Conservation Clip List is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what's driving conservation. If you have a relevant submission, please contact your NACD Communications Team.

NACD Blog: House panel hears importance of farm bill forestry programs

As part of an ongoing farm bill series, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry held a hearing on farm bill forestry initiatives. The hearing took a comprehensive look at all the forestry initiatives included in the farm bill – not just those that fall under the forestry title.

NACD Blog: Washington district comes to the rescue providing wildfire resources

As fires wreak havoc across the Midwest and Mid-South, NACD and conservation districts are reaching out to help.

Farm Conservation Funding on the Chopping Block via Civil Eats

From promoting better soil health to conserving critical habitat or improving water quality, Jeremy Peters, head of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), said “NRCS, in its local county offices, the service centers, are the entry point. The local staff help farmers and landowners in identifying conservation concerns and creating conservation plans to help farmers mitigate those concerns.”

Cash Planted Into Cover Crops via DTN Progressive Farmer

Research and promotion of soil health and cover crops got a major boost as the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation announced a $6.6 million national cover crop initiative. The foundation is jumpstarting the research initiative with a $2.2 million grant, which will focus on promoting soil health through the development and adoption of new cover crops across the country.

First U.S. Bumblebee Officially Listed as Endangered via National Geographic

It’s official: For the first time in the United States, a bumblebee species has been declared endangered. Once thriving in 28 states and the District of Columbia, over the past two decades the bee’s population has plummeted nearly 90 percent.

Texas faces at least $21 million in wildfire damages via Times Union

Texas ranchers are facing at least $21 million in agricultural damages from wildfires that blackened more than 750 square miles in the Texas Panhandle. Damages included $6.1 million in lost pastureland; $6.1 million in lost or damaged fencing; $3.8 million in lost buildings; $4 million in livestock deaths; and $1 million for emergency hay and feed.

Rainy end to March cheered by most U.S. farmers, but not all: Braun via Reuters

The United States will close out March under a particularly active weather pattern, and the associated rainfall will be welcomed by many farmers across the country. But not everyone is cheering the downpours.

How To Make Farmers Love Cover Crops? Pay Them via NPR

The number of acres with cover crops in both states is increasing, but at current rates these states won't meet their goals for decades to come. There is, however, a proven way to get farmers to cover their fields. Pay them a lot of money for it.

Agency: California farmers will get bump in irrigation water via ABCNews

Farmers in a vast agricultural region of California will receive a significantly greater amount of irrigation water this summer compared to past drought years — but not their full supply. Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley will receive 65 percent of what they expect from a federal system of reservoirs and canals.

Why More Farmers Are Making The Switch To Grass-Fed Meat And Dairy via NPR

Champions of this type of regenerative grazing also point to its animal welfare, climate, and health benefits: Grass-fed animals live longer out of confinement. Grazing herds stimulate microbial activity in the soil, helping to capture water and sequester carbon.

U.S. sees furious start to the wildfire season via USA Today

Wildfires have charred a whopping 2 million acres across the U.S. so far this year, an area larger than the state of Delaware. It's a gigantic number for so early in the season, roughly 10 times the average and also the most acres burned as of mid-March since 2006.

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