We're only a month away from summer meeting! The deadline to register for NACD's annual
Summer Conservation Forum and Tour
, held in Santa Fe, N.M., Aug. 2-6, is next
Friday, July 12.
The conservation forum will
feature keynote addresses from NASDA President and New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture
Jeff Witte and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief
Matt Lohr.
The meeting will be held at the Drury Plaza Hotel, which is currently sold out. NACD has secured additional rooms for the
Hilton Santa Fe. To book your room, make your
reservation online or call (505) 988-2811 and refer to the “National Association of Conservation Districts” or “NACD” group block.
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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NACD GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE
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Last week, the House passed its Agriculture and Natural Resources spending bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. These bills did not cut farm bill conservation program spending, and they were favorable on NACD’s other priorities, including:
- Conservation Operations – $10 million increase over FY19, $829 million total
- Watershed Operations – $5 million increase over FY19, $155 million total
- Watershed Rehabilitation – $2 million increase over FY19, $12 million total
- State and Private Forestry – $46 million increase over FY19, $383 million total
- EPA 319 Nonpoint Source Grants – $5 million increase over FY19, $176 million total
Congress has a long way to go before the appropriations bills make it to the president’s desk. The Senate has not yet begun drafting its spending bills, and there has been no agreement between the House and the Senate over what total spending in FY2020 should be.
NACD expects an agreement between the two chambers, and subsequent Senate spending bills, to have lower overall funding levels than the House’s legislation. NACD will be watching this process closely as things move forward and will continue to push for robust conservation funding.
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NACD NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR
2020 ANNUAL MEETING BREAKOUT SESSIONS
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NACD offers a number of informational breakout sessions during the annual meeting, focusing on the work of districts and their partners across the country. Sessions typically run 60-90 minutes, and in most cases, showcase several speakers at 20-30 minutes each. NACD's breakout sessions are some of the most popular activities among attendees at the meeting.
This year, NACD is seeking proposals that fit within three themes:
- District Operations and Partnerships
- Natural Resources Policy and Protection; and
- Stewardship and Outreach
Proposals will be evaluated based on the innovation and quality of the proposal; its relevance to one of the themes; and the applicability to districts across the country. Preference will be given to proposals submitted by a district, state association or partner.
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NACD’s 74th Annual Meeting will put heavy emphasis on innovation and how it helps deliver conservation on the ground. In cooperation with the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP), the NACD meeting will feature public and private sector innovations in a wide range of fields that focus on meeting private lands conservation needs. Conservation innovation will be featured within a set of educational breakout sessions, among other activities.
If your company or organization would like time at the meeting to present to NACD members about your innovative products or services that support the work of America’s conservation districts, please contact NACD Director of Development
Laura Demmel at
laura-demmel@nacdnet.org.
To learn more and submit a proposal, visit NACD's Breakout Sessions
webpage. If you have any questions, please contact NACD Government Affairs Manager
Eric Hansen at
eric-hansen@nacdnet.org.
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This past Earth Day on April 22, South Dakota Governor
Kristi Noem announced Johnson Farms in Frankfort, S.D., as a recipient of the
2019 South Dakota Aldo Leopold Conservation Award, which recognizes and celebrates extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation by private landowners.
Johnson Farms is family-owned and operated by
Soil Health Champions Brian and
Jamie Johnson and Brian’s parents Alan and Mickie Johnson. This family farm traces its roots back four generations to Swedish immigrants on a 160-acre homestead. Now, the Johnsons farm 1,800 acres of cropland and 500 acres of grasslands, where they also raise a herd of Angus beef cattle.
Through various steps, the Johnsons continue to improve their operation, balancing agricultural production with conservation stewardship of the land.
A pivotal moment was in 1986, when Alan Johnson switched the farm to a no-till operation. From there, they continually added more conservation practices such as integrating cover crops, planting a diverse crop rotation, and switching to a variable rate fertilizer system, which delivers only the nutrients needed, where they are needed.
The Johnsons have also integrated their Angus beef cattle into their land management system, which includes rotational grazing, and when it’s possible, grazing of the cover crops. Both practices work for the benefit of the land, creating a symbiotic relationship between the land and the cattle.
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JULY U&C WEBINAR FOCUSES ON URBAN SOIL HEALTH
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The next NACD Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar, scheduled for
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern on July 18, 2019
, will focus on urban soil health.
The soil health initiative of the
Marion County SWCD
in Indiana provides technical, financial and educational services to small farmers and gardeners in Indianapolis. The district will share its experiences in implementing the program and take a look at how cover crops, mulching, reduced tillage and accompanying conservation practices are being utilized in Indianapolis urban agriculture.
The
Benton SWCD
in Oregon works with the Willamette Valley Regenerative Landscape Coalition, a group of volunteer landscape professionals and scientists, to promote, advocate and provide guidance for landscaping practices that build soil health. Learn how the group’s presentations, workshop sessions and webpage inspire urbanites and local agency staff to adopt regenerative soil management. Recently, the group launched a five-part blog series and their C-Questers campaign to raise awareness of how gardens sequester carbon.
