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.
Successful Farming: What the Government Shutdown Means for USDA Agencies
By Cami Koons
10/02/2025
Nearly half of U.S. Department of Agriculture employees will be furloughed during the federal government shutdown, though key programs that support nutrition, forest preservation and wildfire prevention, the most pressing plant and animal diseases and agricultural commodity assessments will continue.
Farm Progress: 5 reasons to seed cover crops after harvest
By Tony Bailey
10/03/2025
Specialty crops offer unique opportunities to include cover crops in the rotation because they are often harvested earlier. This opens a wider window for a late-summer or earlier-fall seeding in which to establish good cover crop growth prior to freezing temperatures. But cover crops also make sense where corn and soybeans are already harvested. Cover crops offer substantial benefits in a variety of farming systems.
AgWeb: Has Government Shutdown Stalled Farm Financial Aid Package?
By Rhonda Brooks
10/08/2025
While U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week details of potential new federal support for farmers could be released as soon as Tuesday, the announcement didn’t materialize. Furthermore, no announcement is expected this week, according to some media reports.
NPR: The federal government is still shut down. Here’s what that means across the country
By Chris Clayton
10/09/2025
For the seventh time, the Senate voted on an effort to end the shutdown but neither party is budging. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Republicans are feeling pressure to extend health care subsidies that are expiring at the end of the year as part of any agreement. Meanwhile in the House, Speaker Mike Johnson says he isn’t planning on calling his chamber back to Washington, until Democrats are willing to help Republicans fund the government.
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CBS News: Massachusetts cranberry farmers choosing to restore their bogs into wetlands amid economic headwinds
By Jacob Wycoff | Carver, MA | Northeast Region
09/24/25
For Jarrod Rhodes, a fourth-generation cranberry farmer in Carver, Massachusetts, a 30-acre state project is taking a portion of his family’s land back in time. As cranberry prices fall due to global competition and costs increase due to labor issues, higher utility costs and extreme weather, cranberry farmers like Rhodes are part of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration’s Cranberry Bog Program that pays farmers to turn unproductive bogs back into wetlands.
Successful Farming: 270 Acres of Sunflowers Bring Soil Health, Cattle Grazing, and New Markets to Minnesota Farm
By | Minnesota | North Central Region
09/30/2025
Now in 2025, on the conventional side, Cotter is planting a diverse array, including peas, sweet corn, corn, soybeans, and sunflowers. On the organic side of the farm, he is into sweet corn, oats, soybeans, and sunflowers. With all of the combined crops on his farm, Cotter farms about 800 acres, down from 1,200.
Sussex Conservation District advances coastal migration planning
Emily White | Ocean View, DE | Northeast Region
10/07/2025
The Sussex Conservation District has reached a major milestone in its coastal migration planning initiative, a multi-year effort to help landowners respond to the impacts of sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion and habitat loss in Delaware’s low-lying tidal areas.
MSN: How gov shutdown affects $531 million in Helene agriculture relief for GA farmers
By Kala Hunter | Georgia | Southeast Region
10/07/2025
Georgia farmers lost generations’ worth of crops and timber in a matter of hours last year from Hurricane Helene. Last Tuesday, they got the news of $531 million granted in federal relief coming to Georgia, approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But the next day, momentum on money being deposited in farmers’ bank accounts was paused by the federal government’s shutdown.
The Sanders County Ledger: Agriculture lessons include fun activities
By Ed Moreth | Montana | Northern Plains Region
10/09/2025
Also returning for another year were Emily Baker of the Eastern Sanders County Conservation District and Morgan Owens of the Green Mountain Conservation District, who ran “The Buzz on Pollinators,” and discussed the various pollinators, such as bees, bats, moths, hummingbirds, and beetles.