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Conservation Clips is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what's driving conservation. These articles are not indicative of NACD policy and are the opinions of their authors, unless otherwise noted. If you have a relevant submission or need assistance with accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.
07/07/21
The Boone Conservancy and the Boone County Conservation District were among the fourteen communities across the country selected for assistance from the National Park Service (NPS) Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA).
07/07/21
John and Virginia Marple own and operate a feeder calf operation in Berkeley Springs. They were selected by the Morgan County supervisors as the 2021 Morgan County Conservation Farm. A county winner is selected to compete in the district contest which takes a winning farm from each county located within the Eastern Panhandle Conservation District (EPCD).
According to Heather (Ishman) Duncan, education and outreach specialist with the Eastern Panhandle Conservation District, the Antram Farm has won the county, district and area legs of the West Virginia Conservation Farm of the Year competition. They will now compete for the 2021 West Virginia Conservation Farm of the Year award later this year.
Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District welcomes youth to become Conservation Crusaders. This group of natural resource explorers will investigate "Native Plant and Pollinator Power" from 10 to 11:30 a.m., July 21, at the Natural Resources Pavilion of the Geauga County Fairgrounds in Burton.
The Jefferson County Land and Water Conservation Department (LWCD) has funding available to landowners and farmers for a variety of projects. The projects funded must prevent erosion, enhance soil health or protect the water quality of our lakes and streams.
(Subscriber Only) The Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is offering $41.8 million in funds meant to soften the blow of drought in California, Colorado, Oregon and Arizona. But sign up ends soon: July 12.
“When I was farming [before], I sprayed, and I liked what I thought was a really clean field. It took me a little mind-changing to realize that [the] soil was just dead … And I think that’s one of the things a lot of farmers struggle with, is admitting that maybe you weren’t doing the best practices.”
The Fence Post: Producers Can Now Hay, Graze and Chop Cover Crops Anytime and Still Receive Full Prevented Planting Payment
07/06/21
Agricultural producers with crop insurance can hay, graze or chop cover crops for silage, haylage or baleage at any time and still receive 100 percent of the prevented planting payment. Previously, cover crops could only be hayed, grazed or chopped after November 1, otherwise the prevented planting payment was reduced by 65 percent.
Georgia’s most abundant and sustainable natural resource provides a myriad of economic and environmental benefits.
KDHE received a $750,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to educate eastern Kansas farmers and share innovative practices to prevent nonpoint source pollution.
The report, called Birds of Conservation Concern, lists species in the United States that aren’t considered federally endangered or threatened, but whose populations are declining.
Results of a recent survey conducted by the Indiana Conservation Partnership reveal greater adoption of cover crops by Indiana farmers. The organization says an estimated 1.5 million acres of cover crops were planted last fall to help increase organic matter in the soil and prevent runoff.
"We're suggesting ranchers think long-term in their grazing operations, and continue to rotate pastures to leave enough growth for their pastures to recover," says the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Rangeland Management Specialist Emily Helms.
It takes more than just using less water to conserve resources for farmers. They also have to consider things like soil properties, the types of crops they’re growing, and how to feed their cattle among many other factors.
As Arizona faces mandatory cuts next year in its Colorado River supply, the tribes see themselves as major players in the future of water.
Capital Journal: USDA project to produce wildflower seeds, improve soil health
By Christie Delfanian
07/06/21
Harvesting seeds from small plots of perennial wildflowers may not only provide producers with a new income source but also improve soil health and thereby increase the sustainability of agricultural production.
In just eight years, Penn State Extension’s master watershed steward program has built a force of 550 volunteers in 30 Pennsylvania counties. But organizers aren’t slowing down until they have representation in all 67.
CPR News: Drought And Fire Conditions In Western Colorado Are Dire. Can Congress Help?
By Caitlyn Kim
07/08/21
There’s a confluence of events happening in the West this summer: extreme heat, extreme drought and the possibility of another record-breaking wildfire season, all driven by a long-term drying trend worsened by climate change. It’s so serious that President Joe Biden convened a meeting last week with Western governors to talk about wildfire preparedness and response.
The Washington Post: Another intense heat wave to roast Western U.S., southwest Canada
By Matthew Cappucci
07/06/21
Now, southwest Canada and much of the western United States are bracing for another bout of exceptional heat amid a pattern that could once again place records in jeopardy. Death Valley, Calif., might spike to 130 degrees.
AGree research paper details how conservation practices reduce risk and improve farmers’ economic outcomes.
So why did these fields have standing water? The answer lies in poor soil structure due to excess tillage, a lack of active carbon, reduced soil microbial life (beneficial mycorrhizal fungi) and a lack of live roots year-round.
The Wall Street Journal: Almonds swept California farms. Then the water ran out.
By Jesse Newman
07/05/21
As another severe drought takes its toll in California, some farmers are backing away from one of their most profitable crops: almonds.
Maggie Eubank knows that the soil, plants and water on the 2,000-acre livestock operation her family manages in the Texas Hill Country are just as important as their pigs, cows and sheep. The ranch is one of 15 Texas properties building healthy soil as part of the Soil for Water project, which is expanding into New Mexico and five other states.
(Opinion) Congress can work with farmers to sequester greenhouse gasses.
Arkansas Times: New species of invasive grass spotted in Helena-West Helena
By Stephanie Smittle
07/01/21
Native to Southeast Asia, Cogongrass has spread rapidly through the deep South over the last few decades, and has a devastating effect on plant species that surround it, displacing them as it grows every year in dense, circular patches.
Researchers found constructed wetlands are the most effective means to improve water quality, especially if the size and location are evaluated at the scale of a watershed -- an entire region that drains into a common waterway.
(Subscriber Only) (Opinion) Reimagining our federal conservation programs will be critical if we want to encourage American producers to adopt sustainable practices.
(Opinion) Take no-till farming, which helps reduce soil erosion. Agribusiness didn’t invent it, farmers did — by tinkering with equipment, welder in hand, and then doing trials in their fields.
New crop diseases pervading Missouri have been linked to climate change, and they’re directly impacting crop production.
An infestation of gypsy moth caterpillars can have a ripple effect, Petrice said. As the caterpillars spread, they affect wildlife, timber production, recreation, and the overall health of the forest. And if the population of caterpillars grows large enough, they move on from trees to other vegetation, like crops.
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