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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Soil conservation has always been the foundation of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which for nearly 60 years was known as the Soil Conservation Service. But NRCS is having trouble finding candidates with the right set of qualifications to fill its ranks.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is rapidly staffing up to help farmers with their conservation challenges, and that brings with it the need to train the new employees. However, the agency is finding that many of these new conservationists didn’t grow up on a farm and need help understanding the different types of farming systems they will encounter.
With hundreds of new NRCS employees coming onboard, agency officials must now grapple with how to effectively train up and keep on a generation of younger workers while simultaneously rolling out billions of new farm conservation dollars.
USDA is relying heavily on outside groups and federal retirees to help farmers use the billions of dollars in new conservation funding for climate-smart practices. Based on data provided to Agri-Pulse under the Freedom of Information Act, the Natural Resources Conservation Service now employs about 5,000 people a year who work for partner organizations.
Partnership staff are integral to the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s strategy to meet an expected surge in demand for conservation planning and design work after seeing a $19.5 billion infusion into conservation programs through the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service is up to 11,709 full-time staff, a level not seen in over a decade, amid its efforts to roll out $19.5 billion in additional conservation funding provided through the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service is gaining ground in its fight to recruit enough staff to handle an infusion of additional conservation dollars while staving off the impacts brought on by a seemingly endless stream of retirements and job changes.
USDA is seeking public comment on the implementation of the SUSTAINS Act, which incentivizes the private sector to support conservation programs through matching agency funds.
The Supreme Court's decision overruling Chevron is likely to bolster legal arguments against agency regulations, including environmental and agricultural rules.
Spending for USDA and FDA would be increased by 3% in fiscal 2025 under a bill advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, drawing a sharp contrast with the House GOP version of the measure.
