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.
Editor’s Note: There will be no Conservation Clips the next two weeks because of the holidays. The next edition of Conservation Clips will be on January 9. Happy Holidays!
NACD Blog: Michigan District’s Fieldwork and Outreach Strengthens Relationships to Address the Spread of the Invasive Red Swamp Crayfish
By Wesley Gibson and Molly Wozniak
12/16/2025
For the past year and a half, the Genesee Conservation District’s invasive species program—the Genesee Lapeer Livingston and Shiawassee Counties Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (GiLLS CISMA)—has been working to get a handle on the red swamp crayfish showing up in the area. What started as a few calls from concerned citizens near the first detection site turned into a long stretch of trapping, surveying, and mapping to understand how far the crayfish had spread and what kind of damage it was causing.
Ag Daily: How Teachers Are Helping Grow the Next Generation of Land Stewards
By Kinzie Ross
12/09/2025
With the average age of farmers in the U.S. reaching over 58 years old and nearly half reaching retirement age, farmland ownership will continue to turn over at significant rates in the next few decades, creating new land stewardship opportunities for younger generations. That shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity: to ensure the next generation not only stewards the land but has the knowledge and skills to improve it.
Farms.com: New USDA Program Supports Soil Health Growth
12/11/2025
The USDA is introducing the Regenerative Pilot Program to help farmers protect soil, reduce production costs, and adopt long-term conservation practices. This program follows decades of progress that began when Congress created the Natural Resources Conservation Service to improve soil and water management after the Dust Bowl. Since then, total U.S. farm production has grown significantly, even as overall farm inputs have decreased.
Idaho Farm Bureau Federation: Ag Secretary Rollins in op-ed: Trump fighting to protect farmers
By Secretary Rollins
12/12/2025
(Opinion) While American farmers face historic pressures, this week, President Donald Trump reminded them he is their greatest champion. As our very first president, George Washington, himself a farmer, told a joint session of Congress in 1796: “It will not be doubted, that with reference either to individual or national welfare, agriculture is of primary importance.” More than two centuries later, those words remain true. Our farmers not only feed, fuel and clothe us, but they bear and sustain a set of values and principles that are essential to the continuation of our republic.
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NRCS: Supporting Small-Scale Agriculture on Kodiak Island, Alaska
By Tracy Robillard | Kodiak Island, AK | Pacific Region
10/31/2025
About 95 percent of the food purchased in Alaska is imported and the food supply chain is vulnerable to disruptions, especially for residents off the road system and on remote islands. Fortunately, motivated individuals, organizations, and communities on Kodiak Island are addressing this issue by expanding local agriculture, with assistance from multiple partners including the Kodiak Soil and Water Conservation District and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Ada News: Small farm hub to transform local food system
By Robyn Peterson | Oklahoma | South Central Region
12/13/2025
Groundbreaking for the Southern Oklahoma Urban and Small Farm Hub in Ardmore has been announced by Murray State College, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, the Chickasaw Nation, the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, and the Arbuckle Conservation District. This initiative is set to enhance the quality of life in southern Oklahoma by revolutionizing local food systems and supporting small and urban farms. The groups joined together at Murray State College for an official signing ceremony and celebration of the project.
Outdoor News: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection awards $3.1M in clean water projects in 8 counties
Pennslyvania | Northeast Region
12/15/2025
The Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Grant program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and selected by DEP, supports projects that carry out best management practices specified in Watershed Implementation Plans for 44 watersheds around the state, with special consideration for projects in Pennsylvania’s share of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Pacific Northwest Ag Network: Help Available To Farmers and Producers After Flooding
By Glen Vaagen | Washington | Pacific Region
12/16/2025
NRCS is reminding farmers, producers and landowners across Washington that assistance is available after floods. The agency provides technical and financial help to reduce threats to life and property caused by watershed damage and erosion.
Farm Progress: Blue Line Farm crew named MASWCD Conservationists of the Year
By Kevin Shulz | Becker County, MN | North Central Region
12/06/2025
“I thought they were crazy,” Tyler said, speaking of staff from the Becker Soil and Water Conservation District and the area Natural Resource Conservation Service. “Everything was all so overwhelming when they brought us a packet that was an inch thick of this, this and this. And of course, there’s cost sharing in that, and without that cost sharing, we wouldn’t have been able to do any of that.”