Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)
Secretary-Treasurer Ian Cunningham
testified before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry about the importance of soil health practices.
Cunningham owns and operates a fifth-generation family farm with his son in southwest Minnesota, producing corn, soybeans and beef cattle.
“Soil health is a top priority across our 800-acre operation,”
Cunningham said
in
written testimony
to the subcommittee. “We have come to realize that healthy soil is the key to addressing many natural resource concerns. It is clear that healthy soil is the bedrock and should be the priority of our conservation efforts.”
In his testimony, Cunningham emphasized the role of conservation districts in leading the nation’s producers to implement soil health conservation practices.
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"For a more successful uptake of soil health practices, producers need to be informed of the latest data and research, and this must come from a trusted local source,”
he said.
Cunningham described NACD’s soil health economics case studies, soil health and weather extremes report, Soil Health Champions Network and the work both local conservation districts and the national association accomplish to build soil health from the roots up.
“If we are to continue to grow the food, fuel and fiber our nation and the world will need in the future, agriculture must continue to innovate and grow more with less, while making sure our natural resources are protected for future generations,”
he said.
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NRCS CHIEF MATT LOHR TO SPEAK AT
SUMMER MEETING
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USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief
Matt Lohr
will address meeting attendees during the NACD Summer Conservation Forum and Tour on Monday, Aug. 5 in Santa Fe, N.M.
Lohr was appointed to serve as NRCS chief in December 2018. In this role, Lohr oversees the 3,000 NRCS field offices and their employees across the nation.
Lohr was raised in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley on a century farm and now operates Valley Pike Farm, Inc., with his wife Beth and their six children. He previously served in Virginia’s House of Delegates from 2006-2010 and as Virginia’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services from 2010 to 2013.
In recent years, Lohr worked as knowledge center director for Farm Credit of the Virginias and has been farming full-time on the family operation since June 2017, raising poultry, beef cattle, row crops and sweet corn.
The deadline for registration is quickly approaching! To learn more and register for the summer conservation forum and tour, visit NACD's summer meeting
webpage
. Single-day registration is now available for meeting participants seeking to attend programs only on Monday, Aug. 5.
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HAWAII CONSERVATION DISTRICTS MEET ON MOLOKAI ISLAND FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE
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Last week, the
Hawaii Association of Conservation Districts (HACD) met on the Island of Molokai for its annual conference from June 19-21.
The conference was hosted by the
Molokai-Lanai Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), which is the only conservation district on Molokai Island. The last time the Molokai-Lanai SWCD hosted a conference was 10 years ago, allowing many district employees and board members to visit the island for the first time. District Manager
Debbie Kelly organized a successful, three-day program with support from many of the island’s roughly 7,500 residents.
The first day of the annual meeting featured a day of important partner updates and highlights of successful projects from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Molokai Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, USDA-Farm Service Agency (USDA-FSA), and presentations from district conservation planners about their ongoing projects. NACD Pacific Region Representative
Ariel Rivers provided an overview of NACD programs and opportunities.
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On the second day of the conference, attendees toured Molokai Sea Farms—the only successful shrimp farm operating on the island—which not only sells shrimp throughout the state but has helped revitalize the shrimp industries of several countries through its successful breeding stock program.
Participants also visited other successful agricultural operations, including the only slaughterhouse on the island, Molokai Livestock Cooperative. The tour ended with a visit to Anahaki Farms, a diversified operation that has benefited from many NRCS programs, including support for a fence to protect the farm from the island’s many invasive axis deer.
On the final day of the conference, district supervisors met for the quarterly board meeting. The group received information from NACD's Alternate Board Member
Mae Nakahata on efforts to protect the budget allocated to HACD by the state, as well as additional updates from NRCS and other partners.
HACD President and NACD Board Member
Brenda Iokepa-Moses informed the group that her district on the Big Island of Hawaii,
Ka’u SWCD, will tentatively host the 2020 NACD Pacific and Southwest Region Meeting.
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FORESTRY RPG LEARNS ABOUT ISLAND FORESTRY AND POST-STORM RECOVERY
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Last week, the NACD Forestry Resource Policy Group (RPG) held its annual summer meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The group was joined by federal partners representing the U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), National Association of State Foresters, National Agroforestry Center and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as agency partners from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The RPG heard from
Magaly Figueroa
on how the Forest Service has implemented State and Private programs such as Forest Legacy, Urban and Community Forestry, Forest Stewardship and the Community Forest Program on the islands. The Forest Service is also helping to provide native plant materials for post-hurricane reforestation efforts.
Dr. Nora Álvarez-Berríos
of the Caribbean Climate Hub touched on tools for sustainable agriculture and forestry. Resistant trees are part of the recovery, but species choices are limited because native tree stock is not readily available.
Ivan Llerandi
, Habitat Restoration Program Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, described how his agency has worked with more than 70 landowners to help restore more than 4,000 acres and 60 miles of riparian buffers.
