Plan your time in Nashville

With just weeks until NACD’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Nashville, you’ll want to get started planning your week in Music City!

You won’t want to miss out on the incredible speakers, like professional tie-down roper Tyson Durfey, pictured here, who competed in last week’s National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas! Tyson and his wife, country singer Shea Fisher, will provide the inspirational keynote during Monday morning’s General Session, and Shea will be performing at the Appreciation Banquet on Tuesday night. Click here to view the meeting agenda and click here to learn more about the speakers who will be joining Shea and Tyson.

NACD’s Annual Meeting is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the emerging trends and pressing issues in conservation. You can view descriptions of our sixteen breakout sessions by clicking here – these sessions are divided into four tracks: Communications, stewardship and education, natural resources policy and protection, and district operations and member services. Learn more about districts’ successful programs, policies, and services by visiting the District Share Fair on Monday – descriptions of the tables are available here.

On Wednesday, NACD will feature three conservation symposia: The Urban Agriculture Conservation Symposium, which will include presentations from some of the NACD Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant recipients; the NCDEA-hosted symposium on conservation planning and soil health featuring updates from the National Conservation Planning Partnership; and the all-day Agribusiness Symposium, showcasing six case studies by leading industry agribusiness retailers. Click here to read descriptions of the symposia, including descriptions of each of the six agribusiness case studies.

NACD attends state association meetings

Earlier this month, NACD South Central Representative Keith Owen attended the Oklahoma Conservation Commission Annual Partnership Lunch. The lunch, hosted by the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) board, celebrates the year’s successes and promotes the conservation partnership between the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma NRCS, OACD, and the Oklahoma Association of Conservation District Employees.

Pictured here from left to right are: Gary O'Neill, NRCS State Conservationist for Oklahoma; Jimmy Emmons, Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts President; Kirby Smith, Field Representative for Congressman Frank Lucas; Keith Owen, NACD South Central Region Representative; and Trey Lam, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.

NACD CEO Jeremy Peters traveled to Portsmouth, Virginia, the first week of December for the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts’ Annual Meeting. Peters spoke on a partner panel on Monday, December 4 and provided the audience of 400 conservation leaders an update on NACD’s work related to soil health champions, the four soil health case studies NACD published earlier this year, and the Resource Stewardship Evaluation Tool. Peters also recognized Colonial SWCD and Lord Fairfax SWCD, which both received grants in 2017 under NACD’s Urban Agriculture Conservation program.

Welcome to our newest Friends of NACD!

Our newest Friends of NACD - Coleta Bratten of Oklahoma, Bradley Spicer of Louisiana, and Ed Young of Florida – will celebrate the holidays this year with an exclusive NACD ornament.

If you’re looking for something festive for your tree, or if you’re looking for the perfect present, become a Friend of NACD today and you’ll receive a limited-edition Christmas ornament as well! There’s less than a week left to take advantage of this offer – ornaments are only available until December 25 while supplies last.

USDA announces $10 million in Conservation Innovation Grants

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program’s (EQIP) Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) are a great way that the Farm Bill helps drive innovation in conservation. NRCS just announced a new $10 million funding pool to focus on three areas: grazing lands, organic systems, and soil health. Interested in applying for a CIG grant? Learn more by clicking here or by tuning into the webinar for potential CIG applicants on January 11, 2018 at 4 pm Eastern. Grant proposals are due February 26.