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NRCS


Conservation Programs Help Woman Rancher Realize a Dream

February 27, 2014 Charlie Rahm, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Missouri

When Ann Whitehead acquired 100 acres of agricultural land near Wellsville, Mo., it gave her the opportunity to fulfill her dream of raising cattle. Since then she has been taking advantage of technical and financial assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to ensure that...

Conservation

It’s Said That No One can Predict the Weather, but Scientists at the Ag Outlook Forum Give it a Shot

February 27, 2014 Wayne Maloney, USDA Office of Communications

Weather…. We all care about it. In many communities, local TV and radio weather forecasters are celebrities, and for good reason. While we can’t do much about the weather, it affects us all every day. During last week’s Agricultural Outlook Forum two sessions drew exceptionally large crowds. One was...

Conservation Research and Science Technology

Soldier-Turned-Farmer Uses Rotational Grazing to Make His Minnesota Ranch Successful & Sustainable

February 26, 2014 Julie MacSwain, Minnesota Natural Resources Conservation Service

Pete Berscheit has wanted to farm since he was five. But with three brothers interested in farming, he didn’t think the fourth-generation family farm in Todd County, Minn. would be large enough to support everyone. So instead of farming, Berscheit joined the Army at 17, where he served for 20 years...

Conservation

Exploring New Options for Agroforestry

February 25, 2014 Ann Perry, USDA Agricultural Research Service Information Staff

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. The language on the 1930s poster for the Prairie States Forestry Project was downright plaintive: “Trees Prevent Soil...

Forestry Research and Science

Grant Helps Farmers' Sustainability Goals, Embrace New Technology

February 24, 2014 Jason Weller, Chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

How can farmers reduce their fertilizer costs, maintain yields, reduce their environmental impacts, and take advantage of a new and emerging source of income? A project funded by a USDA Conservation Innovation Grant is showing how. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded a CIG grant in...

Conservation

Digging into a Farm's History Helps Teach About Soil

February 24, 2014 Genevieve Lister, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Maryland

In the middle of the Broadneck Peninsula in Cape St. Claire sits a part of Maryland history that was neglected until a few years ago. The empty house resting on 30 acres was once part of Goshen Farm, a working farm that nearly covered the entire peninsula. Corn, wheat, beets, buckwheat and cabbage...

Conservation

Developing Solutions for an Off-line USDA

February 24, 2014 Jerome Davin, USDA Office of the Chief Information Officer

As the world’s focus on mobile computing intensifies, several USDA agencies are working towards solutions for technology users in an off-line environment. These agencies are developing mobile applications that allow workers to input and collect data in the field, help firefighters share wildland...

Technology

High Tunnel Initiative Brings Local Foods to Detroit

February 20, 2014 Elanor Starmer, Senior Advisor for Local and Regional Food

On a cold winter day last week, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Garry Lee, Michigan State Conservationist from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), visited Detroit's Eastern Market. They were joined by Malik Yakini, Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food...

Conservation Food and Nutrition Farming

Recent Forecast Shows Limited Water Supply in Westernmost States

February 19, 2014 Spencer Miller, Natural Resources Conservation Service

Limited water supplies are predicted in many areas west of the Continental Divide, according to this year’s second forecast by the National Water and Climate Center of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Right now, snow measuring stations in California, Nevada and Oregon that...

Conservation

USDA Northeastern Regional Climate Hub Gets Ready to Help Producers, Forest Managers, Deal with Challenges

February 18, 2014 David Hollinger, U.S. Forest Service

If you work outside, you care about the weather. But if your business depends on the weather, you should care about the climate. Those of us who have lived in the Northeast for years know that something is up with the weather. It’s more changeable; too wet one month, too dry the next. Spring is...

Forestry
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