DO YOU KNOW YOUR DISTRICT'S SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

AND GUIDELINES?

With 3,000 conservation districts across the country, there’s no shortage of success stories, district updates and more. Many districts use some form of social media channel (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and/or LinkedIn) to share what they’re up to.

As an employee, you are probably familiar with the type of content your district posts and shares, but did you know that your district may have specific guidelines for posting content? Do you know who in your district has administrative responsibilities/roles when it comes to posting content?

NACD recently created a Social Media Guidelines and Best Practices document meant to assist districts and board members in best social media practices when it comes to posting content and engaging online. These guidelines will help districts either create their own social media policy or build on and strengthen their existing policy. Establishing a social media policy for your conservation district’s social media channels is important in maintaining a consistent brand and image. 

There are several important questions to consider when it comes to developing a social media policy for your district:

To read the rest of this blog, and other Did You Know? blogs, visit NACD's website.

DOI DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY TO SPEAK AT

SUMMER MEETING

The U.S. Department of Interior's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Dr. Andrea Travnicek will address meeting attendees during the NACD Summer Conservation Forum and Tour luncheon next  Monday, Aug. 5 , in Santa Fe, N.M.

Dr. Travnicek has over 15 years of research and work experience within the natural resources, energy, agriculture, trade, disaster response and recovery, communication, aviation and public policy fields. She has worked with the Department of the Interior since July 2017. As the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Land Management, she assists the Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management with overseeing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

Dr. Travnicek holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources Management/Communication from North Dakota State University (NDSU), where her research focused on social networks and stakeholders associated with lake management in Minnesota.

To learn more about Dr. Travnicek and the other summer meeting speakers,  visit NACD's website .

Visit NACD's summer meeting  webpage  to learn more about meeting details. Meeting registration is  still open,  and on-site registration will begin this  Friday, Aug. 2, at 3:00 p.m .

NACD HOLDS SECOND LISTENING SESSION

IN OKLAHOMA

On Tuesday, July 23, conservation district leaders and partners gathered in Thackerville, Okla., for the second in a series of NACD listening sessions. The session was held in conjunction with the 2019 NACD South Central Region Annual Meeting.

Nearly 50 attendees listened as South Central Region Board Chair David Daigle began the session with a welcome and encouraged attendees to participate in the discussions and surveys. NACD President Tim Palmer (pictured above), provided an in-depth look at the mission and service values that NACD offers soil and water conservation districts across the country. Topics of discussion included what the conservation partnership might look like moving forward, how changes in farm bill funding and programs will affect conservation districts, and why it is important to be involved in the advocacy of conservation goals both locally and in Washington, D.C.

These member-focused listening sessions give our members the opportunity to learn more about NACD and its services while expressing their views to NACD’s leadership and staff. To learn more, visit the  NACD Listening Sessions webpage or  contact your region representative .

CONSERVATION LEADERS GATHER IN PENNSYLVANIA FOR

SWCS CONFERENCE

On Sunday, July 28, over 400 conservation partners met in Pittsburgh, Pa., for the 74th Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS)'s International Annual Conference. The three-day conference is focused on the theme, " Bridging the Divide: Uniting Rural and Urban Landscapes for Conservation. "

NACD President Tim Palmer (pictured above, center) was a featured speaker in a plenary session where he stressed the importance of soil health systems to achieve environmental and economic goals. He participated in a Farmers First panel that explored the future of farming and conservation in both urban and rural settings.

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Matt Lohr was the keynote speaker for the session. NACD was also represented at the meeting by Projects and Partnerships Coordinator Meg Leader (pictured second from left), who staffed NACD’s information booth.

AUGUST U&C WEBINAR FOCUSES ON

URBAN WATER

MANAGEMENT TOOLS

The next NACD Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar, scheduled for  12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 15, 2019, will focus on urban water management tools.

The Eaton Conservation District in Michigan will present its state Water Stewardship Program website, which evolved in 2010 out of the Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program. This website is a resource for all Michigan residents to learn how to protect their water resources. It is separated into three target audiences: residents, youth and educators. Within each topic are tools and resources to help the audience understand water quality and learn ways to protect it. The site also features sections on local resources and green news. Interesting analytics of the first nine years will be discussed along with the process of launching a new, updated website.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will showcase the ‘How’s My Waterway 2.0’ application that is currently under development and expected to be released later this year. This tool provides information about the conditions of local streams, lakes and other waters anywhere in the U.S. It is based on data states have provided to EPA on a two-year cycle as well as information about water quality monitoring, restoration plans and drinking water. How’s My Waterway is being designed to answer the questions: “How’s My Drinking Water?,” “Can I Fish?,” and “Can I Swim?”.

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. 

As a first-generation farmer in North Carolina, Russell Hedrick is no stranger to challenges as well as opportunities. When Hedrick first started farming, he couldn’t afford all the tillage equipment he was told he needed, so this pushed him immediately into a no-till operation. With the guidance of his local district conservationist, Hedrick started out 100 percent no-till and planted cover crops on part of his acreage. Within the first year, he saw the yields on the cover crop acres were much higher than the rest, and there was greater weed suppression.

