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: Did You Know – NACD’s Officer Team are also Mission-Driven District Officials?
06/16/2025
Did you know that NACD’s Officers are elected to their volunteer positions by our state and territory board members but are also conservation district officials in their home states? Our Officer team consists of five individuals, all of whom are required to serve on their local conservation district board, per our bylaws.
No-Till Farmer: Gauging the Sustainability of Corn-on-Corn
By Steve Whittington
06/06/2025
Crop rotations are a fundamental strategy for sustaining productive and profitable farming systems. By alternating different types of crops over time, farmers can manage soil nutrients more effectively. Crop rotations disrupt pest and disease cycles, suppresses weeds, maintain soil structure, and uses soil fertility more efficiently. Corn-on-corn systems, by contrast, are limited in these benefits due to the short nature of the rotation itself.
Farm Progress: IRA funds appear to be headed to conservation programs
By Forrest Laws
06/10/2025
Against all odds, it appears that money set aside in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for climate-smart agriculture programs may be headed for programs included in the Conservation Title of the next farm bill. According to a recent analysis by Bloomberg, the U.S. House reconciliation plan budget would increase the funding for the four major conservation programs in Title II of the farm bill by $1 billion to more than $6 billion.
Successful Farming: USDA Buyouts Extend Well Beyond the Beltway, Data Shows
By Noah Wicks and Steve Davies
06/12/2025
The majority of the roughly 15,100 USDA employees who accepted buyouts from the Trump administration worked outside the national capital region, ensuring that the department’s downsizing will reverberate in communities across the country, according to deferred resignation program data obtained by Agri-Pulse.
Western Livestock Journal: USDA budget cuts and conservation
By Chris Layton
06/13/2025
Farmers would have a harder time getting Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) under USDA’s 2026 budget proposal, which would slash free, voluntary expert guidance by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff. The cut to Conservation Technical Assistance is just one of nearly $7 billion in budget cuts USDA proposed, but cutting technical assistance would create a ripple effect across USDA’s broader conservation programs.
Morning Ag Clips: Op-Ed: National Pollinator Week Offers Chance to Support Wings of Life
By Damarys Mortenson
06/15/2025
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, pollinators help to add $235 billion to the global economy by enabling the food and fiber we depend on to grow with $35 billion added to U.S. economics annually. They also play an important role in promoting clean air, healthy soils and building healthy ecosystems.
%20(1).png)
USDA-NRCS: NRCS Texas and the El Paso-Hudspeth SWCD team-up to provide conservation solutions
By Wade Day | El Paso, TX | South Central Region
04/10/2025
A recently completed project in El Paso, the Dino Road canal project, highlights the partnership between the NRCS and El Paso-Hudspeth SWCD in conservation delivery. Both organizations contributed resources and expertise that benefitted the producers and provided needed assistance. In this instance, concrete lined canals were installed with the cooperation of both organizations.
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board: Tagging into Tomorrow: How Arie Prins Combines Data and Stewardship
Temple, TX | South Central Region
06/03/2025
In the heart of Texas dairy country, Arie Prins, Vice Chairman of the Running Water Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), is demonstrating how cutting-edge technology is reshaping modern agriculture while also conserving natural resources vital to the region. Prins has shown his commitment to making his operation smarter and more efficient, while prioritizing a deep respect for the land beneath his boots.
News Wise: New Algae System Helps Arizona Farmers Grow Better Crops with Less Water
By Marshall Terrill | Pearce, AZ | Southwest Region
06/09/2025
(Edited) Ed Curry is passionate about the green, red and yellow chile peppers he grows on his 3,000-acre farm in Pearce, Arizona, about 90 minutes southeast of Tucson. He’s also passionate about saving water. A new technology Arizona State University is analyzing and promoting has combined his love for spice and conservation. Curry said he cut about 50% of his water usage in the 1990s by going to a drip system. More recently, he estimates he’s cut another 10% through a new soil service.
TV6: Michigan DNR awards grants for ‘food forest’ at KI Sawyer
By Jerry Tudor | Marquette, MI | North Central Region
06/11/2025
Combining food security, the environment and education. The Michigan DNR is partnering with Marquette County to bring a ‘food forest’ to K.I. Sawyer. The DNR is awarding $100,000 to Marquette County in collaboration with the Let’s Grow KI Community Garden and the Marquette County Conservation District.
WBUR: Southern Illinois farmers face a growing problem: What to do when nature reclaims your land
By Chris Bentley | Illinois | North Central Region
06/12/2025
The river had breached the levee twice before — in 1993 and 2011 — but after 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it would not be worth the cost to repair. The University of Illinois also predicted the levee would continue to fail if it were fixed. Farmers in the area could not raise the millions of dollars it would take to rebuild the levee themselves, so a chunk of this land has effectively been ceded back to the river’s floodplain.
Public: Beyond the Surface: How NRCS Engineers Help Plan and Maintain Iowa Watersheds
By Jolene Bopp| Des Moines, IA | North Central Region
06/16/2025
The project was a collaborative effort between NRCS and local sponsors including the Dallas, Madison and Warren County Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Madison County. The watershed plan was signed in 1960. The structure was completed in 1973 under Public Law 566, now known as the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) Program.
Empire Press: Foster Creek Conservation District leads restoration efforts in fire-damaged watershed
By Jordan Gerhard| Douglas County, WA | Pacific Region
06/16/2025
To address these concerns, the Foster Creek Conservation District has implemented several stream restoration projects, funded by the Washington State Department of Ecology. The projects aim to mitigate threats from nonpoint source pollution — such as elevated temperature, altered pH and low dissolved oxygen — and to improve wildlife habitat.
OPB: ‘Tree equity’ on the chopping block in Washington state
By John Ryan| Washington | Pacific Region
06/17/2025
Full shade can lower pavement temperatures 15 degrees, a potentially life-saving benefit during extreme heat, according to Golzarian. But efforts to bring more shade to cities across the country, especially their less-leafy, lower-income neighborhoods, could wither like ferns in a heat wave. The federal government, historically the biggest funder of community tree planting, is no longer a reliable source of cash as the Trump administration seeks to downsize or eliminate many federal programs.