USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Dave White today announced a partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to improve water quality, wildlife habitat and soil productivity. The partnership brings together $10 million of NRCS funding with an additional $10 million or more in private funds through NFWF to increase technical assistance in priority areas.

"We are excited about this partnership," White said. "This effort is an innovative approach for stretching the public dollar further, engaging the private sector to tackle shared priorities, and employing local conservation professionals to help wildlife and sustain agriculture."

NFWF is managing the Conservation Partners effort as competitive grants to increase 'boots on the ground' in priority areas. Non-federal specialists such as biologists, ecologists, foresters and rangeland specialists will work with NRCS field offices to provide technical assistance to participating farmers, ranchers and other landowners and managers.

The first of several funding opportunities for the Conservation Partners grants is underway and pre-proposals are due by March 13, 2012. Grant awards to selected proposals will range from $50,000 to $250,000. Priority for funding will be directed to proposals that target species and ecosystems of shared interest between NFWF and NRCS. Some of the funds for the effort are targeted to provide technical assistance on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land.

This first funding round prioritizes the Northeast Forests, Upper Mississippi River Basin, Gulf Coast and Prairie Pothole regions. A second round of funding is scheduled for this spring to focus on the Lesser Prairie Chicken, the Bay Delta and other priority habitat areas. The Conservation Partners effort is also helping to accelerate conservation initiatives in the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes and Long Leaf Pine habitats.

Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, educational institutions, tribal governments, and state or local units of governments. Individuals, federal agencies and for-profit firms are not eligible for NFWF Conservation Partners grants. For more information about the grants you can join a webinar on February 23, or visit NFWF's web site for sign-up details. All applications must be submitted online through the Easygrants system.

The US Dept. of Agriculture has released its first new plant hardiness zone map in 22 years.  The map shows changes of 5 degrees F warmer per half zone through much of the nation since 1990.  The new map is based on more data from more weather recording stations. And they were processed by a special mathematical formula that takes into account features of the landscape, such as mountains, large bodies of water, urban areas, which cause sometimes heat islands. And it was recorded over a longer period, thirty rather than fifteen years.
 
The map also shows where plants would be exposed to severe winter conditions and temperatures.  With more than eighty million gardeners in the United States, many of them will use this as a reference as will landscape architects and plant breeders. The USDA Risk Management Agency will use these data for certain crop insurance parameters. One application is being able to forecast the spread of weeds or insects that might endanger agriculture.

The new map is much more accurate than older ones because the use of new computerized technology is more precise than the prior maps, with precision to about a half mile square.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation 2011 Agriculture Survey of the American public found that Farm Bill conservation programs are important to Americans.  Moreover, a majority of Americans do not favor cutting conservation programs that prevent pollution and other environmental problems because these programs actually save money in the long run.

Bruce Knight’s latest   AgriPulse   advice to landowners is that “as you’re planning for spring planting and fall harvest, don’t forget to include conservation on your planning list.” In his   “Planning for Planting - and Conservation” column , Knight calls conservation “an investment for future productivity.” He says landowners need to sign up ASAP since deadlines are coming up soon, particularly for EQIP, CSP and Conservation Innovation Grants. Knight points out that “All NRCS programs are designed to promote voluntary conservation practices on private working agricultural lands that also benefit the public.”

Live webinar Feb 22, 2012 12:00 pm US/Eastern sponsored by NC Cooperative Extension, Texas Agrilife Extension and Southern Region Extension Forestry - to give landowners, foresters, and other land managers a detailed and clear understanding of timber tax basis, a deduction that many landowners struggle with after timber sale or loss of timber from fire, theft or storm. Proper and timely establishment of your timber basis is an important step in saving taxes, time, and hassle.  Presenters/Authors:
Dr. Linda Wang, National Timber Tax Specialist, USDA Forest Service
Dr. John Greene, Research Forester, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service




Quapaw Canoe Company has been selected as the 2011 Business of the Year  by the  Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi .   And no wonder, aside from leading fabulous canoe trips along the Mississippi River, John Ruskey and his Mighty Quapaw River Guide Apprentices have also developed Wild Miles and the  Lower Mississippi Mississippi River Foundation.  They are partners in Friends of the Sunflower River, the Save Buck Island Campaign, the 1Mississippi Project and the Lower Mississippi River Water Trail.

