The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants landowners to know the 2022 Soils Planner is now available. USDA’s Soil and Plant Science Division notes it is a highly educational, calendar-style planner and is provided free to the public while supplies last. Individual copies can be ordered from the NRCS Distribution Center website at nrcspad.sc.egov.usda.gov. Enter the keyword “planner” …
USDA Launches First Phase of Soil Carbon Monitoring Efforts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced they will invest?$10?million?in?a new initiative to sample, measure, and monitor soil carbon on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres. The investment seeks to better quantify the climate outcomes of the program. USDA says CRP is an important tool in the Nation’s fight to reduce the worst impacts of climate change facing our farmers, …
NRCS Providing Support for Urban Farming
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been assisting urban farmers for over 10 years. Since 2010, NRCS state offices have provided more than $18 million to 130 entities in the form of grants and agreements to support urban agriculture and conservation projects. From 2014 to 2019, NRCS completed more than 18,000 conservation practices totaling $41 million on urban farms …
Warming Garden Soil
Today, Cathy Isom provides some tricks to help warm up your garden soil for early planting. As spring begins and that feeling of sunshine and warmth occasionally pops in for a visit or two, it may be difficult to resist getting some plants in the garden. To make sure the soil temperature is ready when it’s time for sowing, there …
Maintaining Three Main “Food Groups” for Healthy Plants
The best food for your house plants. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. To keep your plants happy and healthy, you must remember to feed them. And, the right diet can mean the difference between a plant that thrives or a plant that dies. If you have a flourishing indoor garden, you know that plants need three main …
UF Scientist Finds Way to Reduce Greenhouse Gas in Soil
(UF/IFAS) — When soil gets saturated with water, the ground can produce nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that depletes the ozone, that the layer protects plants and animals on Earth from harmful ultraviolet light. For context, nitrous oxide is 310 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas that’s harmful to the ozone layer. That’s why it’s important to …
Duval Soil and Water Full Board Meeting via Zoom Coming Up
(USDA/NRCS/FL) — The Duval Soil and Water Conservation District Full Board will meet on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at 3:30 p.m. at the Duval Agricultural Extension Office, 1010 N. McDuff Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32254. This meeting will be held via Zoom teleconference. At this time the Extension Office is open only at limited capacity. Public participation is encouraged, but members …
Conservation Efforts Continue on Florida’s Farms, Ranches Amid Pandemic
(USDA/NRCS/FL) — USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Florida continued its conservation work across the state despite a year marked with a pandemic and natural disasters. The agency helped farmers, ranchers and forest landowners implement conservation practices to help conserve natural resources and boost their bottom lines. Additionally, NRCS launched new online tools that increased the efficiency, effectiveness and delivery of crucial …
When is a Weed Not a Weed?
Reclamation and restoration plantings are usually developed with the goal of establishing a stable plant community. To determine what species may perform well in an area, land managers can refer to nearby reference sites or an Ecological Site Description. However, many restoration sites may not have the capability to support the species present in an undisturbed reference area. Plant species return to …
Alabama SWCC on Installation of Irrigation Pivots
Early last year, the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (SWCC) worked with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University to identify watersheds that would have funding priority for new irrigation systems. Dr. William Puckett, Alabama SWCC executive director, told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman contracts have been signed and pivots are being …