(EPA) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded approximately $50,000 to the University of Alabama and $25,000 to the University of Alabama in Huntsville as part of a total of $792,036 in funding for 32 student teams through its People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant program. Each team will receive funding to develop and demonstrate projects that help …
Farmer Certification Program Creates Healthier Landscapes for Bees
(USDA) — Bees are a lifeline for farms producing the world’s fruits, vegetables, nuts and other nutrient-rich foods. Bees pollinate billions of dollars’ worth of crops and play an essential role in our food supply. Pollinators are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat and contribute more than $15 billion to our nation’s crop values each …
AFBF Welcomes Continued Monitoring of Monarch Butterfly
(AFBF) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will leave the monarch butterfly off the endangered species list. The Service issued a “warranted but precluded” decision, which means the monarch will be considered a candidate species for now. The Service will continue to study the species and review its candidacy for listing on an annual basis. “America’s farmers …
Cabinet Eyes ‘Devil’s Garden’ Land Deal
(NSF) — Nearly 6,500 acres of land, with the vast majority in the Devil’s Garden area south of Lake Okeechobee, are in line to be the state’s next Florida Forever conservation deals. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet — Attorney General Ashley Moody, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis — will be asked Tuesday to …
USDA Updates National Conservation Handbook
We told you a couple of days ago U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) had completed and published updates to its set of National Conservation Practice Standards. The national handbook is reviewed every five years and contains some 170 standards for states to use. Kevin Norton, NRCS Acting Chief explains. Norton says USDA will continue to review its conservation practices …
USDA Updates Conservation Standards
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently completed and published updates to its set of National Conservation Practice Standards, which include 58 standards that have been updated or revised since August. According to Acting NRCS Chief, Kevin Norton, those standards cover a wide range of practices including irrigation water management. He notes that USDA’s conservation efforts include a …
Ducks and Gators Forge New Partnership at the DeLuca Preserve
Ducks Unlimited and the University of Florida working together for conservation at the DeLuca Preserve Thanks to the tremendous generosity of Elisabeth DeLuca, more than 27,000 acres of iconic Florida prairie and wetlands habitat have been permanently protected through a unique partnership between Ducks Unlimited (DU) and the University of Florida. The land was donated to the University of Florida …
Coalition Releases Farmers’ Guide to the CSP
(NAFB) — As farmers begin to sign up for the Conservation Stewardship Program across the country, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition released its updated “Farmers’ Guide to the CSP.” As interest grows in farming practices that protect natural resources and reduce the impact of climate change, it’s a good time for producers to explore the CSP. The coalition says this …
What’s Happening on America’s Lands, Soils, and Waters?
(USDA/NRCS) — NRCS You may be curious about what’s happening on the lands across the United States over time. If we didn’t have the data collection of the National Resources Inventory (NRI), we could only guess. NRI collects data on natural resources, soil and water conservation practices, irrigation, and many other farming practices so we can not only know what …
Determining How Effective NRCS Conservation Practices are at Protecting Wetlands
(NRCS) — If you were to travel back in time to colonial America, you would see a much different landscape. Wetlands, those areas where water covers or is close to the soil surface all or most of the year, were much more prevalent on the landscape than they are today. Back then, wetlands were viewed as a barrier to agriculture …