NRCS DC Talking PointsAugust 2009 2009Agreements With SWCDs On August 4 NRCS received word that we can move forward with our Cooperative Agreements for 2009 for cost of office space, and that we will receive funding to enter into Contribution Agreements for technical and administrative assistance for 2009.  A letter will be sent this week to all SWCDs about these agreements.  Cooperative Agreements for office space will need to be returned to NRCS by September 8, and proposals for Contribution Agreements for technical and administrative assistance will be due August 14.  NRCS appreciates the SWCD’s patience this year as we have worked through these issues and our budget situation, and is pleased to be able to maintain the commitment to our partnership with the Districts. Programs Update Aug. 15 is the final date for NRCS to obligate program dollars for FY09.  Conservation Stewardship Program sign-up will run from Aug. 10 through Sept. 30, although producers won’t enter into contracts until FY2010. Agriculture Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) Update Two AWEP projects were selected for funding in Indiana, as listed below.  The primary focus of AWEP is achieving efficiency in water usage in irrigation systems and improving water quality on irrigated farms.  The FY2009 sign-up runs from August 3 to August 21, and producers must meet EQIP eligibility requirements. * Southeast Lake Michigan Watershed in Michigan and northern Indiana (St. Joseph River, Kalamazoo River and Black River watersheds):  $500,000 for the Indiana portion of the watershed in FY2009 (29% of the watershed is in Indiana).  * Kankakee Watershed in LaPorte County: $54,000 available in FY2009. Farmer BMP Survey Farmers are adopting best management practices in record numbers, according to a survey just released by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and The Fertilizer Institute (TFI).  Responses were received from nearly 2,000 farmers nationwide representing 2.5 million acres of farmed cropland.  The survey results showed that many farmers are actively engaged in conservation in fact, and conservation tillage was the most adopted practice among row crop producers.  The top messages taken from the survey include: * Having a conservation plan is a key predictor of additional conservation behavior. * More than half of row crop producers who responded to the survey have fully adopted: Conservation Tillage, Nutrient Management, Grassed Waterways, and Integrated Pest, Disease and Weed Management. * Farmers indicated that financial assistance is preferred over education and technical assistance, as related to best management practice adoption.  The top four respected information sources cited are: Cooperative Extension, certified crop advisers, agribusiness, and NRCS. * A positive correlation exists between large farms and adoption of conservation tillage and no-till. The survey also showed that large landowners are more conservation-oriented than small landowners. * About half of farmer-respondents soil test according to state recommendations. Based on this initial nationwide survey, CTIC will be conducting additional surveys that are state-specific, including one in Indiana. The goal of the Indiana survey will be to measure adoption of conservation practices on Indiana farms and to better understand reasons for not adopting conservation. Indiana farmers can take the online survey at: http://www.conservationinformation.org/?action=learningcenter_indianabmpsurvey PII Webinar Information The recorded webinar and associated Power Point presentations from the Indiana Conservation Partnership (ICP) webinar on personally identifiable information is available on the ICP website at: http://www.iaswcd.org/icp/icpwebinarppts.html HEL/Wetland Compliance Publication Indiana NRCS has developed a new fact sheet on Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Compliance issues.  The fact sheet can be used to help landowners understand more about conservation compliance, activities that could affect compliance, and program benefits that could be affected by non-compliance.  This publication, along with other new publications developed this year, is available at http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/intranet/publications_IN_NRCS.html Indiana Conservation Partnership Conservation Programs Tool The Indiana Conservation Partnership (ICP) has developed a tool highlighting all statewide conservation funding opportunities.  A template is also available for local funding opportunities.  This resource is available on the ICP Web Page, under technical resources, at http://www.iaswcd.org/icp/icptecresources.html.  This tool is intended to be a resource for ICP employees when working with landowners, either as a hard copy to bring to the field, or as an electronic resource with 'hot links' to program and contact information.