| 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.
USDA: At White House Tribal Youth Summit, USDA Announces New Resources to Empower Native American Young People At the 2023 White House Tribal Youth Summit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers new resources to inspire Native American youth to explore Indigenous foodways and knowledge and highlight career paths at USDA and beyond. These efforts are part of USDA’s commitment to empowering tribal self-determination and bringing Indigenous perspectives into agriculture, food, and nutrition.
NPR: Farmers want more money for crop support programs included in Farm Bill As Congress negotiates a new farm bill, some are hoping for higher subsides to help save farms hurt by low crop prices or poor harvests. Others argue the backstops are a waste of taxpayer funds.
Agriculture Dive: USDA takes action to ‘level playing field’ for poultry farmers The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday released a host of steps the agency is taking to enhance competition in farming, including a new rule that would require poultry companies to more clearly lay out contract terms to those who raise their chickens.
Agriculture Dive: The fresh produce industry is more volatile than ever. Can tech help? (Opinion) The fresh produce industry is one of the most vital sectors in the world — responsible for providing nutritious food to a world predicted to reach 10 billion people by 2050, all while supporting the economies of rural communities worldwide. However, it’s also one of the most volatile sectors, with supply chain disruptions caused by climate change, pandemics and civil unrest worsening every year. Addressing these two competing challenges will require the industry to transform the way it does business.
The Washington Post: Invasive tick species is expanding its reach in U.S., researchers say Since 2017, researchers have watched as Asian longhorned ticks, an invasive species not usually found in the Western Hemisphere, have spread across the United States. Now, researchers are using the gruesome deaths of three cows in Ohio to sound the alarm about the parasitic arachnids.
Brownfield Ag News: Farm Bill Extension Included in House Package U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has introduced a two-step continuing resolution that would prevent a partial government shutdown and extend the farm bill through next September.
USDA: USDA Invests Nearly $28M to Support Beginning Farmers and Ranchers The U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced an investment of $27.9 million across 45 organizations that teach and train beginning farmers and ranchers, including programs for U.S. veterans who are entering into agricultural careers and starting new farming businesses.
Investigate Midwest: Conservation programs offer solutions to climate threats, but are vastly underfunded The Biden administration has called such USDA conservation programs a “linchpin” in the nation’s climate strategy, yet they remain vastly underfunded.
Agriculture Dive: The food industry is all in on regenerative agriculture. Can farmers be convinced? In response to the rising crisis of soil degradation and excess carbon in the atmosphere, companies in the agricultural sector are attempting to offer a twofold solution: storing carbon in soil. Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Massachusetts team wins international Envirothon competition Earlier this year, the team from Lexington took first place at the 36th annual Massachusetts Envirothon, a state-wide competition where high school teams are tested on their knowledge of the environment. After some special studying sessions in the Envirothon focus areas—wildlife, aquatics, soils, and forestry—the Bay State teens traveled to New Brunswick to compete in the international challenge. The five-member team claimed first place out of fifty other groups from across the U.S., Canada, China, and Singapore.
Coast TV: Sussex Conservation District Native Tree Giveaway: 200 Trees Claimed in Under 30 Minutes There was impressive turnout in Georgetown on Thursday as the Sussex Conservation District hosted the inaugural “Trees for Every Delawarean Initiative” (TEDI) Native Tree Giveaway.
Farm Progress: Beginning farmers, ranchers face challenges In Nebraska, the 2017 Census of Agriculture numbers showed 46,000 farms and ranches, of which less than 10,000 included a new or beginning producer as a principal operator. The smaller percentage in Nebraska relative to the nation helps illustrate some of the challenges facing beginning farmers and ranchers and some of the push for policies that support them.
Politico: California farmers are reeling from loss of powerful congressional allies California’s agricultural industry – the nation’s largest food producer — is fighting for its political future.
Associated Press: There’s another wildfire burning in Hawaii. This one is destroying irreplaceable rainforest on Oahu A wildfire burning in a remote Hawaii rainforest is underscoring a new reality for the normally lush island state. The flames wiped out irreplaceable native forestland that’s home to nearly two dozen fragile species.
Dakota News Now: 3 SD projects receive a combined $51 million for climate-smart agriculture A land trust, state university and conservation group will receive a combined total of $51 million in federal funding to incentivize “climate-smart” agriculture in South Dakota.
Farm Progress: Conservation good for water quality and can improve bottom line Erin Ogle, project coordinator with the Taylor County Soil and Water Conservation District, has been working on the Southern Iowa Land Use Conservation Project since it began in 2016 and was instrumental in helping expand the program to Page County participants in 2021.
Morgan County Citizen: Damon Malcom Named 2023 Morgan County Conservationist of the Year The Piedmont Soil and Water Conservation District recently held its 62nd Annual Conservationist of the Year Banquet at Rock Eagle, where Morgan County’s Damon Malcom took home the 2023 award.
Maryland DNR: Invasive Plants in Your ‘Backyard’ Perhaps one of the biggest efforts we undertake to conserve this rare habitat is invasive species management. We use a variety of methods, such as hand pulling and cutting, girdling trees, and careful use of herbicide, in addition to prescribed burns.
University of Michigan: Diverse forests hold huge carbon-storage potential, as long as we cut emissions, study shows New research suggests that a realistic estimate of additional global forest carbon-storage potential is approximately 226 gigatonnes of carbon—enough to make a meaningful contribution to slowing climate change.
Colorado News Line: Colorado squeezing water from urban landscape Like weekly haircuts for men, a regularly mowed lawn of Kentucky bluegrass was long a prerequisite for civic respectability in Colorado’s towns and cities. That expectation has begun shifting. A growing cultural norm blesses a broader range of respectable landscapes, which require not much more water than what occurs naturally across most of Colorado. Denver, for example, averages 15.6 inches annually.
RFD TV: Cultivating Passion: This first-gen Louisiana farmer is working with the NRCS to inspire ag’s next-gen To first-generation Louisiana farmer Warner Hall, agriculture is a passion — not just his career. Hall finds pleasure in being outdoors, engaging in exercise, and putting food on the table. Now, running a successful small vegetable operation of his own, Hall also dedicates some of his time to helping educate young minds about farming. |