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 Resource Policy Group. There is no cost to participate, but space is limited. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
To register, click
here
and fill out this online form. If you have difficulty, please contact 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.
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WITH HELP FROM
TA GRANTS,
LOUISIANA DISTRICTS
EXPAND IRRIGATION MONITORING
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In the Ouachita River Basin, many farmers rely on their own pumping plants for row crop irrigation needs, taking a toll on the Sparta Aquifer. The 2018 grant allowed
Morehouse Soil and Water Conservation District
(SWCD) to hire two college students to conduct irrigation efficiency tests and monitor irrigation water demand on the aquifer in that area.
A 2019 TA grant has extended the positions for
Zeb Morgan
, a student at Louisiana Tech University and
Kaylah Hobbs
, a student at the University of Arkansas.
“Because of staffing shortages for several years, that work just simply was not getting done. These two technicians hit the ground running and they started getting these efficiency tests done,” Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Office of Soil and Water Conservation Agriculture and Environmental Specialist
Joey Breaux said
.
This past year, Morgan and Hobbs assisted with efficiency tests on more than 250 pumping plants and provided technical assistance for irrigation land leveling, irrigation pipeline, grade stabilization structures, and pasture condition scoring. The work is saving groundwater and saving farmers the expense of additional energy and fuel, Breaux said.
For the
Acadia SWCD
and
St. Landry SWCD
, TA grant funding helped hire
Michaela Lee
, a recent graduate of McNeese State University and
Tyler Briggs
, a student at Louisiana State University-Eunice. Their positions also were extended with 2019 grant funding.
Their work assists with the Rice Stewardship Initiative and focuses on key practices such as pumping plant efficiency tests, irrigation pipeline, pasture and grazing management and school- and community-oriented conservation outreach.
The efforts also allow for – after the rattoon or second rice crop – cattle grazing or crawfish aquaculture through the following spring, serving as a feeding and resting habitat for aquatic wildlife.
“We didn’t even think of the possibility of these [positions] two years ago. We’ve funded four rock-star technicians,”
Breaux said
. “I’ve seen the impressions they’re making and the work they’re getting done. They have really come through in a big way.”
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NACD Offices Closed for Independence Day
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NACD's offices will be closed
Thursday, July 4,
in observance of Independence Day. Happy Fourth of July!
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Montana District
Seeks Director
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The Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Montana (SWCDM) is seeking a director to be based in Helena, Mont.
The director will be responsible for providing leadership and overall management of the organization, including communication with partners, program management, and the administration and management of daily operations.
The full job description can be found
here. Completed applications must be submitted to
hiring@macdnet.org by
July 12 at
5:00 p.m. Eastern.
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Register Today:
2019 NACD Executive Directors' Conference
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Registration ends
Sunday, Aug. 25
. To learn more and register, visit NACD's
event webpage
.
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NACD Marketplace
Now Offers Promotional Hat Package
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NACD is offering a special promotional hat package in the
NACD Marketplace until
Sept. 1, 2019.
The package will include 12 hats, with your choice of colors and styles and your conservation district’s logo professionally embroidered on the front.
This limited special of $83.88 includes a discount on the headwear, free embroidery, free logo set-up and free shipping. The
Promotional Hat Package must be ordered in multiples of 12. To order, visit
NACD's Marketplace.
To create your custom district logo, please contact NACD Stewardship and Education Coordinator
Diana Blackwood at
diana-blackwood@nacdnet.org.
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National Agroforestry Center Launches
New Website
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The National Agroforestry Center has launched a new website that is easier to navigate and offers a responsive design to accommodate mobile and tablet users.
The website offers a wealth of agroforestry publications and webinars benefiting resource professionals and land managers. To learn more, visit
www.fs.usda.gov/nac
.
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NACD Seeking
Award Nominations
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Nominate your conservation leaders today! Show your appreciation for their work and dedication by sending in a nomination for one of NACD’s national conservation awards.
- The NACD Friend of Conservation Award recognizes an individual, business, organization or agency outside the association for outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources.
- The NACD Distinguished Service Award honors an individual within the association, a conservation district or a state association who has made significant contributions to the conservation and proper management of our nation’s natural resources.
The award recipients will be honored at the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., this coming February, and will receive a complimentary meeting registration for the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting, a complimentary Appreciation Banquet ticket, a plaque and national recognition online and in NACD’s publications.
All nominations will receive an honorable mention certificate from
NACD
President Tim Palmer in appreciation for their service to conservation.
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Submit Your Nomination: CCA Conservationist of the Year Award
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The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) is seeking nominations for its Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Conservationist of the Year Award.
The CCA Conservationist of the Year Award annually recognizes a certified crop adviser who delivers exceptional conservation advice and results, customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that they are a leader in conservation, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of conservation ideas and the transfer of conservation knowledge within the agriculture industry.
The award consists of travel expenses to Washington, D.C., for the award ceremony, a $2,000 stipend, a commemorative plaque and a one-year membership or membership renewal in the American Society of Agronomy.
The deadline to submit nominations is
Thursday, Aug. 15, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern
. To learn more and submit your nomination, visit ASA's
award webpage
.
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Deadline Approaches: NAPPC Seeks Nominations for 2019 Awards
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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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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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