While Congress continues to debate a payroll tax cut extension, it appears that the enhanced easement incentive will expire at the end of this year. Landowners and land trusts for whom the enhanced deduction is essential should do whatever they can to ensure their easements are recorded by December 31.

 

290 Co-sponsors, Opportunities for Retroactive Renewal Early Next Year

 

This expiration comes despite a remarkable year-end push that secured an additional 24 co-sponsors for H.R. 1964, the bill to make the incentive permanent. That brings support to a record 290 co-sponsors, including 32 out of 37 members of the House Ways & Means Committee. See the full list.

The Gulf of Mexico Initiative (GoMI) is designed to help producers in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas improve water quality and ensure sustainable production of food and fiber.  The initiative is part of the strategy released by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force on Dec. 5, 2011.  The Strategy is the first restoration blue print ever developed for the Gulf to include input from states, tribes, federal agencies, local government and thousands of citizens and organizations across the region.

GoMI will deliver up to $50 million in financial and easement assistance over 3 years in 16 priority watersheds. Assistance will help producers apply sustainable agricultural and wildlife habitat management systems that maintain agricultural productivity; avoid, control, and trap nutrient runoff; and reduce sediment transport. GoMI also will reduce current over-use of water resources and prevent saltwater from entering the habitats of many threatened and endangered species.  Download the NRCS Document Here.(11 MB PDF)

Private Landowner Network (PLN), brought to you by the Resources First Foundation, provides a simple and effective means for landowners to connect with qualified, often local, professionals to navigate the complex ins and outs of real estate transactions, tax and estate planning, and regional land conservation activities. The PLN yellowpages provides folks out there who are in the business to help you fulfill your conservation objectives. Learn more about us »

WASHINGTON, December 8, 2011—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced USDA has published the Final Rule implementing the 2008 Farm Bill provisions to better protect livestock producers and poultry growers under the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).

"As I travel throughout the countryside, I often hear from farmers and ranchers about their concerns with the marketplace becoming more concentrated," Secretary Vilsack said. "While concentration certainly comes with some efficiencies, Congress recognized in the 2008 Farm Bill that additional protections for producers are warranted. Today's rule will implement these targeted protections and help provide more fairness and transparency in the marketplace."

The provisions being finalized by the Department today were required by the 2008 Farm Bill and have been modified from the June 22, 2010 proposed rule. These sections include criteria the Secretary may consider when determining whether a live poultry dealer has provided reasonable notice to poultry growers of any suspension of the delivery of birds, when determining whether a requirement of additional capital investments over the life of a poultry growing arrangement or swine production contract constitutes a violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act and when determining if a packer, swine contractor, or live poultry dealer has provided a reasonable period of time for a grower to remedy a breach of contract that could lead to termination of a production contract.

The rule also includes a section requiring contracts that require the use of arbitration to include language on the signature page that allows the producer or grower to decline arbitration and provides criteria the Secretary may consider when determining if the arbitration process provided in a contract provides a meaningful opportunity for growers and producers to participate fully in the arbitration process.

The Department also planned to seek additional public comment on several other revised provisions from the June 22, 2010 proposed rule including changes to the tournament system of payment for poultry growers, requirements to collect and post sample contracts and to address the issue of need for producers to show harm to competition prior to asserting a violation of the Packer and Stockyards Act. However, the FY2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill passed by Congress included language prohibiting the Department from moving forward on these important provisions. Despite this setback, USDA and the Obama Administration remain committed to promoting a fair and transparent marketplace.