Hosted in partnership with the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD), NACD's 2024 Annual Meeting will take place in San Diego, California from February 10-14, 2024. Join us for great networking opportunities, speakers, and tours exploring the theme "Operation Conservation!"

NACD and CARCD are excited to announce the conservation tour options for the upcoming meeting! Join us on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 14, 2024 for an array of exclusive tour options. Attendees can choose to add a tour option onto their existing or new registration. Space is limited and spots are given on a first-come basis, so be sure to register soon to lock in your spot on one of these exciting adventures!

• Sustainable Agriculture - Compost, Pollinators, and Wine: This tour will begin at San Pasqual Valley Soils, a compost facility located within San Diego County’s only agricultural preserve. Next, the tour will visit Domaine Artefact, a vineyard and winery in the San Pasqual Valley, that is committed to sustainable land management practices.



• Urban Agriculture in Southern San Diego County: This tour will visit two urban agriculture sites managed by the RCD of Greater San Diego County, beginning at Wild Willow Farm & Education Center, a regenerative farm in San Diego’s South Bay located a mile north of the US-Mexico border. The tour will also visit the neighboring Tijuana River Valley Community Garden, a community garden unique for offering growing space for both individual gardeners and commercial growers.

• Collaboration for Forest Health: For this tour, participants will travel to the mountain community of Julian to visit Camp Winacka, a camp run by Girl Scouts of San Diego County. The site recently had a forest management plan developed and has just submitted environmental compliance documents through the California Vegetation Treatment Program to implement the treatments outlined in this plan.

Register now to reserve your space on a tour and save up to $130 with early bird registration, now through December 22, 2023. Find everything you need to know on NACD's website.

2024 FRIENDS OF NACD

DISTRICT GRANT PROGRAM

APPLICATIONS LAUNCH

NACD is excited to announce the launch of its application period for the 2024 Friends of NACD District Grants Program!

Now in its fifth round of funding, the Friends of NACD District Grants Program is an initiative of NACD’s volunteer board members, who dedicate time to creating and advocating for new opportunities for conservation districts to grow their programs and capacity. The 2024 program will award top ranking applicants up to $2,500 each to conduct new activities or test novel approaches to their operations.

Districts are encouraged to think creatively about how they can use the funds to conduct new activities or test novel approaches to their operations. Applications will be accepted through November 30, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

Past grantees have implemented projects that have helped to enhance their visibility within their communities, reach new clients, and grow their partnerships. Examples include: a climate resilience focused educational demonstration forest project created by Oxford County SWCD, Maine; an educational outreach program to increase invasive species awareness led by the Clark County SWCD, Indiana; the Start Farming Mentorship Program started by the Duval SWCD, Florida; and a recycling bin for agricultural chemical containers constructed by the Butte SWCD, Idaho.

Hear from a few past grantees about their district projects in NACD's latest Conservation Coffee session, available to rewatch here. Learn more about Friends of NACD, the District Grants Program, and find the application and Request for Proposals (RFP) on NACD’s website.

CONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT: NORTHERN MARINA ISLANDS

Mr. Jesus M. Castro was recently named 2023’s Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Conservation Producer. Managing several acres of Saipan’s Kagman Farm Plot - a Division of Agriculture program focused on education and access to specialty crop production systems - Castro utilizes the space to demonstrate trials and train the next generation of conservation growers. He also operates a private small-acreage farm in San Roque where he grows fruits, nuts, root crops, leafy greens, and a variety of vegetable crops for his community.

Both on his commercial operation and at the farm plots, Castro consistently employs conservation practices to assure sustainable resource conditions for the future of the farming systems that CNMI communities rely on. Contour farming, strip/reduced tillage, manual pest control, mulching, nutrient management, and crop rotation are some commonly used conservation strategies throughout his operation in practice and in education. With his farming philosophy based in food sovereignty and resource sustainability, Castro has been designated an elder farmer/producer and is among the first to have grown specialty crops and master their management on the island of Saipan.



When asked about the importance of local foodways, Mr. Castro celebrates that “locally grown produce is freshest, highest in quality, and most nutritious,” while pointing out that “educating our people on local food systems is part of survival.” CNMI and other remote locations heavily rely on importation of foods, further increasing the importance of these small food systems that aren’t so directly dependent on fuel prices, weather, and exporter’s shipping priorities. Through his work with the Garapan Public Market, the Kagman Agricultural Farms and Producers Association, and the Kagman Farm Plot, Castro continues to inspire, educate, and advocate local sustainable food systems and those who support them.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

At the end of September, Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government until November 17. Congress must pass appropriations bills or an additional continuing resolution before that date to avert a government shutdown. 

On October 3, the House of Representatives voted to remove Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House. Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-4) is the current frontrunner for the speakership, but must secure 217 votes to secure the role. The chamber won’t be able to consider or pass legislation until the Republican Caucus elects a new speaker.

Yesterday, USDA announced that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) issued more than $1.77 billion this year to producers and landowners through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP currently provides payments to more than 667,000 participants for voluntary conservation efforts on more than 23 million acres of private land. USDA also announced several improvements to the program. Learn more here. 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS HOLD ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The Association of Conservation Executive Directors (ACED) held their annual conference outside of Nashville, Tennessee, on October 2-3, 2023. Over a dozen states were hosted by Matthew McClanahan, Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts Executive Director. 

The first day of the conference started with ACED’s business meeting and NACD updates from Meg Leader, NACD Director of Conservation Programs, and Marquita Hall, NACD Southeast Region Representative. Following was a round-robin presentation of each attendees’ significant projects. The afternoon featured a presentation from Farm Bureau on the Farm Bill, a discussion of using conservation easements to preserve farmland, and a presentation from Ducks Unlimited. 

The second day was spent out in the field. The morning was spent at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Ellington Agricultural Center where the group toured an agricultural history museum and then Cul2vate, a job training urban farm for those trying to rebuild lives after addiction and/or incarceration. The afternoon was spent at the University of Tennessee’s Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center at Spring Hill. 

While the ACED conferences give attendees a chance to learn about the host state, the strongest benefit of attending is being able to connect with peers who share their unique position and bring home ideas that come from the informal conversations that take place. 

ACED’s next in-person business meeting will be held on Sunday, February 11, 2024 during NACD’s Annual Meeting. All state and territory associations are welcome to have a staff member attend.