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»Livestock Producer Day
Posted Local at Oct 05, 2010
By Tim Huether
More than 40 area agriculture producers and ag related businesspersons took in the Livestock Producer Day set up by the Badlands RC&D Council, in conjunction with the NRCS and Bennett County Conservation District last Wednesday, Sept. 29. Butch Fanning hosted the event and led the tour of his property.
Sandy Huber talked about Conservation Planning, showing the nine basic steps to planning.
The first step is to identify problem that may exist on your property. Planning can start with a problem, an opportunity, shared concerns, or a perceived threat. Initial opportunities and problems are first identified based on readily available information provided by the client(s).
After that, determine your objectives for your needs. Inventory resources you will need. In this step, appropriate natural resource, economic and social information for the planning area is collected. The information will be used to further define the problems and opportunities. It will also be used throughout the entire process to define alternatives and to evaluate the plan.
Next, analyze resource data. Study the resource data and clearly define existing conditions for all of the natural resources, including limitations and potential for the desired use. This step is crucial to developing plans that will work for a landowner and their land. It also provides a clear understanding of the baseline conditions and will help to judge how effective a project is after it has been put into place.
Formulate alternatives: The purpose of this step is to achieve the goals for the land, by solving all identified problems, taking advantage of opportunities, and meeting the social, economic, and environmental needs of the planning project. With NRCS conservation planning, we often can help landowners formulate alternatives based on cost-sharing programs that help offset the financial expense of implementing conservation practices.
Next, evaluate the alternatives to determine their effectiveness in addressing the clients problems, opportunities and objectives.
Now, Implement the plan. Technical assistance is provided to help with the installation of adequate and properly-designed conservation practices. At this point in NRCS conservation planning, our conservation engineers step in and make designs based on our technical standards. Also, assistance is given in obtaining permits, land rights, surveys, final designs, and inspections for structural practices.
The final step is to evaluate the plan. Conservation planning is an ongoing process, that continues long after the implementation of a conservation practice. By evaluating the effectiveness of a conservation plan or a practice within a plan, stakeholders can decide whether to continue with other aspects of an overall area-wide plan.
Huber said they can do things such as cost sharing on wells and fencing, possibly up to 75 percent.
She said some programs will help pay for seeding, tree, pumps and fabricated wind breaks, but cautioned, you must get your applications in on time. She said you must also follow the NRCS standards and specifications for your plan.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program deadline is November 12 and the Conservation Stewardship Program deadline is in December.
For more information or information on other conservation programs, contact the NRCS office at 685-1239, Ext. 3.