United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content






Handline sprinker irrigation germinating crops in Yuma, AZ. NRCS image by Jeff Vanuga.NRCS This Week

NRCS provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.


 Subscribe to NRCS News Lists | NRCS This Week Articles Index | NRCS This Week Archives | Contact Us | Where to Get Information | eNotes from NACD | Events and Activities | Adobe Acrobat Document TSP Express (Requires Adobe Acrobat.)

Focus on the Field

Tennessee Farmer Becomes First in State to Join Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
Dairyman Earl Cruze has become the first farmer in Tennessee to use the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program to forever ensure the preservation of his farmland. Cruze's boyhood home was flattened to make way for Knox County's Forks of the River industrial park. To make sure his three children don't suffer a similar loss, Cruze signed over the development rights to his 425-acre farm along the French Broad River.

Suisun Marsh. Image by the California Department of Water Resources.California District Oversees $3 Million Pacific Flyway Project
California's Suisun Resource Conservation District will oversee a $3 million Federal, State and private project to improve the Suisun Marsh, an ecologically sensitive area between Sacramento and San Francisco that accounts for more than 10 percent of California's surviving wetlands. The marsh is a major migratory stopover and breeding ground for birds along the Pacific Flyway.

Danielle Koester, left, and Kim Breher clear brush at Hartman Reserve in Waterloo. Trey Eason, Courier Staff Photographer.Iowa Volunteers Clear Honeysuckle, Prepare for Prairie Plants
Wartburg College freshmen recently spent several hours clearing the way for some fall planting of several prairie species. The project is funded by NRCS' Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program.
 

Don Hanson, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and David Lewis, A1 Cooperator of the Year, talk to the tour. Image by Debe Walchuk.Woody Plants Highlight Minnesota Forestry Tour
Minnesota's Area 1 Plant Materials Committee conducted a tour of conservation practices for NRCS and district employees, highlighting woody plant materials.  The mission was to observe the results of various site preparation, planting, competition control and deer predation control techniques.
 

Connect to NRCS State News!

USDA Whitten Building, Washington, DC. Image by Ken Hammond.Word from Washington

USDA Provides Additional $1 Million for Hurricane Recovery Efforts in Florida
On September 10, Secretary Veneman announced that an additional $1 million will be provided to help hurricane recovery efforts in Florida. The funds are being made available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection program. The funds will help restore critical agricultural and community infrastructure disrupted by flooding, severe streambank erosion and debris deposits.

 USDA Helps Fund Conservation Technologies and Approaches
On September 15,  Secretary Veneman announced the selection of 41 projects in 29 states that will receive $14,250,000 in Conservation Innovation Grants. Including the cost sharing from nonfederal partners, the total investment in these projects is more than $63 million. The grants will fund the development and adoption of innovative conservation technologies and approaches through pilot projects and field trials.

 NRCS Legislative Summaries, Testimony, and Reports
Timely and accurate information from NRCS Legislative Affairs.

earth team logoEarth Team Volunteer News

U.S. Army logo. U.S. Army image.U.S. Army Joins the Earth Team
Nearly 30 NRCS Earth Team volunteers, including soldiers from nearby Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, recently gathered at the Swedeborg R-III School to help construct an outdoor classroom for this small rural school.
 

Tech Tip

3d Mapper software olgoNew Soils Software Common Computing Environment (CCE) Certified
NRCS soil scientists will be interested in a new development in GIS technology specifically to aid in soil survey digitizing.

 

Explore more NRCS Tech Tips!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). 

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.