“The NCF has championed the development of future leaders of conservation since its inception,” NCF President Van Dyke said. “We are excited to formally launch the NGLI application process for the upcoming program year and look forward to working side-by-side with the next cohort of participants to advance conservation leadership.”

Applications for the 2023 cohort and payment must be received by Friday, September 30, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. ET. To learn more about previous cohorts and the opportunities this program offers, visit the NGLI webpage.

For the past several weeks, we’ve highlighted the travels of NACD and NRCS in Guam and Palau as they learn more about conservation district capacity. In a final site visit, the group traveled to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) last week, with visits to the three main islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

For several years, the conservation districts in these locations have not been active, however, the three soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) on each of the islands recently elected new boards in anticipation of NACD’s site visit. The local NRCS District Conservationist in Saipan, Pam Sablan, and the CNMI Secretary of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Anthony Benavente, worked closely with the SWCDs to reinvigorate their boards, showcasing the strong conservation partnership on these islands. As is the case in the other locations the NACD-NRCS delegation visited over the past several weeks, the isolation of CNMI and small land masses of the islands contribute to a need for augmenting local food security through increased agricultural production. The new board members within CNMI are excited about the potential of the SWCDs to play a significant role in addressing the islands’ natural resource concerns while also helping farmers access farm bill programs and otherwise increase their long-term viability.

The NACD-NRCS delegation visited several piggeries and farms on the three islands, while also visiting with key partners like the President of CNMI Sentate Jude Hofschneider (and Acting Governor while the delegation was in CNMI). Each island within CNMI produces locally significant crops like calamansi (a type of citrus), and due to the proximity of the more populated island of Guam, may have ongoing opportunities increasing market access. The three CNMI islands also have unique environments enabling different production systems, for example, many produce cattle on Tinian while the cooler and wetter climate of Rota has allowed growers to experiment with coffee. But within each of these systems, the SWCD board members are excited to promote conservation practices related to soil health and water access, providing many opportunities for NACD and NRCS to help support the districts as they continue to build their capacity in these areas.

The NACD and NRCS teams have since returned to their respective homes, and look forward to supporting the conservation efforts of all locations visited. The travel they conducted would not have been possible without the support of NACD’s Pacific Region Chair Michael Aguon, Guam Association of Conservation Districts (GACD) Vice President Kathrina Reyes, and GACD Program Director Erica Pangelinan, and NACD looks forward to continuing to support peer-to-peer networking between the Pacific Islands Area districts as well. 

Michael Thompson is a sixth-generation farmer in northwest Kansas. His dream after high school graduation was to work on the family farm, but his father said the farm wasn’t profitable enough. So, Michael went on to college, graduated, and taught for 12 years. He spent the evenings and weekends farming on 480 acres nearby, along the boarder in eastern Nebraska.

Coming back to the family farm was Thompson’s goal, so he took it upon himself to learn all he could about regenerative agriculture and the alternatives to conventional farming – which was how the Thompsons had farmed up until then. Thompson transitioned to no-till in 2000, but he was still experiencing soil erosion and he was battling weed pressure. So, he decided his next step was to incorporate cover crops.

Thompson started on 50 acres of his land – starting on a small scale. He suggests starting out on enough acreage and for a long enough time to really get a true picture of whether its working or not. Thompson suggests three to five years of experimenting with cover crops is enough time to determine if it is profitable. He experimented with different cover crop mixes to address a variety of issues. Diversity in plants and root systems has helped with weed control, and the mix of fibrous and tuber root systems helps break up compaction and increases water infiltration.

By planting cover crops in the summer fallow fields, it has also allowed Thompson to move his cattle off the pasture for a time, giving the fields rest while the cattle graze on the cover crops. This has eliminated their need to rent additional pastureland for grazing and eliminated the need to purchase supplemental hay. The cattle have also helped with nutrient cycling on the cropland through manure deposition and hoof activity as they graze.

Thompson’s efforts to turn things around and find a better and more profitable way to farm has allowed him to quit teaching and go into fulltime farming with his father and brother. Above all else, Thompson says his biggest return on investment is that he now has more time to spend with his family. He continues to learn what he can to keep making improvements to the family operation, and when his son is at an age to decide, Thompson wants him to have the opportunity to stay on the family farm as the seventh and next generation farmer.

More information on Michael Thompson and his operation, visit the NACD website to read his Soil Health Champion profile. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) also produced a video featuring Thompson where he shares his soil health goals and his motivation for serving on the Norton County Conservation District Board.

If you or someone you know would like to become an NACD Soil Health Champion, please visit the NACD website or contact Beth Mason at beth-mason@nacdnet.org.

ICYMI: The Spring 2022 Edition of The Resource is here!

NACD's Spring 2022 edition of The Resource has arrived! Click the cover above to begin browsing the latest publication from the National Association of Conservation Districts. In this latest edition, find updates on NACD projects and stories about how conservation districts are continuing to campion locally-led conservation in their communities.

Browse past editions of The Resource on NACD's website and please let us know if you have any questions or comments about this edition.

Natural Resource Policy Specialist: NACD is seeking a full-time Natural Resource Policy Specialist that will work with the Government Affairs Team to develop NACD’s policy priorities and work with congressional offices, federal agencies, stakeholder groups, and coalitions to advance them. Apply by Friday, July 22, 2022 to receive priority consideration.

Later this month, Oxford, Ohio will welcome high school students from all over the U.S. for the 2022 NCF-Envirothon competition. Hosted in partnership with Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the event will take place at Miami University from July 24-30, 2022.

Learn more about the competition here.

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) has launched a newly-redesigned, updated guide that allows farmers, land owners and others to easily locate and contact professional seed suppliers for quality environmental, conservation, and cover crop seed. The interactive Conservation, Environmental, and Cover Crop Seed Resource Guide allows buyers to find lists of specific seed types by geographic location to support production and sustainability goals.

"It’s important to always buy seed from a professional seed dealer," said ASTA President & CEO Andy LaVigne. "Professionally produced and processed seed is designed to help farmers achieve success through managing the use of the right seed, at the right place, at the right time. It has been selected, harvested, cleaned, analyzed, processed and packaged for performance; and it has been tested for purity and germination. All of this helps ensure you get the best quality seed to meet your production and sustainability goals, while minimizing the presence of invasive and other weeds."

View the Conservation, Environmental, and Cover Crop Seed Resource Guide here. We hope this resource will be helpful to you. If you have any questions or comments, please contact ASTA at info@betterseed.org. 

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