“Our group was thrilled with the partnership engagement at this meeting,” Forestry RPG
Chairman
Steve Hedstrom said
. “I think they found value in the presentations and the opportunity to share ideas and network with one another.”
On Wednesday, the group toured several locations on the island. The Roig coffee plantation (pictured above, including from left to right: NACD Forestry RPG Chairman
Steve Hedstrom
with
Laurie Schoonhoven
of the Forest Service, NACD Puerto Rico Board Member
Joel Vega
and RPG North Central Region Representative
Tom Crowe
) in Guayanilla was devastated by hurricanes in 2017, but the family has rebuilt its crop with help from NRCS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The operation had begun a study on the effects of shade trees prior to the storm, which it plans to resume at some point in the near future.
The Rancho Doble A farm provided details for how it is using Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership project funding to implement a variety of conservation practices, including fuel breaks and riparian buffers. The farm’s teak wood crop was wiped out by the storm, resulting in a significant loss of expected future revenues. Undeterred, the family now relies on lessons learned from the hurricanes for its rebuilding efforts.
On the final stop of the tour, the Forestry RPG learned about a replanting effort in Guanica State Forest. Several agencies are helping to eradicate invasive vegetative species and replace trees that were lost due to storm damage.
The Forestry RPG held its annual business meeting on Thursday to close the week.
To learn more about the NACD Forestry RPG and conservation district forestry efforts, visit the forestry section of the
NACD
website
and follow the group on
Facebook
and
Twitter
.
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USDA Launches Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program
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Program funding was provided by the 2018 Farm Bill and will address the threat feral swine pose to agriculture, native ecosystems and human and animal health.
The initial effort will be focused in 20 high population areas in 10 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
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Last Call: U&C RPG Seeks Webinar Topics, Speakers
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Is there a conservation topic you would like to learn more about? The NACD Urban and Community Resource Policy Group (RPG) invites your input for the urban and community (U&C) webinar series beginning in October 2019.
Help us design webinars that help you! Offer to give a presentation by sending a brief paragraph describing the program or project you would like to showcase or tell us the urban and community conservation topics/issues and/or speakers you would like to have covered.
Email your proposals and topic/speaker ideas to NACD Senior Advisor
Debra Bogar
at
deb-bogar@nacdnet.org
by
July 1, 2019.
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Deadline Approaches: NAPPC Seeks Nominations for 2019 Awards
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NACD and Pollinator Partnership are currently seeking nominations for the
2019
Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award.
The award recognizes an individual or family in the farm and ranch community who has contributed significantly to pollinator species protection and conservation.
The winner(s) of the 2019 Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award will be recognized at a VIP reception during the 19th Annual North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) Conference hosted at the US Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.
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Don’t Miss Out: 2019 NCDEA Leadership Conference
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The National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) will be hosting the 2019 North Central and Northern Plains Regional Leadership Conference at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls, S.D., from
Aug. 13-14
.
NCDEA will be hosting two days of networking and professional development. Topics will include Leadership, Customer Service, Balancing Work and Life and the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP).
To learn more, view the conference schedule and register, visit the
NCDEA website.
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Apply Today:
District Job Openings
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Lac qui Parle SWCD
in Madison, Minn., is seeking a qualified candidate for a conservation assistant internship position.
Snohomish CD
in Lake Stevens, Wash., is seeking a qualified candidate for an executive director position.
The ideal candidate will have a strong working knowledge of conservation districts, conservation practices and regional environmental issues, preferably within the Puget Sound area.
View the position announcement on NACD’s District Job Board
, including requirements, duties and responsibilities. Interested applicants should apply by
July 12, 2019.
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EPA Seeks Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Nominations
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Office of Pesticide Programs is
seeking nominations
for membership on the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), a stakeholder-comprised committee that advises the EPA on pesticide-related issues.
The due date for nominations is
June 27.
To learn more and submit a nomination, visit
PPDC's website
or contact PPDC Designated Federal Officer
Shannon Jewell
at
jewell.shannon@epa.gov
.
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Feedback Needed: Submit Content For
New Cover Crop
Basics Website
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Grassland Oregon is
seeking submissions for content (including videos, photos, stories, research products, events) for its new Cover Crops Basics website.
This new platform is intended to help farmers locate relevant information on cover crops in one convenient location.
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USDA Now Offering Producers Options to Re-Enroll or Extend Expiring CRP Contracts
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Farmers and ranchers with expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts may now re-enroll in certain CRP continuous signup practices or, if eligible, select a one-year contract extension.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is also accepting offers from those who want to enroll for the first time in one of the country’s largest conservation programs. FSA’s 52nd signup for CRP runs from
June 3 to
Aug. 23. To learn more, visit
USDA-FSA's website.
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Promote your conservation district or state association's tree sale, annual meeting, webinar, field day or more on NACD's
Calendar of Events!
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