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Science and Technology FAQ'sWhat are the electronic Field Office Technical Guide and the Field Office Technical Guide? How do Practice Standards get into the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG)? What is the NRCS Science and Technology Consortium? What is the Partnership Management Team? Q. What are the electronic Field Office Technical Guide and the Field Office Technical Guide? A. The technical guide is now available online! Go to: eFOTG (electronic Field Office Technical Guide). The NRCS Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) is a compilation of resource information about soil, water, air, plant, animal, and socio-economic resources within each NRCS field office area. It also contains other conservation planning aides, including standards for conservation practices that are applicable for the area served by the field office. The FOTG is divided into 5 sections. Section 1: General Resource References Books, booklets, maps, price bases, crop budgets, and other reference documents that contain information about natural resources and conditions within that FOTG service area. Section 2: Resource Data All data sets that are needed for field office activities, including soils data and interpretations, water quality information, and climatic data. Section 3: Conservation Management Systems Criteria for development of systems, including resource management systems, are included in this section. Section 4: Practice Standards, Specifications, and Supplements Conservation practice standards used with resources in the field office area are included here. Practice standards contain minimum quality criteria for each practice as well as a description of requirements necessary to install the practice. NRCS's state-level specialists add new information as it becomes available. Section 5: Conservation Effects This section focuses on anticipated effects of practices contained in Section 4 on resources that occur in the field office area. Effects observed in field follow-through are also recorded here. FOTG is a continually evolving reference. Because technologies change, and our knowledge of resources grows, the FOTG will never be completed. Our forthcoming SmarTech project will expedite access to new technologies through Web interactive capability. The FOTG is a key conservation element. NRCS's National Planning Procedures Handbook, its technical handbooks and manuals, and the FOTG provide the basic framework for high quality conservation. Q. How do Practice Standards get into the Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG)? A. National level conservation practice standards are published in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices under the auspices of The National Conservation Practice Standards Subcommittee (NCPSS). The Subcommittee is a function of the National Technical Guide Committee. Conservation practice standards undergo rigorous research and public review before they are adopted as national standards. All national standards are reviewed and updated on a 5-year cycle. State Conservationists, through their State technical guide committee, direct which national practice standards are selected for inclusion into the FOTGs for their respective State. Those State-level selections are made considering the conservation and resource needs of the State. Selection of national practices for inclusion does not end the process. Generally, national practice standards are modified by each State to that State's unique resource concerns, State laws, and local ordinances. In addition, State technical specialists or teams develop site-specific practice specifications. In instances where there are resource concerns within a State for which there are no national conservation practice standard, the State Conservationist can authorize the use of a State interim standard. Interim standards serve as a mechanism for field testing new technology. Successful interim standards will be developed into new or incorporated into existing national standards. After all these activities, the practice standards (and its specification) are ready for inclusion in the field office FOTG. It is a process that ensures that the technical guidance within each standard provided is pertinent to field office conditions. Q. What is the NRCS Science and Technology Consortium? A. The NRCS Science and Technology Consortium is supervised by the Science and Technology, and Soil Survey and Resource Assessment Deputy Areas. It encompasses six National Headquarters Divisions, seven Institutes, seven Centers, and thirteen Cooperating Scientists. The Consortium is NRCS's mechanism to acquire, develop, and transfer technology. It provides up-to-date technology, tools, and resource information to meet the conservation needs of NRCS customers. These technologies, tools, and resource information support the understanding of local, regional, national, and global resource challenges, and provide a means to address them. The Consortium is comprised of scientists from a wide range of disciplines related to the conservation of our natural resources, including soil scientists, engineers, agronomists, foresters, economists, sociologists and cultural resources specialists. The mission of the Consortium is to acquire, develop, and transfer technology that meet landowner needs and supports the efforts of people to conserve, improve and sustain the Nation's natural resources and environment. The goal of the Consortium is to ensure technical excellence in NRCS to support field staffs and local decision-makers. Institutes assure that NRCS has leadership and expertise in scientific and technical disciplines associated with natural resource conservation. Institutes are the primary vehicles for technology development, acquisition and transfer within NRCS. National Centers produce specific products (including new technologies) that meet agency needs in carrying out its mission such as soil surveys and aerial photography. National Centers are the chief custodians of the agency's database information. Cooperating Scientists develop specific products and applications related to soil erosion and sedimentation, air quality and agroforestry. They use their expertise and knowledge to accelerate the development and application of technologies by working closely with universities, conservation partners and the Agricultural Research Service.
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Adobe Acrobat. Q. What is the Partnership Management Team? A. The Partnership Management Team (PMT) is a team of scientists and administrators from the Agricultural Research Service, the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service that carry out collaborative efforts for NRCS research needs in reference to natural resources and environmental issues. The vision of the PMT is to coordinate and collaborate on the development of science-based research and information to conserve, improve, and sustain our nations natural resources and environment. The team established a formal partnership in accordance with an interagency Memorandum of Understanding signed on October 2, 2000. The PMT established a research needs-request system, a web-based worksheet, that enables NRCS staff to submit research and technology development needs on a continuous bases. This database of needs is prioritized and communicated to ARS for technical response. The database can be inquired at the website listed below. Some of the benefits of the PMT to NRCS are as follows:
Go to the Partnership Management Team web site for more information. |
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