The NRCS has done us a lot of favors. OK, beyond favors—they have actually given us money to offset the costs of several conservation projects on the farm. So we thought we would return the favor and help them promote Ken Burns’ new film, THE DUST BOWL, which premiers Sunday and Monday (November 18 and 19) on PBS. The film chronicles the man-made ecological disaster in the great plains in the 1930s that engendered the NRCS. In light of the planet’s changing climate, we agree that the story of the dust bowl is “a morality tale about our relationship to the land that sustains us—a lesson we ignore at our peril.”
Posts Tagged ‘Conservation’
Worth Watching
Posted in Farming, tagged Climate Change, Conservation, Ken Burns, NRCS, PBS, The Dust Bowl on November 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Keeping it Clean
Posted in News, tagged Conservation, NRCS on December 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »
The NRCS has given us a grant to install a culvert where our farm road crosses a seasonal stream to help us keep the livestock out of the stream. We are also beefing up our fencing along the stream. This is a shot of one of Kevin Sweeney’s guys putting on the finishing touches.
Soaking up Advice
Posted in Farm Business, tagged Conservation, Environment, NRCS on January 25, 2010| 2 Comments »
I had a really nice visit today from Chad Cochrane, our local District Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. We took a walk in the pouring rain and talked about all our conservation concerns (fencing off a seasonal stream, controlling erosion on a hillside, dealing with soil impact in high use areas, etc.). Chad had some great advice, including which projects might be eligible for funding under the EQUIP program of the 2008 Farm Bill. Whether or not we get the funding, Chad is a great example of what I wish the government could always be: efficient, highly competent, and really out to help us.
