The USDA, with some help from our friends at Farm Foundation, is holding a series of forums across the across the country to discuss natural resource conservation policy issues.

The first forum by the Ag Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is this coming Thursday, March 3rd at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois:

The regional forums are opportunities for the public to discuss major policy themes and points of consensus and divergence. At each regional forum, discussion will focus on three board topic areas: water security, climate variability and landscape integrity. For each topic, a panel of invited speakers will present comments, followed by open discussion with forum participants. These meetings are targeted to anyone with an interest in natural resource conservation policy issues.

Input is sought on specific natural resource conservation issues and economic and public policy issues related to agriculture and rural America, including: 1) natural resource status and trends; 2) emerging challenges; 3) emerging opportunities; and 4) long-term impacts on natural resource conditions and food, fuel and fiber production.

After Illinois, there are forums in Cobleskill, N.Y. and Ft. Collins, Colo. on March 10th; Mesa, Ariz. on March 15th; Portland, Ore. on March 18th; and Columbiana, Ala. on March 22nd. These six regional forums will provide discussion for a national conference planned for April 7-8, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

Information from the six regional forums will feed into a national conference planned April 7-8, 2011, at the Marriott Metro Center, Washington, D.C.

Farm Foundation’s website has more information, including the mandatory registration info.