jersey Soil Conservation Districts. An overview will be given of the program origin and its evolution from simple erosion control measures to complex hydrologic and hydraulic stormwater designs that have been captured and warehoused in the database. The database can be previewed at https://hydro.rutgers.edu.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) project liaison to the Northeast Climate Hub will introduce the function and role of the USDA Climate Hubs and the saltwater inundation project as an example for districts to partner with NRCS in providing technical assistance to landowners affected by saltwater inundation from coastal flooding. This is accomplished through information on alternative conservation practices used to protect and maintain crop productivity with additional benefits using this information.

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 RPG. There is no cost to participate, but space is limited. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register, email NACD Senior Advisor Debra Bogar at deb-bogar@nacdnet.org with your name, title, district or business name, state and email address. Information to access the webinar will be sent by email. 

From an early age, Brad Zimmerman wanted to be a farmer. With the passing of his father in 2013, he was able to move his young family back home and take over the farming operation, as well as farm additional acres with a partner.

While his father left the soil in adequate shape from decades of no-till, Zimmerman wanted to take the operation to the next level and continue to improve on the soil biology. As a self-proclaimed “science nerd” and having studied biology in college, Zimmerman began self-educating through attending seminars and watching videos - always looking for ways to tweak the farming operation.

Zimmerman’s top priority was to address the fertility and stop broadcasting fertilizer. Instead, he puts just what the plant needs into the furrow, supplementing what the soil provides. Second, he began introducing cover crops into his corn-soy rotation. With cover crops, he has increased water infiltration, decreased compaction, reduced crusting of the soil at the surface, reduced seeding rates, lessened weed pressure, and increased his soybean yields.

Zimmerman is considering the introduction of a cereal crop like winter wheat into his corn-soy rotation, looking to put as many roots into the ground as possible. Additionally, he’s exploring the soil health benefits of bringing cattle on the fields to graze the cover crops, reaping the benefits of their manure as natural fertilizer in his fields.

To read more about Brad Zimmerman and his farming operation, visit the NACD website for his profile and check out the article “How to Tweak a Long-Term No-Till System” in the February issue of Successful Farming.

If you or someone you know would like to become a member of the NACD Soil Health Champions Network, please contact NACD North Central Region Representative Beth Mason at beth-mason@nacdnet.org. 

NACD Welcomes New Communications Coordinator

On Monday, May 6, Lucy Sears joined NACD as the association’s Communications Coordinator.

Sears comes to NACD from Susan Davis International, where she served as the associate account executive and provided media relations and communications support to several nonprofits and foundations. Sears has previously served as the communications and marketing intern for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County and as external relations intern for the University of Wisconsin Odyssey Project in Madison, Wisc. Sears was also an editorial fellow at GovLoop, a Washington, D.C.-based organization providing support for government employees nationwide.

Sears grew up in the Washington, D.C., region in Bethesda, Md. She holds a bachelors in English literature and communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Sears will be based in Washington, D.C. and can be reached at lucy-sears@nacdnet.org. 

Last Days to

Sign Up for CSP

Producers have until  May 10 to sign up for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) this year.

CSP is a whole-farm conservation program that awards contracts to farmers that have undertaken some conservation measures and commit to implementing additional conservation practices to address multiple resource concerns.

New this year, producers will be eligible for higher payment rates for cover crops and resource-conserving crop rotations. For more information on CSP, visit your local NRCS service center.

NRCS Announces Expansion of State Technical Committees

On May 6, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released an interim rule to make changes included in the 2018 Farm Bill.

Changes include an expansion in the membership of State Technical Committees to strengthen technical input in conservation programs, among other alterations. 

NRCS is accepting comments on this rule through July 5.

NACD Seeks

Curriculum Specialist

NACD is seeking a contract with a curriculum specialist to develop a guide for conducting a pollinator conservation field day and a digital counterpart.

The curriculum contractor will work with NACD staff to create specific outdoor activities, lesson plans, quizzes and tests for K-8 students in STEM-based experiential learning, with review from a pollinator-focused scientist.

Interested applicants should submit a proposal to stewardship@nacdnet.org by Tuesday, May 7, 2019 . A complete job description can also be requested at the above mentioned email. 

DOI Seeks Resource Advisory Council Nominations

The Department of the Interior (DOI) published in the Federal Register requesting public nominations for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s 31 statewide and regional Resource Advisory Councils located throughout the West.

DOI published a second notice requesting nominations on more site-specific BLM advisory councils . The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2019 .

Registration Now Open for CTIC Conservation in Action Tour

Online registration is now open for the Conservation Technology Information Center’s (CTIC) 12 ^th annual Conservation in Action Tour, entitled “Conservation at the Leading Edge.” Beginning the afternoon of Aug. 20 and ending Aug. 21, the tour will take place in Des Moines, Iowa, and will explore conservation systems in central Iowa.

Participants from across the country will visit farms, attend demonstrations, and hear from a wide range of speakers to gain a comprehensive look at how Iowa farmers are using conservation farming systems to achieve the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy goals. To learn more and register, visit CTIC’s website.  

Shop for Mother's Day Using Amazon Smile

Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday, May 12. As you shop for gifts online, remember to link your Amazon account to "National Association of Conservation Districts Inc" by visiting smile.amazon.com .

When you shop for Mother's Day gifts, AmazonSmile donates a portion of every purchase to NACD. Click here to link your account .

Last Chance for Free Embroidery on All NACD’s Wearables

NACD, in partnership with Cabela’s, is offering free embroidery of our featured logos (Conservation C, NCDEA, NRCS, NCF-Envirothon, NASCA, NCPP), or your conservation district's logo for a limited time only.

Order any wearables available in the NACD Marketplace and Cabela's will professionally embroider the logo of your choice. New logos must be camera ready and submitted at the same time with the order placement.

Don't miss this one-time opportunity! This offer is only valid until May 12 . 

Add your conservation district's tree sale, state association meeting, field day or celebration to NACD's calendar!

Click the button above to submit an event. Events will be reviewed by the website administrator and published to NACD's online calendar when approved.