Soils, climate change, pollinators, and the 2014 Farm Bill conservation programs were among the topics addressed at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention by James Tillman, southeast regional conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Tillman says NRCS has been very active in protecting pollinators, and honeybees in particular. “NRCS is working with five states – South Dakota, North Dakota, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin – working with private landowners and helping them increase pollinator habitat and thus increase their production,” he said during an interview at Trade Talk.
Because of the impacts of climate change, Tillman says NRCS is actively engaged in maintaining and improving soil health. “A healthy soil increases water holding capacity,” he said. “As a result, less water flows downstream, less flooding.”
Tillman stressed the importance of the agricultural media to get information out to farmers and other landowners about conservation programs that are available. “It was really made a positive impact on getting folks through the door, our numbers have really gone up,” he said.
You can listen to my interview with James here: [wpaudio url=”http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nafb/nafb14-nrcs.mp3″ text=”Interview with James Tillman, USDA-NRCS”]
