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.

CSR Wire: New Field to Market Report Signals Increasing Momentum from Food and Ag on Climate Action
09/23/20

Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture released today a report entitled Climate Action in U.S. Agriculture: A Compendium of Field to Market Member Climate Commitments, which celebrates leadership and momentum on climate action while also underscoring how greater collective action is needed to respond to unprecedented challenges from climate-related impacts.

The Herald-Times: Conservation Corner: How do the Conservation Districts affect me?
09/18/20

(Opinion) Last week you read about the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts’ (Districts) mission and the work being done to study the excessive algae growth in the White River. Today, we share the purpose of conservation districts nationwide which is, “To make available technical, financial, and educational resources, whatever their source, and focus or coordinate them so that they meet the needs of the local land manager with conservation of soil, water, and related natural resources.”

Mosco-Pullman Daily News: Palouse Conservation District earns $100,000 grant
09/24/20

The Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Palouse Conservation District with a $100,000 grant to teach water conservation.

Soil Health Institute: New Digital Tool Provides Scientific Data And Curated Insights On Conservation Farming Practices
09/21/20

Scientists from conservation and academic institutions have launched AgEvidence, a visualization dashboard of data from nearly 300 peer-reviewed research papers and curated expert insights derived from those studies. The research compiled in AgEvidence focuses on the environmental and agronomic impacts of cover crops, tillage management, pest management, and nutrient management practices used in growing corn and/or soybean crops in the Midwest.

Vermont Biz: Vermont gets $7 million from USDA for ‘Pay-For-Performance’ phosphorus reduction program
09/17/20

The Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (AAFM) is proud to announce the receipt of a $7 million grant award from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that will enable the Agency to launch a statewide Vermont Pay-for-Phosphorus (VPFP) Program to further expand and support agriculture’s role in delivering clean water results for Vermont.

Associated Press: Efforts afoot to save South’s disappearing grasslands
By Travis Loller
09/20/20

Across much of the South, at least 90 percent of the native grasslands have been lost, the initiative estimates. Despite their diminished range, Southern grasslands are still home to an incredible diversity of plants and animals -- greater than the surrounding forests, which are often a top priority for conservation.

USDA-NRCS: USDA Invests $50 million in Innovative, Partner-Driven Conservation Projects
09/17/20

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced a $50 million investment in 10 conservation projects across 16 states through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). Through these projects, partners will contribute more than $65 million to amplify the conservation work that can be performed on agricultural land and privately owned forests across the nation.

Phys.org: Farmer knowledge is key to finding more resilient crops in climate crisis
09/21/20

In a review paper published in Frontiers in Plant Science, scientists urge the importance of combining the knowledge harbored by farmers of diverse crop varieties—which is often overlooked by scientists—with high-tech breeding done in laboratories.

Phys.org: Tree planting has potential to increase carbon sequestration capacity
09/21/20

USDA Forest Service scientists have published an in-depth study on the value of tree planting as a means of offsetting carbon emissions in the United States. An analysis based on publicly available data from more than 130,000 forested plots in the Forest Service's Forest Inventory & Analysis Program found that fully stocking non-stocked and poorly stocked forests would result in an annual increase of 20 percent in the amount of carbon sequestered by forests.

ScienceDaily: How to get a handle on carbon dioxide uptake by plants
09/21/20

How much carbon dioxide, a pivotal greenhouse gas behind global warming, is absorbed by plants on land? It's a deceptively complicated question, so a group of scientists recommends combining two cutting-edge tools to help answer the crucial climate change-related question.

Growing Produce: Cover Crops at the Center of Search for Sustainable Ag Solution
By Paul Rusnak
09/22/20

A new research project backed by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) aims to dig a little deeper by quantifying the nitrogen cycling benefits of cover crops across different organic vegetable production systems in Florida.

KIMT3: Minnesota's Water Quality And Soil Health Is Threatened By Climate Change
By Annalise Johnson
09/24/20

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Agriculture kicked off a farm tour at the Olmsted County Soil Health Farm. They're releasing two new reports, warning of the impact of climate change on the state.

EurekAlert: Combined droughts and heatwaves are occurring more frequently in several regions across the U.S.
09/23/20

The frequency of combined droughts and heatwaves - which are more devastating when they occur in unison - has substantially increased across the western U.S. and in parts of the Northeast and Southeast over the past 50 years, according to a new study.

ENN: Forest Margins May Be More Resilient to Climate Change Than Previously Thought
09/22/20

A warming climate and more frequent wildfires do not necessarily mean the western United States will see the forest loss that many scientists expect. Dry forest margins may be more resilient to climate change than previously thought if managed appropriately, according to Penn State researchers.

Civil Eats: Are Carbon Markets for Farmers Worth the Hype?
By Gosia Wozniacka
09/24/20

Private markets promise farmers monetization of a secondary crop: carbon stored in the soil. But questions loom about data ownership, consolidation, and increased pollution in communities of color.

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