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.
Editor’s Note: NACD will not publish an edition of Conservation Clips next Friday, Nov. 26. Happy Thanksgiving!
NACD Blog: MACD Secures $3M in State Funding for Conservation Districts
11/18/21
This September, the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) secured base operational funding from Michigan’s State Legislative budget for the first time in 12 years.
Southeast Ag Net: NACD Applauds Confirmation of Robert Bonnie as FPAC Under Secretary
11/16/21
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) applauded the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Robert Bonnie as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Culpeper State-Exponent: Farmers urged to apply for conservation funds
11/14/21
Now is a good time for landowners to explore conservation project options with funding obtained through the Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District, the agency announced this week.
Times Herald: Blue Water Conservation District provides farmers, landowners with valuable resources
By Laura Fitzgerald
11/15/21
The Blue Water Conservation District recently received four state grants totaling $269,000 to aid in natural resource management, conservation efforts and general operations.
11/17/21
Examples of this year’s grant recipients include: Lancaster County Conservation District ($223,000) will implement whole-farm conservation on a beef, poultry and crop farm in the headwaters of the Back Run in Pennsylvania to reduce nitrogen pollution; Snyder County Conservation District ($20,700) will develop agricultural plans for farmers in the Middle Creek watershed of Snyder County, located in central Pennsylvania, and increase the number of cover crop acres planted through incentive payments.
The Lewiston Tribune: Palouse Conservation District receives $2.1M grant
By Kathy Hedberg
11/13/21
The Palouse Conservation District in Pullman recently received a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help farmers in dryland cropping regions develop practices to improve soil health.
Ravalli Republic: Watershed Wellness: The ABCs of the Bitterroot Conservation District
By Kent Myers
11/11/21
Since the early 1940s, the Bitterroot Conservation District (BCD) has worked with the citizens of Ravalli County to conserve their soil, water and other natural resources. The specific activities of the BCD have evolved over the years, but its core mission of promoting natural resource conservation has remained unchanged.
North Dakota Ag Connection: Sand Ranch Selected for North Dakota Leopold Conservation Award
11/16/21
“The North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts is proud to be part of the prestigious Leopold Conservation Award in North Dakota,” said Brian Johnston, NDASCD CEO. “We are proud to honor the Sand Ranch as 2021 recipient of the Leopold Conservation Award.”
Agri-Pulse: USDA awards $25 million in Conservation Innovation Grants
11/17/21
(Subscriber Only) This year’s awarded projects increase the adoption of new approaches and technologies to help agricultural producers mitigate the effects of climate change, increase the resilience of their operations and boost soil health.
Red Lake Nation News: Interior and Agriculture Departments Take Action to Strengthen Tribal Co-Stewardship of Public Lands and Waters
11/16/21
During today’s White House Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden announced that the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture have created the “Tribal Homelands Initiative.” This collaborative effort will improve federal stewardship of public lands, waters, and wildlife by strengthening the role of Tribal communities in federal land management.
Wahoo Newspaper: Deadline to apply for Natural Resource Conservation Funds approaching
11/14/21
Farmers and ranchers interested in preventing erosion, improving soil health, conserving water and wildlife, or making any other natural resource conservation improvements to their property are encouraged to apply now for funding available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
ABC10: How no-till farming has seen major benefits during drought conditions
By Carley Gomez
11/17/21
Local grower Fritz Durst is a sixth generation farmer out of Capay Valley. Over the last 30 years, Durst says he and his family have taken a no-till approach to farming.
Thomas Reuters Foundation News: ‘The woods next door’: U.S. community forests take root
By Carey L. Biron
11/17/21
The country is seeing a growing trend in green spaces governed by local residents, bringing conservation, educational benefits and income to urban and rural communities
KUOW: During fire season, one family learns to save trees, you must cut some down
By Courtney Flatt
11/08/21
For six years, the family worked nights, weekends and holidays. They thinned trees, chopped off limbs, and built a home resistant to fire to prepare their property for when the flames would come.