Overall, Hedrick’s first-year yields were also higher than the county average. As a result, he felt energized to do more and try new things in order to grow as a farmer. Over time, Hedrick’s yields continued to be 20 to 30 percent higher than the county average, and he was able to reduce his fertilizer costs by more than $95 per acre after only five years due to the nutrient boosts he received from the cover crops and increased amounts of carbon and biology in the soil. With his best cover crop mix costing $45 per acre, his least expensive covers costing $20 per acre, and the reduction in fertilizer costs, Hedrick found himself coming out ahead financially.

Hedrick has also partnered with Foothills Distillery, where they produce moonshine, as well as the first bourbon in North Carolina since prohibition. His farm and the distillery are the perfect partnership, where if Hedrick wants to try something new in his distillery, he can grow it himself. His business has been helped tremendously by his direct-to-consumer marketing through social media platforms such as Facebook.

Hedrick and his partners in the distillery conduct tours of both his farm and the distillery to educate the public. His advice to farmers looking to incorporate soil health practices into their operation is to try something on 20 percent of your acreage. That’s enough to see a difference, but also enough to leave a safety net if something doesn’t work. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution or silver bullet to soil health, so he encourages farmers to try different practices and see what works for them.

Read more about Russell Hedrick and his operation by visiting his NACD Soil Health Champion Profile. If you or someone you know would like to become an NACD Soil Health Champion, please contact NACD North Central Region Representative Beth Mason at beth-mason@nacdnet.org or visit the NACD website.

Last Day to Submit

CIG Proposals

On May 30, USDA announced $12.5 million in funding through ‘classic,’ national Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). Today is the final day to submit your proposal!



The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will accept proposals through July 30 , and all U.S.-based non-federal entities and individuals are eligible to apply.

2019 CIG priorities are increasing the pace and scale of conservation adoption; water quantity; pollinator habitat; and urban agriculture. This funding program is distinct from the $25 million announced on May 15 for on-farm conservation innovation trials.

Visit NACD’s  2018 Farm Bill implementation webpage  for more information.

Competition Heats Up as 2019 NCF-Envirothon Is Underway

The 2019 NCF-Envirothon International Competition kicked-off Sunday at North Carolina State University, hosted by North Carolina Envirothon.

The competition requires students to showcase their knowledge of environment, natural resource and conservation topics, including this year’s current issue topic, “ Agriculture and the Environment: Knowledge and Technology to feed the world.”

On Monday, students had one final day of training sessions to sharpen their skills before beginning their competitive events on Tuesday. The competition will run until Friday, Aug. 2, when the winning teams will be announced during the banquet and awards ceremony.

Stay up-to-date on this year’s competition by following the NCF-Envirothon Facebook page. 

Have You Checked Out NACD's August

Recess Guide?

With August recess underway in the House and beginning Monday in the Senate, your local Congressional representatives are headed back to your district and state and looking to meet with their constituents.

NACD has created an  August Recess Guide to Grassroots Engagement , designed to assist districts with how to set up a local meeting with their Member of Congress.

August represents a unique opportunity to educate Members of Congress on what conservation districts do in their communities and show why support for conservation programs at the federal level is so important.

NACD's guide provides aspects of a successful meeting to consider during planning, as well as strategies for how to reach out to your elected representative. Please let NACD's staff know when you schedule a meeting or event.

Visit  NACD's Grassroots Advocacy webpage  to find out who your Member of Congress is, download the August Recess Guide, and sign up for NACD's Grassroots Advocacy Alerts.

If you have any questions about NACD’s advocacy efforts, please contact NACD Director of Government Affairs Coleman Garrison at coleman-garrison@nacdnet.org .

Deadline Extended: Register for CTIC's Conservation in

Action Tour

The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) has extended the registration deadline to Friday, Aug. 2, for its 12th annual Conservation in Action Tour held Aug. 20-21 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The tour, entitled “Conservation at the Leading Edge," 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.  

Washington District Seeks Executive Director

The  Washington Association of Conservation Districts  (WACD) is seeking an executive director to be based full-time in Olympia, Wash.

The executive director will support the state's 45 conservation districts and 225 local, voluntary conservation district supervisors. He or she will be solely responsible to provide overall leadership of daily operations and management of the organization.

Read the full job description on NACD's job board webpage. Completed applications must be submitted by mail or email to rbaye@wadistrict.org by Aug. 14 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

Subscribe to NACD's YouTube Channel

Check out NACD's YouTube channel and subscribe if you haven't already!

NACD's channel includes a wealth of useful videos such as past interviews, event webcasts, presentations, promotional content and more!

Promote your conservation district or state association's tree sale, annual meeting, webinar, field day or more on NACD's Calendar of Events!