NCPP Perspective From Field Staff

Lincoln County NC

District Conservationist 1989 Soil Conservationist Soil Conservation Service (SCS) District Conservationist

1992 District Conservationist (SCS)

1994 Soil Conservation Service (SCS) became Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

2010 Lincoln County combined with Cleveland County (NRCS)

2016 Lincoln County and Cleveland County combined with Gaston County, Rutherford County and Polk County.

National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA) National Conservation Districts Employees Association(NCDEA) National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils (NARC&DC)

5 Action Teams Communications and Messaging Performance, Outcomes and Accountability Partnership and Leveraging Capacity, Organization and Planning Technical Processes, Tools and Integration Training

Performance, Outcome and Accountability Team (POA) Conservation Planning Value Proposition Landowners or operators, whether public or private, have access to quality conservation planning that achieves their desired outcomes around economic prosperity and healthy ecosystems and society’s broader needs at the regional or landscape level for on farm and off site impacts.

Training Metric Inputs Outputs Outcomes Activities Participation Short Term Intermediate Term Long-Term Partners Inputs Dollars Staff Expertise; technical expertise from outside partners Equipment Time Program Structures (any program) Planning effectiveness   Partnership agreements Certified Conservation Planners (#1 Accountability for quality planning in organization performance plans) Client’s objectives whether financial, environmental, community, regulatory or combination Areawide or Watershed objectives (targeting, regulatory and policy drivers at a scale above the client) Sound BMPs; standards/specs Supply Chain – input from other ag service providers – crop/livestock decisions based on current economic trends, etc. Input costs and effects on conservation practice selection. Quality Conservation Planning, on-farm resource inventory, NEPA and CPA-52; 9 steps of conservation planning Data sharing  Training of planners  Servicing of existing plans (follow up) Marketing and Outreach Farm Business Planning (outside activities but relevant to conservation planning as necessary to achieve economic objectives) Landowners or operators have access to services and engagement with planner Landowners or operators actual involvement in planning process; evaluate resource concerns; having the conversation; relationship building. Underserved clients are aware of access (#6 Planning with Underserved clients) Farm Scale Applied conservation practices Farm operation changes (e.g. rotational grazing) On-site farm benefits – example, soil health, water quality, water quantity, animal health, plant health, air quality Regulatory compliance Economic benefits Farm is sustainable economically, socially, and environmentally Landscape/Regional Scale Multiple clients applying high-priority conservation practices for a certain/like natural resource concern Off-site benefits – example, reduced sediment in waterways, water quality improvements Community trust Landscape/Regional Economic prosperity Healthy Ecosystems Social and intangible benefits De-listing of 303d, endangered species, etc.

Goal Statements Training Availability Baseline capacity and Need 1. Determine training need of eligible NCPP partners. (POA/Training) 2. Determine skill gap based on certification completion rates at each CCP level and the necessary certification required based on employee job title. (POA/Training) 3. Determine if skill gap will be addressed based on employees working on higher certification levels (Training) 4. Determine capacity of available trainings to complete employee certification needs and address skill gap. (Training) 5. Find the geographical spread of training need and the magnitude of urgency. (POA) 6. Determine capacity, efficiency, and effectiveness of instructor cadre base to address training need. (Training – NEDC) 7. Determine need and capability for expanding instructor capacity. (Training – NEDC)

Goal Statements Continued Training Access Baseline Measures 13. Obtain baseline measures to compare time based progress and completion rates. (POA) Potential causes of limited progress 14. Describe whether progress limitations described above are associated with cost, system access (ie eAuth), or system use (ie IDPS) (POA) 15. Describe what slows and speeds the process of system access. (Astor/Mike)

Soil Conservationist going over Farm Plan with Landowner

“ I consider the Soil Conservation Districts movement one of the most important developments in the whole history of agriculture”. Hugh Hammond Bennett