Partnership Questions

[Teri Murrison]

Please help us reinvigorate the Idaho conservation partnership by answering the following:

Does the state:
1. Help implement Farm Bill programs. If so, how?
2. Receive funding from NRCS? If so, for what and how much?
3. Hire staff to work on Farm Bill programs? If so, how many?
4. Operate other state programs? If so, what and how much?
5. Provide technical assistance to districts for other projects?

Thanks!

[Steven K. Frost]

1. The Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Conservation (DOC) does not directly implement Farm Bill programs. DOC’s state cost-share programs and projects are designed to be complimentary to federal programs. DOC is administering a CREP project (Farm Bill program) which is a federal-state partnership effort to retire water rights in an overdeveloped area of the state.

2. DOC presently maintains both cooperative agreements and a contribution agreements with NRCS for matching and leveraging federal funds which are applied to hiring local personnel for implementing programs and projects.

3. With the limited exception of one staff person partially responsible for the CREP project, DOC does not hire its own staff to directly work on any other Farm Bill programs.

4. DOC administers many diverse state programs dealing with landowner cost-share for conservation practices, watershed dam and water supply assistance, surface mining land reclamation, water conservation, riparian & wetland areas, and support and oversight of local conservation districts. DOC’s current allocations for state programs is about $7.5 Million per year.

5. DOC currently provides financial agreements to 30 conservation districts for hiring of local support personnel for increasing technical assistance in the field. Conservation districts hire technicians which are employees of the districts but provide services to NRCS under their direction. DOC is looking at expanding these types of agreements for other types of natural resources professionals such as soil conservationists or easement specialists.

[Vince Sitzmann]

1. Help implement Farm Bill programs. If so, how?
Yes, we have state staff in the the federal offices that assist with some federal programs.

2. Receive funding from NRCS? If so, for what and how much?
Yes, we enter into different agreements wth NRCS. They help pay for our staff if they work on federal programs. The feds also provide Conservation Districts of Iowa with funds and the state matches it so the SWCDs can hire staff to implement farm bill programs

3. Hire staff to work on Farm Bill programs? If so, how many?
State staff are hired to work on state programs but they also assist with federal programs. The feds reciprocate by working on state programs also. The agreements that we match with the federal funds is enough to hire approximately 50 part time people.

4. Operate other state programs? If so, what and how much?
Yes. The state has approximately 30M in conservation program dollars that run through the SWCDs. We have multiple different programs (approximately 10)

5. Provide technical assistance to districts for other projects?
Yes, any time we get an opportunity to provide assistance to SWCDs.

[Brian Farkas]

1. Help implement Farm Bill programs. If so, how?
No.

2. Receive funding from NRCS? If so, for what and how much?
The only funding relates to small watershed rehabilitation. We had 50/50 employee grants but decided to let them expire.

3. Hire staff to work on Farm Bill programs? If so, how many?
At one time we had agreements for 5 people. Let them expire as they didn’t prove as beneficial to the agency.

4. Operate other state programs? If so, what and how much?
We operate an Agricultural Enhancement Program (AgEP) that provides cost-share dollars to implement BMPs. The program was created to benefit those farmers who didn’t rank high enough to receive NRCS assistanct. We provide $880,000 a year to the 14 conservation districts based on number of farms and farm acres and usage in the district.
We are in the process of drafting legislative rule to create a grant program for projects not covered by AgEP.

5. Provide technical assistance to districts for other projects?
We provide technical assistance through Chesapeake Bay and 319 non-point programs.
We also provide technical assistance on stream restoration/bank stabilization and help residents negotiate Clean Water Act permitting with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and WV Department of Environmental Protection.

[Vernon Cox]

1. Help implement Farm Bill programs. If so, how?
District staff generally help with technical assistance for Farm Bill programs, but it varies by District.

2. Receive funding from NRCS? If so, for what and how much?
The state has a cooperative agreement to hire temp. employees (often retired NRCS employees) to assist with NRCS programs. Our current contract with NRCS is for $2.1M over a 4 year period.

3. Hire staff to work on Farm Bill programs? If so, how many?
We have employed approximately 20 part time or temporary staff over the course of this agreement

4. Operate other state programs? If so, what and how much?
Yes. We have state programs for Ag. Cost Share for non-point source pollution control with annual appropriations of $4.2M, state program for Ag. water resource development (pond construction, repairs, irrigation, etc.) funded at $1.5M per year and a small Community Conservation Assistance Program funded at $200k per year.

5. Provide technical assistance to districts for other projects?
Yes. We have a technical services staff that includes engineers, engineer technicians, surveyors and soil scientist that provide assistance to districts in implementing conservation programs. We also allocate approximately $2.4M per year to cost share with districts in hiring District technical staff.

[Judy Littrell]

1. The New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee does not directly implement Farm Bill programs, but works in partnership to develop standards, promote programs, provide cost share, and open training opportunities for NRCS staff.

2. We do not receive funding from NRCS.

3. State staffers do not work on Farm Bill programs.

4. Our State Soil Conservation Committee, under the leadership of our Department of Agriculture and Markets, operates robust grant programs to get conservation on the land. We have an Ag NonPoint Source, Climate Resilient Farming, State Aid to Districts, Source Water Protection Programs, and our Ag Environmental Management program. These grant programs often times use NRCS dollars as cost share sources.

5. Our State Committee provides technical and financial assistance. More of a partnership effort on the TA.

[Frank Minch]

Does the state:
1. Help implement Farm Bill programs. If so, how?
2. Receive funding from NRCS? If so, for what and how much?
3. Hire staff to work on Farm Bill programs? If so, how many?
4. Operate other state programs? If so, what and how much?
5. Provide technical assistance to districts for other projects?

1. With the exception of the CREP program, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources (ANR) does not directly implement Farm Bill programs.

2. We do not receive funds from NRCS at this time.

3. At one time the Department had NRCS agreements for 12 Conservation Assistance personnel and let them expire in 2016 as they did not prove to be beneficial to the Department. Currently, we have 2 Department employees providing technical assistance predominantly on animal waste management issues.

4. ANR administers the state soil and water cost-share and animal waste management programs and projects are designed to be complementary to federal programs. The state cost-share program is currently funded at $500,000/yr.

5. As the State Soil Conservation Committee is housed in ANR, we are responsible for coordination and oversight. Since most Districts in NJ have a focus on residential and commercial construction regulation, we provide engineering assistance. Agricultural technical assistance is through NRCS. The Department has no allocation of funds to support Districts.

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