NRCS Adds Gypsum to List of Conservation Practices

Kelly MarshallAg Group, NRCS, Nutrient Management

Earlier this week, director of research for GYPSOIL Division of Beneficial Reuse Management, Ron Chamberlain explained the NRCS program to ag writers and broadcasters at Ag Media Summit.  The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has added gypsum to the list of conservation practices, making it possible for farmers in a growing number of states to receive financial assistance to amend … Read More

Precision Ag Bytes 12/18

AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) seeks public comments on its interim rule for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), USDA’s flagship program that helps producers plan and implement 150-plus conservation practices on working lands. The rule – now available on the Federal Register – takes effect upon publication and includes changes to the program prescribed by the 2018 Farm … Read More

Monarch Collaborative Urges Farmers to Build on Progress

Kelly MarshallGovernment, pollinators

We’ve seen progress on behalf of promoting the conservation of monarch butterflies and expanding their habitat, but improvement still needs to be made, says the Monarch Collaborative. The 2016-2017 overwintering population estimates done by the World Wildlife Fund and the Mexican National Commission of Protected Natural Areas show a decline of nearly 27 percent in the number of eastern monarch … Read More

$41 Million Invested in Water Quality for Lake Erie Basin

Kelly MarshallConservation, USDA, water

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA‘s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be putting $41 million into a three-year program designed to help farmers in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.  The initiative hopes to improve water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) with science-based conservation measures designed to reduce runoff. The invested will offer opportunities to farmers and … Read More

USDA Invests in Western Lake Erie Basin Water Quality

Cindy ZimmermanConservation, Nutrient Management, USDA, water

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest an additional $5 million to help Ohio, Michigan and Indiana improve water quality in the western Lake Erie basin. These investments will enable the region’s farmers to reduce the amount of nutrients entering the watershed, one of the sources of disruptive algae blooms. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the targeted funding will … Read More

USDA to Provide $4 million For Honey Bee Habitat

Cindy ZimmermanBees, pollinators, USDA

USDA is providing more than $4 million in technical and financial assistance to help farmers and ranchers in the Midwest improve the health of honey bees, which play an important role in crop production. “The future of America’s food supply depends on honey bees, and this effort is one way USDA is helping improve the health of honey bee populations,” … Read More

New Water Quality Improvement Projects

Melissa SandfortAudio, Conservation, CTIC, USDA

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that $8.4 million in financial assistance is available to support 23 new partnership projects in several Mississippi River Basin states under USDA’s Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI). These projects will fund producer activities that will avoid, control and trap sediment and nutrient runoff from agricultural lands, improving water quality throughout their operations. On … Read More

Conservation Making Improvements in Great Lakes Region

Cindy ZimmermanConservation, Nutrient Management, USDA

A new USDA study shows that farmers using combinations of erosion-control and nutrient-management practices on cultivated cropland are reducing losses of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorous from farm fields and decreasing the movement of these materials to the Great Lakes and their associated waterways. “The Great Lakes Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) study confirms that good conservation planning and implementation have … Read More

Record Setting Conservation in Action Tour

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Conservation, CTIC

The 2011 CTIC Conservation In Action Tour on August 9 in northwest Ohio was one for the record books. “We’re thrilled that we had to add an extra bus,” said one of the organizers of this year’s event, Steve Davis with the Ohio USDA NRCS. “We wanted to show people the agriculture in northwest Ohio, the good work that many … Read More