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.
The Holyoke Enterprise: HAXTUN CONSERVATION DISTRICT CELEBRATES 75 YEARS
06/23/21
Over 150 patrons of the Haxtun Conservation District joined together Monday, June 14, to acknowledge the accomplishments of the district over the past 75 years.
The Courier: Cost share program offered by Soil and Water Conservation District
06/27/21
The Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has received state funding to conduct a cost share program for structural conservation practices. This program from the state will help local landowners defray the cost of applying needed conservation practices.
Wyoming Tribune Eagle: Laramie County Conservation District plants trees at local YMCA
06/26/21
The Cheyenne Family YMCA is now home to four new trees, thanks to the Laramie County Conservation District.
Post Register: Soil, water and underwear: Idaho farmers learn how to keep soil healthy
By Hannah Welzbacker
06/29/21
Schott’s presentation was part of the Balanced Rock Soil Conservation District’s field day in Buhl. The event focused on water management, including sprinkler maintenance, variable rate irrigation, and the impact of water on soil health.
BUCKRAIL: What is Teton Conservation District?
06/29/21
Have you ever wondered what Teton Conservation District does? Or what even is a conservation district? Check out this new illustrated video created by On Board Innovations to get to know your local conservation district!
Sentinel-Tribune: Calling conservationists: Youth online program offered
06/30/21
The Northwest Ohio Soil & Water Conservation Districts are offering a free at-home “Do-It-Yourself” Jr. Conservationist summer program.
The Farmer: Kernza growers host field day July 8 in Madison, Minn.
06/30/21
The Lac qui Parle Soil and Water Conservation District will run soil and water erosion demonstrations, and University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative researchers will be on hand to answer questions on management, production and economics.
Wallace Farmer: Cover crop success with ‘one-pass farming’
By Tyler Harris
06/25/21
At the core of Iowa farmer Levi Lyle’s one-pass system is a front-mounted roller-crimper, used to terminate cover crops while drilling soybeans.
06/24/21
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $10 million to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry through voluntary conservation practices in 10 targeted states.
The Hill: Bipartisan agriculture climate bill clears Senate
By Zack Budryk
06/24/21
The Growing Climate Solutions Act, introduced by Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), next heads to the House. The measure would establish a Department of Agriculture certification process through which producers can generate and sell carbon credits.
Kansas Farmer: $1.8 million grant improves Kansas streams one tree at a time
06/24/21
A Kansas Forest Service official says streamside forests and woodlands have improved during the course of a six-year, $1.8 million project, but work remains to ensure the viability of local water resources.
Environmental Working Group: Cover crops, touted as a climate crisis solution, planted on only one in 20 acres of Corn Belt cropland
By Sarah Graddy
06/30/21
Cover crops, which help control water pollution from farm runoff, remain a little-used tool on Midwestern farmland, despite almost 100 years of science showing its value, according to a new Environmental Working Group study.
Farm Progress: Soil health and the changing climate: Connecting the dots
By Jane Anklam
06/29/21
Not long ago, we treated soils as a medium for crop growth. We recognized soil diversity, but always strived for uniformity, creating a blank slate for planting crops.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Joe Biden shifts his focus from agriculture to infrastructure in his visit to Wisconsin
By Molly Beck and Rick Barrett
06/29/21
President Joe Biden moved his Wisconsin visit from a family farm in the rolling bluffs of Iowa County to the concrete floor of a city bus garage in La Crosse to promote passage of a $973 billion infrastructure bill just days after a bipartisan deal nearly collapsed.
Farm Progress: Career NRCS official nominated as USDA undersecretary
By Jacqui Fatka
06/28/21
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack continues to fill out his potential undersecretary roster with diverse nominees with the latest nomination of Dr. Homer Wilkes for the post of undersecretary for natural resources and environment.he number of new wildfires in the U.S. so far this year is at a ten-year high, according to federal data, prompting warnings of a long, potentially dangerous summer of fire.
Agri-Pulse: House Approps OKs $26.6B Ag funding bill
By Steve Davies
06/30/21
(Subscriber Only) The House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal 2022 funding bill Wednesday for the Agriculture Department, Food and Drug Administration and Commodity Futures Trading Commission that would boost spending by more than 10 percent, including hefty amounts for ag research and climate-change-related programs.
Agri-Pulse: USDA announces Moore as new Forest Service chief
By Amy Mayer
06/28/21
(Subscriber Only) The U.S. Department of Agriculture has appointed Randy Moore, a regional forester in California, as the new chief of the U.S. Forest Service.
