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: San Diego Agroforestry Workshop Brings Conservation Professionals into the Field
By Kyle Venell
05/26/2026
From May 5 to 7, 2026, the National Association of Conservation Districts, in partnership with the USDA National Agroforestry Center and the California Agroforestry Network, hosted the San Diego Agroforestry Workshop for Natural Resources Professionals in Encinitas, California.
Farm Progress: USDA set to add 30 million additional base acres
By Joshua Baethge
05/22/2026
Landowners will soon receive notices about additional base acres being eligible for Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, according to Richard Fordyce, USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation.
Tri State Neighbor: Back to grass: Focused on conservation, Midwest farmers return cropland to prairie state
By Janelle Atyeo
05/26/2026
Hinrichs and other farmers are trying new things. They’re choosing not to plant their fields to cash crops that require high dollar inputs and bring ever smaller returns. Instead, they’re seeding the land back to the plants that grew before settlers began to turn dirt with plows.
USDA-NRCS: Thanks to Working Families Tax Cuts Act, USDA Invests $65 Million for Projects that Help Farmers Improve their Operations and Conserve Natural Resources through Science and Innovation
05/27/2026
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the availability of $65 million in funding this year for new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands through the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. CIG is supported by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which increased funding for farm bill conservation programs, like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which funds CIG.
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Independent Record: ‘We’re Basically Trying to Mimic Nature Here’
By Thom Bridge | Helena, MT | Northern Plains Region
04/06/2026
The brushy toe is a win for streams, a win for fish and a win for landowners. Earlier this week a group of volunteers, guided by Jeff Ryan, chairman of the Lewis and Clark Conservation District, used the erosion reduction method on a problem bank along Little Prickly Pear Creek northwest of Helena.
Central Illinois Proud: Illinois soil conservation districts face insufficient state funding
By Cameron Maine | Ilinois | North Central Region
05/21/2026
The districts that protect fertile soil and Illinois water are requesting more state dollars as they say they’re severely underfunded. Soil and Water Conservation Districts hold education programs for farmers, identify better farming practices to keep topsoil fertile and ensure that contaminated soil doesn’t pollute the Illinois River.
Mountain Democrat: Tahoe boaters encouraged to ‘Clean, Drain, and Dry’
By Jeff Cowen | Lake Tahoe, CA | Pacific Region
05/22/2026
To protect Lake Tahoe from the harmful impacts of aquatic invasive species, decontaminations continue to be mandatory for all motorized vessels coming from other waterbodies. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Tahoe Resource Conservation District, which manage the inspection program, have strengthened protocols in response to the recent discovery of invasive golden mussels in the delta region of California’s Central Valley.
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel: Little Kanawha Conservation District worried about losing local control over dams
By Brett Dunlap | West Virginia | Northeast Region
05/23/2026
Officials with the Little Kanawha Conservation District are concerned recent legislation will take away local ability to respond to issues involving the district’s six watershed dams. Representatives of the district said they’re concerned about what the passage of House Bill 5364, signed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey on March 27, will mean to West Virginia’s 170 dams as many of the duties handled by the state’s 14 conservation districts will be transferred to the West Virginia Conservation Agency.
Farm Progress: Achieve better grazing with access to water, fencing
By Jason Johnson | Woodburn, IA | North Central Region
05/26/2026
Jeff Pollard, a Woodburn, Iowa, farmer and local advocate for soil and water conservation, is passing along his interest in livestock grazing to his daughter, Jennifer Miler. She’s following in his footsteps as a cow-calf operator. Pollard and Miler are using USDA’s conservation programs through the Natural Resources Conservation Service to help fulfill two main priorities for improving their grazing management systems: access to water and fencing.
Mountain Times: Mission Farm expands river restoration efforts
Killington, VT | Northeast Region
05/27/2026
A large-scale riparian planting project at Mission Farm recently added 523 trees and shrubs along the Ottauquechee River and the flood chute near Mission Farm Road in Killington to strengthen flood resilience and improve wildlife habitat. The effort was led by The Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District.