NRCS Overview

Sonya Miller Matthew Lohr

Sonny Perdue

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Hugh Hammond Bennett , “father of Soil Conservation” and the first Chief of SCS, became aware of the threat posed by the erosion of soils early in his career as a surveyor for the USDA Bureau of Soils. He launched a public crusade of writing and speaking about the soil erosion crisis. His highly influential 1928 publication “Soil Erosion: A National Menace” influenced Congress to create the first federal soil erosion experiment stations in 1929.

The conservation of soil and water resources became a national priority in the New Deal administration under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Soil Erosion Service (SES) was established in the Department of Interior with Hugh Bennett as Chief in September 1933. SES established demonstration projects in critically eroded areas across the country to show landowners the benefits of conservation.

In 1935 Congress passed Public Law 74-46, in which it recognized that "the wastage of soil and moisture resources on farm, grazing, and forest lands . . . is a menace to the national welfare," and it directed the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) as a permanent agency in the USDA. The Soil Conservation Act of 1935 also created a relationship between the RCDs and NRCS.

In 1994, Congress changed SCS’s name to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to better reflect the broadened scope of the agency’s concerns.

Mission Statement

“Helping People Help The Land” Guiding Principles Provide technical and/or financial assistance to private land owners or managers to assist them to make sound natural resource management decisions Service

Partnerships • Conservation Planning Technical Excellence • Conservation Implementation • Natural Resource Inventory & Assessment • Natural Resources Technology Transfer • Financial Assistance

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# 1 Determine your goals and resource needs

# 2 Inventory resources Your Name Here # 3 Analyze field data

# 4 Come up with different solutions /practices

# 5 Implement practices

# 6 Follow up

# 7 Make Adjustments (There’s always room for improvement)

RESOURCE CONSIDERATIONS Soil Water Air Plant Animals Human Energy

Special Environmental Considerations Laws and Regulations

Soil Measurable concerns wind and water erosion reduced water infiltration decreased fertility & crop yield levels

Questions to ask…  Conduct regular soil test?  Application rates/timing of nutrients/fertilizers?  Plant cover crops?  Tillage management?  Added amendments?

www.soil-net.. WATER Measurable concerns Quantity (infrastructure, water rights) Quality (surface, ground water)

Questions to ask...  Conducted water quality test? Excessive Watering =waste of water  Is there tailwater, and where does it drain too? From AND Rain Bird Tech Spec L383 =waste of $$$  Tracking of irrigation events and soil moisture?  Has pump efficiency test been completed?  Have flow meters and backflow valves? Air

Measurable concerns PM Ozone Greenhouse gas precursors Wind Odor  Questions to ask... Drift  Can you combine/eliminating tillage passes?  Replace diesel irrigation engine with electric?  Replace older tractors with a higher tiered one?  Utilize target application equipment?  Clean harvest equipment?  Reduce vehicle traffic, suppress road pm? Plants

Measurable concerns Damage from nutrient applications or pest invasion Tissue samples Field uniformity Diversity of species Invasive weeds Animals

Species of Concern Alameda Whipsnake Ca. red-legged frog Ca. Tiger Salamander Delta Smelt San Joaquin Kit Fox Swainson’s Hawk

Can you utilize grazing animals in your eradication of invasive plants or manage fuel loads? Can you install infrastructure to manage grazing? Have you considered impact from farming practices on wildlife/habitat? Are there opportunities to incorporate hedgerows or pollinator habitat? Human + Energy

Economical Impacts (short/long term)  Labor requirment Energy Conservation Future Generations

http://energytools.sc.egov.usda.gov/ Other Considerations SPECIAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS Prime and Unique Farmlands Wetlands Cultural Resources

LAWS AND REGULATIONS

NRCS Programs*

Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA)

Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)

Environmental Quality Incentive Program Assist agricultural producers with:

• complying with regulatory requirements • installing and maintaining conservation practices • making changes to production and management systems to conserve and protect natural resources

Eligible Farm Bill participants are agricultural operators with an average adjusted income under $900K for the last 3 years. Lockeford Plant Materials Center

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