The Hill: Biden announces new steps on wildfires: US must ‘act fast’
By Zack Budryk
06/30/21
President Biden announced a series of steps in response to intensifying wildfires in the western U.S. on Wednesday, calling the fires “a problem for all of us” and saying the U.S. must act “fast” during a meeting with western governors.
MPR News: Minnesota crops showing drought stress at a crucial time
By Dan Gunderson
06/25/21
Andrew Ingvalson planted a field of alfalfa this spring, anticipating it would provide five years of hay crops for his 450 cattle. But few of the seeds sprouted because the soil was too dry.
Lakes News Online: How you can manage valuable native prairies in Missouri
By Bill Graham
06/27/21
Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) experts have shown that wise management gives prairie wildflowers and grasses renewed vitality for scenery, wildlife and farm profits.
E&E News: Bipartisan bill seeks to find wildfire causes, solutions
By Valerie Yurk
06/25/21
(Subscriber Only) Lawmakers in both chambers and from both parties introduced legislation in recent days to study the growing threat of wildfires.
Phys.org: Senate OKs bill to certify farm practices limiting emissions
By John Flesher
06/26/21
The U.S. Senate has approved a measure intended to encourage greater use of farming and forestry practices that prevent greenhouse gas emissions and remove planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
National Geographic: Historic drought in the West is forcing ranchers to take painful measures
By Sarah Gibbens
06/29/21
With no rain in sight, western ranchers are shrinking their herds.
The Hill: First nationwide study of trees finds US needs 522M new trees to fight inequality
By Alexandra Kelley
06/29/21
Fifteen metropolitan areas were surveyed, and researchers found that another 522 million more trees will need to be planted overall for the optimal levels of carbon sequestration, job creation and health benefits.
Star Advertiser: $5M agricultural grants program necessary for Oahu farmers
By Mark Ladao
06/27/21
The City Council has appropriated $5 million in the city’s operating budget meant to increase local food production, and it’s a much-needed source of funding for farmers.
The New York Times: It’s some of America’s richest farmland. But what is it without water?
By Somini Sangupta
06/28/21
In America’s fruit and nut basket, water is now the most precious crop of all.
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection: USDA Forest Service Approves Connecticut’s 2020 Forest Action Plan
06/18/21
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) recently received official approval from the USDA Forest Service of Connecticut’s 2020 Forest Action Plan, a ten-year strategic document designed to guide policies, priorities, and actions to conserve Connecticut’s forest resources across multiple landscapes from urban and suburban, to rural.
E&E News: Trump roundups worked: Herds drop for first time in nine years
By Scott Streater
07/01/21
(Subscriber Only) BLM today posted an online report estimating there are now 86,189 wild horses and burros roaming 27 million acres of federal herd management areas in 10 Western states.
ABC News: Why water levels in megadrought-impacted Southwestern states have some experts concerned
By Julia Jacobo
06/26/21
California was once the site of a gold rush. But now arguably one of the most precious commodities in parts of the state and in the Southwest is something else entirely — water — as the region grapples with a decades-long megadrought that experts say has been spurred on by a warming Earth.
High Plains Journal: Multi-purpose living mulch improves soil health and farmer’s bottom line
By Scott Elliott
06/28/21
A team of USDA scientists in the upper Midwest is working on a double-cropping system that is showing promise as a way to improve a farmer’s profit margin by growing cattle feed between rows of a cash crop, in this case corn or soybean.
Modern Farmer: How the Pacific Northwest Heat Wave Is Affecting Farmworkers
By Emily Baron
07/01/21
With temperatures climbing over 100 degrees for days on end, conditions are especially hard on farmworkers who can find no respite from the sun.
E&E News: GOP: Climate money unsustainable in spending bill
By Marc Heller
07/01/21
(Subscriber Only) The House Appropriations Committee yesterday approved an annual agriculture spending bill for fiscal 2022 that would boost programs by 10 percent and direct nearly $350 million to fighting the impacts of climate change.
The Daily Scoop: Field Work: Are Carbon Markets an Opportunity to Stack Multiple Benefits on the Farm?
By Laurie Stern
06/25/21
Field Work podcast hosts Zach Johnson and Mitchell Hora recently explored the roles of finance and government in building the markets in conversation with Cristian Barcan, vice president for sustainability for Rabo Agrifinance, one of the biggest agricultural lenders in the U.S., and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.
Associated Press: Another mild algae bloom forecast for Lake Erie this summer
By John Seewer
06/30/21
The toxic blob of algae that turns western Lake Erie a ghastly shade of green each summer and threatens drinking water and fish should be on the smaller side again this year following another dry spring, scientists predicted Wednesday.