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.
Forty-six Sauk County students in grades kindergarten to 12th recently created posters for the National Association of Conservation Districts’ Conservation Awareness Poster competition.
Despite the snow and cold weather, volunteers in Helena took to harvesting willow trees on Saturday for a project that aims to stop erosion along Lake Helena shores with guidance from the Lewis and Clark Conservation District.
Indiana County Conservation District is hosting the annual Indiana/Westmoreland County Local Work Group meeting at the Indiana County Conservation District office on March 25 at 9:30 a.m. Local Work Groups were established to provide recommendations to USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service on local natural resource priorities and criteria for conservation activities and programs.
Lorain and Medina Soil and Water Conservation Districts are hosting a soil health workshop 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 22. Soil health expert Jim Hoorman will be presenting, along with a panel of local farmers discussing their cover crop experiences.
Between Feb. 17 and March 2, Nebraska high school students competed around the state during regional Envirothon competitions demonstrating natural resources knowledge by identifying trees and animal tracks, calculating the number of steers on rangeland, and determining soil structure.
(Subscriber Only) Congress faces a Friday deadline to pass a massive bill to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year, but negotiations were still far from final.
Wayne Fredericks calls himself the “accidental conservationist.” When he started farming in 1973, he believed a fully conventional tillage operation was the only way to go. But after nearly 20 years, Mother Nature stepped in and upended those plans on the Osage, Iowa, farm, turning Fredericks into a lifetime proponent of all things conservation.
Taking care of the land and reducing erosion and runoff have been top priorities on the family farm and also in her work with the soybean association. Fordyce says her husband, Richard, and his dad put in several soil conservation structures on their farm with equipment they had.
The act was originally signed into law in 2016. Since then, it’s awarded nearly $27 million in federal funds to 123 projects within the Delaware River Basin focusing on recreation, water quality, water management, and habitat.
Urban farms around the US are increasingly important, especially in “food desert” neighborhoods, yet they face big challenges with land security. It’s a struggle that particularly affects Black farmers: people of color own only 3 percent of all agricultural land in the US and Black farmers make up only 1.3 percent of farmers.
Precision agriculture refers to a range of sensors and systems that automate different tasks across farming and ranching. Examples include systems that can identify and spray weeds in fields. Tractor guidance systems are being developed to more accurately plant crops, spray herbicide and apply fertilizers.
We have to focus on improving soil health so it will retain more CO2, cut back on commercial fertilizers and pesticides, reduce consumption and food waste, and tackle methane emissions. To meet necessary reductions we need widespread regenerative agriculture.
City council unanimously voted to designate Austin as a Bee City USA affiliate. The designation means staff members will work to improve bee pollinator habitats and educate the community about the importance of these pollinators.
As Ohio continues to discuss water quality challenges in Lake Erie, the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative offered a glimpse of exactly what conservation practices look like in one Ohio watershed.
Agricultural conservationists advocate for the 4 Rs of nutrient stewardship to guide proper fertilizer application – Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time and Right Place. These principles can also be applied to residential lawn care to help foster a beneficial environment for your family and the local wildlife.
The Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program is providing $3.6 million to 31 projects across the state. The state says the program addresses prevention, detection, eradication and control of water-based and land-based invasive species.
(Subscriber Only) Congressional leaders announced agreement on a $1.5 trillion, government-wide spending bill for fiscal 2022 that includes new funding for rural broadband expansion and authorization of a cattle contract library at USDA to address concerns about market power in the beef sector.
With dry conditions still covering most of South Dakota, increasing water infiltration rates and water storage capacities is an important task for the state’s agricultural producers. Some of them have turned to cover crops to improve the water use efficiency of their land. Those cover crops will also reduce erosion, sequester carbon, feed soil organisms, provide livestock forage, suppress weeds, and aid nutrient cycling; however, they must be managed correctly.
Benina Montes returned to the family farming operation after graduating from college, and she joined family members in slowly changing the way it was run. The conventionally farmed almond ranch in Merced County transitioned to a diversified, organic farm using regenerative farming practices.
While most consumers are familiar with organic farming, at least by name, far fewer consumers are familiar with other regenerative practices, including no-till, according to a recent survey.
During this time of year, you absolutely want to make sure that you have enough residual forage present to not only provide fodder for the livestock, but also protect the soil surface.
(Subscriber Only) The Department of Water Resources is expanding its outreach and education efforts for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in honor of National Groundwater Awareness Week.
A prominent figure in Spearfish’s history, Johanna Meier Della Vecchia, finalized an agreement with the South Dakota Ag Land Trust (SDALT) Wednesday preserving the nearly 800-acre Oak Hills Ranch property near the Thoen Stone monument, ensuring it will remain untouched and undeveloped forever.
Regenerative agricultural practices have shown to store considerable quantities of carbon in the soil and to keep it out of the atmosphere. Transitioning from familiar conventional practices to more sustainable ones can be risky for farmers. But what if this risk could be estimated and even eliminated?
