Tag: conservation

A New Chapter at the Iowa LICA Farm

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by LICA-National
A New Home for Year-Round Learning

For more than two decades, the Iowa LICA Conservation and Demonstration Farm has provided a place where visitors can see conservation work in action.

Located near Melbourne, Iowa—approximately 15 miles from Marshalltown and 60 miles from Des Moines—the 80-acre property was purchased in 2000. Since then, Iowa LICA has developed the farm into a working educational site where contractors, agencies, students and members of the public can learn how conservation systems are constructed and how they perform over time.


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Senate Farm Bill Discussion Draft Introduced

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by LICA-National

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman(R-AR) last week unveiled a “farm bill 2.0” discussion draft with the intent of encouraging input from Senators both off and on the committee in the hope of producing a comprehensive bill with wide support that can be quickly passed before summer recess begins.


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Secretary Rollins Names NRCS Chief

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by LICA-National

Agriculture Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the appointment of Audrey Bettencourt to lead the department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Bettencourt is a third-generation California farmer and most recently served as the Global Director of Government Relations and External Affairs at Netafim, an international company specializing in irrigation technology. Among other positions, Bettencourt previously served as President and CEO of the Almond Alliance of California, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior during the first Trump Administration, California State Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency, and Executive Director of the California Water Alliance.


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Bipartisan Bills Introduced to Address TSP Shortages

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by LICA-National

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources, alongside U.S. Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, introduced legislation to address the shortage of Technical Service Providers (TSPs) who help producers access USDA conservation programs through one-on-one assistance. This bill expands on the framework first envisioned in the 2018 Farm Bill. U.S. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Jim Baird (R-Ind.) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.


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In Case You Missed It – Congress Approves Increased Funding for Conservation

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by LICA-National

The fiscal year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations package, which includes considerable increases to conservation investment, was signed into law last month by President Biden. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, as well as President Biden, for recognizing the importance of conservation and environmental protection programs and is pleased to see the package includes increased funding for these crucial programs.


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Coalition Urges Funding for Ag Conservation and Technical Assistance

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by LICA-National

The National Association of Conservation Districts and a coalition of 165 leading agriculture, conservation and wildlife groups sent a letter to Congress urging them to ensure that the proposed $28 billion investment into U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agriculture conservation programs and conservation technical assistance remains in the final budget reconciliation package.


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“Turn-Key” Assistance for Conservation Drainage Practices Offered for Eligible Farmers in Select Minnesota Counties

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by LICA-National
Farmers in 41 southern Minnesota counties, who have well-functioning tile drainage systems on cropland, may be eligible for timely, “turn-key” assistance with the planning, design, and installation of conservation drainage practices. Conservation drainage practices include drainage water management, denitrifying bioreactors, and saturated buffers to manage tile water for increased crop yields, efficient use of nutrients, and improved water quality. The 41 select southern Minnesota counties are those south of the Mississippi River, west of the eastern Sterns County line to the South Dakota state line, but excluding the karst topography counties in southeastern Minnesota.

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