DEADLINE EXTENDED:
NCF LIVE AUCTION DONATIONS
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All proceeds from this year's auction will go to NCF to support the foundation's work in advancing the next generation of conservation leaders.
To make a donation,
visit the online donation form. The deadline for all auction items to be included in the 2020 Live Auction booklet is
Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. Auction items will be accepted on site throughout the day on
Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. Donations will be accepted until
Monday, Feb. 10 at
10:00 a.m.
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SPOTS AVAILABLE FOR ANNUAL MEETING LAS VEGAS STRIP TOUR
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NACD's 74th Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., at the Bally's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is almost one month away!
In addition to exciting breakout sessions and the innovative Conservation Expo, attendees will have the opportunity to explore the city of Las Vegas—and beyond— through several of NACD's meeting tours.
Hosted by the
Nevada Association of Conservation Districts
, the Driving Tour of The Strip and Clark County Museum and Heritage Street offers a guided bus tour of the Las Vegas valley, including the famous Las Vegas Strip and a stop at the Clark County Museum and Heritage Street.
Mark Hall-Patton
from the reality television show
Pawn Stars
will narrate the tour and answer questions.
To learn more about NACD's Annual Meeting tours, visit NACD's
Annual Meeting webpage. The deadline to reserve a hotel room is next
Friday, Jan. 17, 2020! The group rate is $159 for single or double rooms, not including taxes or resort fees. To reserve your room, click
here, or call 702-967-4111 and say you’re with NACD.
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FINAL REMINDER:
NACD'S 2020 UAC
GRANTS INITIATIVE
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Since 2016, NACD and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have partnered through the UAC Grant Program to enhance conservation districts’ technical assistance activities in developed or developing areas. In this fourth round of funding, NACD and NRCS will award grants of up to $50,000 grants for approximately 18 districts.
To learn more about the initiative, please visit
NACD's website, which includes the Request For Proposals (RFP) and Frequently Asked Questions documents, as well as a webinar, which reviews the RFP and answers several members' questions. Please contact NACD Senior Advisor
Deb Bogar at
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Steven Darcey is a fourth-generation farmer in Prince George’s County, Md., where he farms 150 acres on Edgewood Farms, while his wife
Bonnie owns and operates Edgewood Farm Stables, an English hunter show horse boarding facility.
Since the 1950s when Darcey’s parents purchased the farm, Edgewood Farms has gone through many changes. The crops changed from tobacco, beef, hay, straw and silage corn to primarily corn and soybeans. Some of the Best Management Practices (BMPs) Darcey uses include no-till farming, crop residue management, crop rotation, winter cover crops following corn harvest and buffer strips of warm and cool season grasses to protect the lower edges of his fields and both sides of the stream going through the farm. Darcey also manages 60 acres of forest, with a portion of acreage serving as a riparian buffer for the stream.
Darcey sees many positive results from his soil health system he implements on his farm, including a reduction in soil erosion; an increase in financial savings, yields and wildlife populations; and improved farm aesthetics.
In addition to managing his farm, Darcey began working for the
Prince George’s Soil Conservation District in 1986 as a soil conservation engineer, and in 2013, he became district manager. His dual role in the community has allowed him to take his knowledge of the farm and bring it to his work with the conservation district, and in turn, Darcey has been able to take what he has learned from the conservation district and apply it to his farm. Often, it has allowed him to try things on his farm first, and then share from a farmer’s perspective the success of the programs or practices.
To learn more about Steven Darcey and his operation, check out his interview on Maryland Public Television’s PBS show
Maryland
Farm & Harvest and visit the NACD website for his
Soil Health Champion profile. To check out the work of the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District, visit the district’s
recently updated website, which includes event and program updates, announcements and helpful resources on locally-led soil and water conservation programs.
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 or 317-946-4463.
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Durham SWCD Hosts Annual Farmers Appreciation Dinner
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This past November, the
Durham Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) held its annual Farmers Appreciation Dinner on a 330-acre cattle farm in Rougemont, N.C.
Over 100 local farmers attended the event, including National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon Program Manager
Jennifer Brooks. North Carolina Agricultural Commissioner
Steve Troxler provided a keynote address, recognizing Durham’s long history of agriculture and the importance of preserving farmland in the face of rapidly expanding urban areas.
The 2019 Durham Farm Family of the Year was presented to
Jason Marbrey by Durham SWCD Director
Eddie Culberson. This award recognizes farmers who go above and beyond to implement innovative and cost-effective conservation techniques.
The evening concluded with the presentation of the 2019 Durham Farm Heritage Hall of Fame Inductee,
William Sparrow (pictured above, center). This award honors individuals who have been instrumental to the success and excellence of agriculture, either as a farmer or in an agricultural-related field.
Sparrow is a long-time member of the Durham farming community, has served as assistant county cooperative extension agent, has owned a well-established plant nursery since 1961, and was a Durham County Farm Bureau board member.
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NACD Welcomes Friend Nancy Carter
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NACD is excited to welcome its latest Friend of NACD,
Nancy Carter
.
Carter serves as vice-chair on the
Mecklenburg County Soil and Water Conservation District's Board of Supervisors in Charlotte, N.C.
Interested in becoming a Friend of NACD? Visit
NACD's website
to learn more.
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Submit Your Nomination:
Sand County Foundation Seeks State Nominees
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Know a farmer or forester from Kentucky, Montana or North Dakota who goes above and beyond in the care and management of natural resources? Nominate them for the 2020 Leopold Conservation Award!
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat management on private, working land.
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Check Out Keystone Monarch Collaborative's Monarch Initiative
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The Keystone Monarch Collaborative's initiative, "Farmers for Monarchs," seeks to help identify and implement solutions on agricultural and ranching lands with the goal of achieving a sustainable monarch butterfly population.
By working with farmers, ranchers and landowners, the initiative provides helpful resources and information tailored to the needs of individual states and their regions.
NACD is proud to support the Keystone Policy Center's Monarch Collaborative and its work in monarch conservation. To learn more about the initiative and the Collaborative, visit
Farmers for Monarchs' 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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