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 accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.
NACD Blog: Strength in Partnership: NC SWCDs Forge a Path for Post-Helene Recovery
05/06/2025
Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation District had already begun exploring the potential of biochar through a funding proposal aimed at improving soil and water health in agricultural and stormwater applications. But when the storm struck western North Carolina in late September 2024, the urgency and scale of the effort shifted dramatically, as several events converged to elevate biochar from a promising conservation tool to a critical component of disaster recovery.
Civil Eats: Agroforestry Projects Across US Now Stymied by Federal Cuts
By Daniel Walton
04/28/2025
(Edited) As Civil Eats has reported, the federal government gave agroforestry a major boost that same year through the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program, awarding over $153 million to agroforestry work. In January, when President Trump took office, that expansion began losing momentum. His administration froze already approved federal grant funding, including Climate-Smart Commodities grants.
Steve Daines U.S. Senator: Daines Introduces Bill to Cut Red Tape, Support Floodplain Ecosystem Restoration
05/02/2025
“Ecosystem restoration projects are a vital tool to address landscape recovery and habitat restoration, especially after major weather events. The Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act would make it easier for local communities to develop effective and necessary restoration projects by streamlining the approval process for ecosystem restoration projects. NACD appreciates the clarity and flexibility provided in this legislation and looks forward to seeing how local conservation districts will have an even greater impact in areas in need of restoration.” – Jeremy Peters, CEO, National Association of Conservation Districts.
National Wildlife Federation: New Poll, Map Affirms Benefit of USDA Conservation Programs, Farmers’ Support for Increased Funding
By Kayla Benjamin
05/02/2025
An overwhelming majority of farmers and ranchers value voluntary conservation programs and want to see Congress increase their funding, according to data from a nationwide producer survey. Results from a National Wildlife Federation survey of 506 farmers, conducted by Trust In Food in December 2024, shows that as many as three out of four producers support an increase in long-term funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s voluntary conservation programs.
Successful Farming: USDA Names 50 New State Directors to Lead FSA and Rural Development Under Trump Agenda
By Mariah Squire
05/06/2025
On Friday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the appointment of 50 new Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development state directors. According to the press release outlining the appointments, “FSA state directors help implement President Trump’s America First agenda and execute the USDA’s policies in planning, organizing, and administering FSA programs through state offices across the country.
USDA: Secretary Rollins Hosts Farmers First Roundtable, Announces Expedited Disaster Aid
05/07/2025
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today held the inaugural Farmers First roundtable at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Secretary Rollins hosted Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, the Board of Directors for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), and over 20 farmers and ranchers from 11 states who run smaller-scale, independent, family-owned operations. These operations are at the heart of American agriculture and their continued success is critical for the economic viability of the industry.
Farms.com: No Plans to Close Any FSA Offices, Ag Sec Rollins Says
By Ryan Hanrahan
05/08/2025
Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported that “U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at a Senate hearing on Tuesday defended downsizing the USDA and potential cuts to international food aid programs, but said the agency does not plan to close any of its 4,500 offices that serve farmers.”
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Cranberry bog restoration builds resilience
By Lauri Munroe-Hultman | Massachusetts | Northeast Region
04/28/2025
As vice president of science and stewardship at the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, Beattie’s been with the project from the start, working with a “dream team” of experts and relying on funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others. Together, they’ve returned a century-old cranberry bog on the island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to a naturally functioning wetland that will serve people and wildlife for generations.
Columbia Basin Herald: Plant Exchange
By Joel Martin | Moses Lake, WA | Pacific Region
05/02/2025
A solution more people are turning to is planting low-water, native plants in place of a lawn, and the Columbia Basin Conservation District’s Heritage Garden Program can help with that. The Heritage Garden Program is a free service offered by the CBCD to help landowners create water-thrifty landscapes using native plants that thrive in our desert climate.
USDA-NRCS: Willsboro, New York Couple Awarded the Hugh Hammond Bennett National Producer Award for Conservation Excellence
New York | Northeast Region
05/02/2025
Shaun and Linda Gillilland are this year’s recipients of the Hugh Hammond Bennett National Producer Award for Conservation Excellence for their tremendous contributions and efforts on their North Country farm. The award honors the legacy of agricultural innovator Hugh Hammond Bennett, who served as the inaugural Chief of the Soil Conservation Service, now known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The Journal of San Juan Islands: Federal upheaval rocks the islands (Part 2)
By Kristina Stucki | San Juan Islands | Pacific Region
05/05/2025
The San Juan Islands have 18,400 acres of active farmland, according to the Ag Guild, which produces “mixed vegetables, orchard crops and berries, lavender and other herbs, fiber, grains, hay, grass-fed meats (beef, pork, lamb, goat, poultry), dairy products and eggs, as well as value-added products, including compost, artisan cheese, and distilled spirits.” Farmers frequently rely on reimbursement grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meaning they invest their own cash upfront and then are paid back later.
American Farmland Trust: Meeting Farmers in the Field: Scouting for the Kentucky Rye Project
By Bryan Brant | Kentucky | Southeast Region
05/05/2025
I was fortunate to meet with 11 out of the 15 farmers that are participating in the project in crop year 2025 and to scout 14 of the 15 fields where a cereal rye crop was seeded last fall. The biggest takeaway from my lengthy conversations with these farmers as we walked their fields together is the enthusiasm for the potential to integrate another cash crop into their rotations and the impact that rye could have for the increased profitability of their farms.
Dallas Express: Harvesting Success: How High Tunnels Keep Farmers Growing Throughout The Year
Kellen McGovern Jones | Surf City, NJ | Northeast Region
05/06/2025
“High tunnels are basically a greenhouse; everything is soil. It’s all about the soil,” said Aaron Reeves, a farmer who has grown his operation from scratch in Princeton, located in Collin County. Reeves, who started Reeves Family Farm in 2006 and built a home on the land in 2016, is among a growing number of small-scale and homestead producers embracing high tunnels — hoop-like structures covered in plastic sheeting — to extend growing seasons, protect crops, and limit reliance on unpredictable weather.
Choteau Acantha: Research Uncovers Benefits of Cover Crops on Cotton Yield and Nitrogen Use
By Austin Shaw | Choteau, MT | Northern Plains Region
05/07/2025
Sixty-one fourth-grade students from Choteau, Fairfield, Power, Greenfield and the Teton Adventist Christian School in Choteau visited the Choteau City Park for the 24th annual Creeks and Critters outdoor classroom on May 1. Students rotated through seven stations in the morning. Students also participated in games related to the stations and got to make their own projects.