Deseret News: The West-wide drought and the struggles of Idaho, Utah
By Amy Joi O’Donoghue
11/15/21
Snow needs to be on the main menu for states like Utah, Idaho and others in the West to help them counter the effects of a vicious drought that shut down boat ramps across reservoirs, led to an early end of outdoor watering and yellowed lawns.
CBS News: Drones help restore forests destroyed by wildfires
11/16/21
Millions of acres of U.S. forestland go up in smoke every year due to wildfires, in some cases leaving nature struggling to regenerate. CBS News’ Anthony Pura shows us how drones are now being used to restore those areas.
KTVZ: State directs $400,000 to boost Crooked River watershed fish passage, bring back beavers
By Noah Chast
11/12/21
He said bringing back native plants will prevent erosion, create extra shade to keep the water cooler for redband trout, and eventually bring back the state’s official animal.
WRCB TV: Local organizations begin effort to save grasslands in southeastern United States
By Clay Smith
11/12/21
On Saturday, November 6, 26 native species were planted at Heritage Park in Chattanooga in an effort to begin replenishing grassland areas within the city.
Agri-Pulse: Agri-Pulse poll: Climate change concerns many farmers, but carbon payments far too low
By Philip Brasher
11/17/21
(Subscriber Only) A majority of U.S. farmers are at least somewhat concerned about climate change, and nearly half are using or considering practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new Agri-Pulse survey of U.S. farmers. But getting most farmers to participate in carbon markets will require payments of at least $40 an acre, far more than they currently earn, according to the online poll conducted by Aimpoint Research.
By Rachel Ramirez
11/17/21
Rising summer temperatures could lead to an exponential increase in the number of wildfires and acres burned in the Sierra Nevada in California, researchers have found.
Alabama NewsCenter: Federal grant will support urban agriculture and community gardens in Birmingham
By Michael Sznajderman
11/15/21
A federal grant will provide a big boost to a new program spearheaded by Jones Valley Teaching Farm that’s designed to help expand the local food system and nurture community farming in Birmingham’s urban neighborhoods.
The Washington Post: Keeping carbon in check: Carbon farming to address a changing climate
11/15/21
(Subscriber Only) Every aspect of our climate — including temperature, sunlight, rain and wind — is important to agriculture.
The Mercury News: ‘The right thing to do’: North Coyote Valley will be preserved as open space and farmland
By Maggie Angst
11/16/21
The San Jose City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved a series of land use changes meant to indefinitely protect the bulk of North and Mid-Coyote Valley from major development. As part of the vote, city leaders rezoned 314 acres of remaining undeveloped land in North Coyote Valley from an industrial park designation to agricultural.
OPB: Fall rains can’t undo pains of drought in Oregon and Washington
By Emily Cureton
11/18/21
Withered crops and puny livestock; dead fish and swarming insects; laid off workers, shriveling economies, and rural homes stranded without running water — these are just some of the calamities unleashed by a historic drought affecting all of Oregon and parts of Washington.
Iowa Public Radio: Iowa farmers received $83 million in conservation assistance this year
By Kendall Crawford
11/12/21
Iowa farmers used a record of $83 million dollars in conservation assistance this fiscal year, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service in a report this week.
EurekAlert!: New guidebook supports healthy soil policy-making
11/12/21
The Center for Business and the Environment at Yale’s Regenerative Agriculture Program has developed a guide that provides practical advice for people interested in developing community-driven, state-level soil health policy and programs.
KRDO: A Water Crisis: Colorado agriculture facing changes as drought continues
By Bart Bedsole
11/15/21
An estimated 40 million people rely on water that originates in the Colorado River Basin, but the river can no longer keep up with demand, and it’s raising serious questions about the future of water in the west.
The Monroe News: $4 Million grant awarded to Michigan fruit, vegetable growers
By Dean Cousino
11/13/21
Michigan will receive more than $4 million in federal funding to support specialty crop growers who produce fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, hops, nursery plants and flowers, said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-MI, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.