Conservation Clips is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what's driving conservation. These articles are not indicative of NACD policy and are the opinions of their authors, unless otherwise noted. If you have a relevant submission or need assistance with accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.

NACD Blog: California Resource Conservation Districts Lend a Helping Hand
By Kiko Barr
08/31/20

The California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) has awarded COVID-19 Recovery Community Service grants to eight resource conservation districts (RCDs). The RCDs will receive mini-grants of $5,000 each to create positive impact and to support their communities as they deal with the consequences of COVID-19.

NACD Blog: Teaming Up for Technical Assistance in Northern Florida
By Katrina Vaitkus
08/31/20

In northern Florida, where the primary natural resource concerns are water quantity and quality, technical assistance is key to helping producers address those concerns. The Suwannee County Soil and Water Conservation District, through NACD Technical Assistance Grants, has been crucial in boosting technical assistance capacity in the area.

Record & Clarion: Gladwin Conservation District receives NACD grant
09/02/20

On Tuesday, September 1, the Gladwin Conservation District in Gladwin County, Michigan, announced it was awarded a technical assistance grant from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD).

Albany Herald: Flint River Soil & Water Conservation District receives Clean 13 award
09/02/20

Georgia’s leading water protection coalition presented its Clean 13 Water Heroes Award to the Flint River Soil & Water Conservation District for leading the way toward more sustainable agriculture in the heart of Georgia’s breadbasket.

Colorado Politics: 10 conservation districts receive CARES Act money
By Michael Karlik
08/27/20

The Department of Local affairs has awarded nearly $128,000 to 10 conservation districts using coronavirus relief funding from the federal CARES Act.

PennLive: Another 360 acres of new trees slated for Pennsylvania
09/02/20

Focused efforts through county conservation districts to add buffers in the priority counties will produce the most return on pollution-reduction dollars and accelerate the Commonwealth toward achieving the statewide WIP goal for buffers.

AgWeek: Embracing conservation has plenty of benefits
By Sara Wyant
08/30/20

The Conservation Technology Information Center's annual survey report, noted that more than half of farmers who seeded their cash crop into a growing cover crop last year — a practice known as “planting green” — said it helped them plant earlier than they could in fields that didn't have cover crops, according to an annual survey.

Agri-Pulse: Ag lenders need to take conservation into account, report says
By Steve Davies
09/02/20

(Subscriber Only) Agricultural lenders should design their loan programs to encourage farmers' adoption of farming practices resilient to the impacts of climate change, the Environmental Defense Fund says in a new report.

AgriNews: Soil Health Partnership releases Cover Crop Planting Report
09/01/20

The Soil Health Partnership’s Cover Crop Planting Report shows that farmers are using diverse strategies to plant cover crops and a variety of plant species to accomplish their soil health goals.

AgPro: Project Supports Nebraska Regenerative Agriculture
08/28/20

The Nature Conservancy, McDonald’s, Cargill and Target are coming together to launch a new five-year, $8.5 million project aimed at working with Nebraska farmers to advance proven soil health practices to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and help farmers adapt to climate change.

Star Tribune: State urges Minnesota farmers to plant more vegetative cover to fight nitrate contamination
By Jennifer Bjorhus
08/27/20

In an effort to improve water quality, the state agency is urging farmers to try to replace traditional row crops of corn and soybeans with perennials that don’t require tilling, for example, or to grow different plants offseason so they keep vegetation on the ground.

Des Moines Register: Iowa's farmers reeling from a double blow — first the derecho, now a drought
By Philip Joens and Donnelle Eller
08/27/20

The ever-widening drought now encompasses three-fifths of Iowa, the U.S. Drought Monitor's latest map showed Thursday. Nearly all of the rest of the state is considered abnormally dry, with only a few pockets of Iowa escaping both the drought and derecho.

NHPR: Latest 10-Year N.H. Forest Action Plan Focuses On Recreation, Climate Change
By Annie Ropeik
09/01/20

The state is out with a draft 10-year plan for managing its forests, with a new focus on recreation and climate change impacts. 

Capital Press: Western Innovator: Ag engineer battles 'legacy of erosion'
By Matthew Weaver
08/31/20

If climate change model predictions of more intense rain prove true, [University of Idaho Associate Professor and Agricultural Engineer Erin] Brooks said, some farmers could see more erosion, even those who have reduced their tillage.

Delmarva Now: EPA awards $18 million in grants for Chesapeake Bay cleanup projects, some on Eastern Shore
By Julia Rentsch
09/02/20

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will fund 56 new projects across six states and Washington, D.C., in support of Chesapeake Bay restoration, mostly focused on local areas.

Phys.org: Diversifying crop rotations improves environmental outcomes while keeping farms profitable
By David Henry
09/02/20

A new study from researchers at the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University finds that diversifying crop rotations can greatly reduce negative environmental and health impacts, while maintaining profitability for farmers.

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