News Update
May 22, 2014
USDA Provides Assistance to Agricultural Producers to Improve
Water Quality
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced May 21 that $33 million in assistance will be provided to farmers and ranchers to make conservation improvements that will improve water quality in 174 watersheds. The announcement was made on the secretary’s behalf by Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Ann Mills during a Hypoxia Task Force meeting this week in Little Rock, Ark.
“This targeted approach provides a way to accelerate voluntary, private-lands conservation investments to improve water quality and to focus water-quality monitoring and assessment funds where they are most needed,” Mills said. “When hundreds of farms take action in one area — one watershed — it can make a real difference to improving water quality.”
Funding is provided through the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI), administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Now in its third year, NWQI expanded to include more small watersheds across the nation, and it builds on efforts to target high-impact conservation in areas such as the Mississippi River basin, Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes.
With the help of partners at the local, state and national level, NRCS identified priority watersheds in each state where on-farm conservation investments will deliver the greatest water-quality benefits. State water-quality agencies and local partners also provide assistance with watershed planning, additional dollars and assistance for conservation, along with outreach to farmers and ranchers. Through NWQI, these partnerships are growing and offering a model for collaborative work in other watersheds.
Eligible landowners will receive assistance under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for installing conservation systems that help avoid, trap and control runoff in these high-priority watersheds. These practices may include nutrient management, cover crops, conservation cropping systems, filter strips and, in some cases, edge-of-field water-quality monitoring.
Through several different processes, NRCS and partners are measuring the effects of conservation practices on water quality. Edge-of-field monitoring and an NRCS tool, Water Quality Index for Agricultural Runoff, help landowners assess the positive impact of their conservation efforts.
For more information, please view the full release here.
NFU President Recaps USDA Trade Mission to China
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement on his recent participation in a USDA mission to promote U.S.-produced biofuels and other ag products in northeast China:
“I appreciate U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s recent actions to make U.S. ethanol and dried distillers’ grains (DDGs) eligible for USDA Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) support and thank Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse for leading this trade mission. This productive mission revealed two things.
“First, the potential ethanol export market in China is substantial. Demand for ethanol is high, and domestic production meets less than half of their projected ethanol needs. However, in order to meet this demand, it is clear that we must first resolve some government regulatory and environmental issues.
“Second, DDG exports to China will likely continue to be difficult and sporadic until China modifies its biotech approval process so it is comparable to that of the rest of the world.
“Renewable energy drives rural economies, creates jobs and helps to solve our global climate challenges. I look forward to continuing to explore new markets both here and abroad for biofuels produced by American family farmers and ranchers.”
UNL Extension Tractor Safety Courses Offered
Across Nebraska
Preregistrations are due by June 4 for a Tractor Safety/Hazardous Occupations Course to be offered in Gering, Neb.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Extension will conduct the class June 12-13 at Legacy of the Plains Museum. Any 14- or 15-year-old teen who plans to work on a farm other than their parents’ should plan to attend.
Federal law prohibits youths less than 16 years of age from working on a farm for anyone other than their parents. Certification through the course grants an exemption to the law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do field work with mechanized equipment.
Preregister by contacting the Scotts Bluff County Extension Office. Cost is $60, which includes educational materials, testing, supplies, lunch and breaks. For more information, contact the Extension Office at 308-632-1480 or UNL Extension Educator Sharry Nielsen at 308-832-0645, snielsen1@unl.edu. Classes consist of two days of instruction plus homework assignments. Classes are from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day.
For more information, please visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Mark Calendars Now for Texas Section, Society for
Range Management Meeting
It’s not too early to mark calendars for the 2014 Texas Section Society for Range Management Annual Meeting, organizers say. The meeting in Marfa and Alpine Oct. 7-9 will open with a binational U.S./Mexico symposium at Marfa’s Crowley Theater.
“This symposium will feature speakers from both countries who will be tasked with sharing their views on such topics as exotic grasses, grazing management, ranching and government conservation programs,” said John Walker, Texas A&M AgriLife Research director of research at San Angelo and Texas Section president.
Oct. 8 events will be daylong field trips with tour topics including grazing management, rangeland restoration, 2011 fire recovery and a tour of the Big Bend country, Walker said.
The final day’s activities will be at the Espino Center at Sul Ross State University in Alpine and will focus on the region’s history, archeology, geology and vegetation.
“The day will also feature what I believe will be a lively discussion on the future of rangeland education from both the U.S. and Mexico perspective,” Walker said. “We’ll cap the meeting off with an awards banquet at the Granada Theater, followed by music from an outstanding band.
“The last time this meeting was held in Alpine was in 1952, so members and prospective members won’t want to miss this rare opportunity to visit a beautiful part of the state and listen to some top-notch speakers from both sides of the border who want to keep it that way.”
The Texas Section is part of the Society for Range Management, a professional organization composed of individuals with a common interest in the study, management and rational use of rangelands and related ecosystems.
For more information, please visit the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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