Conservation Farm Plans…



[pic] CA Conservation Planning Initiative

Conservation Farm Plans….

What They Are and Why You Should be Interested

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The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and its previous incarnation, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), have been preparing conservation plans for Napa County farmers and ranchers since 1945. The knowledge and experience of NRCS/SCS professional conservationists, coupled with our support for voluntary and practical conservation solutions, have been our hallmark.

For many years, these plans were prepared as a simple written record of landowner decisions, including a selection of conservation practices needed to conserve soil, water, and other resources. Over the years, natural resource conservation planning has grown in importance for agricultural producers. In yesterdays, conservation farm plans focused primarily on sustained, productive use of the land. Today, plans also help farmers and ranchers to comply with a host of environmental requirements established by county, state, and federal regulatory agencies. These mandates increasingly call for agricultural land users to protect water quality, restore native habitat, and reduce the potential impacts of farming operations on watershed health.

The NRCS - Who We Are & What We Do:

The NRCS is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Agriculture. Our primary purpose, since our founding in 1935, has been to assist private landowners with conservation of our natural resources. We provide that assistance through technical consultative services that we provide free of charge in cooperation with Resource Conservation Districts (RCD) including the Napa County Resource Conservation District.

Conservation Planning

In Napa County, our consultative services generally begin with a basic assessment of your conservation needs and interests. From there (and as needed or desired), NRCS can provide you with an inventory of soil, water, wildlife, and other resources on your land. Following this initial inventory and analysis, we can then provide you with a series of alternative conservation treatments that include cost estimates, mapping, and preliminary engineered or agronomic planning.

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The culmination of our service to you is a conservation farm plan. NRCS Conservation Plans are a private, written record of your management decisions and the conservation practices and systems you plan to use. Carrying out your plan will help you meet your individual management objectives as well as achieve the goal of protecting the environment on and off your farm or ranch. The plan thus becomes your roadmap for better management of your natural resources.

Your NRCS Conservation Plan is a private record of your land use decisions which, unless you desire otherwise, is not a part of the public record.

How We Work

The NRCS can provide its services independently or, if you prefer, we are happy to work with your consultant or other professional service providers to deliver your conservation planning products.

In Napa County, we can provide consultation to assist with mandated conservation needs including erosion control plans for the Napa County Conservation Regulations Program and water quality planning assistance to help meet state-mandated water quality requirements in the Napa River and Putah Creek watersheds. We are also happy to assist landowners and conservation partners participating in the Fish Friendly Farming program in the Napa River watershed through our consultative services and financial assistance programs.

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Conservation Incentives Funding

The NRCS offers several conservation incentives programs that provide cost-reimbursement for landowners applying soil erosion control, water quality protection, and various other watershed enhancement projects to their land. As a part of California NRCS’ Conservation Planning Initiative, participation in these programs is enhanced by having a conservation plan in place prior to financial program application deadlines. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) are the two primary programs we offer on a year-round sign-up basis to landowners in Napa County.

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Other Services

The NRCS also provides assistance to groups of landowners interested in managing and enhancing the resources in their local creek or watershed. We frequently work in close cooperation with the Napa County Resource Conservation District to provide consultation, education, and collaboration assistance with other organizations and natural resources agencies. The RCD’s long-standing Land Stewardship program being carried out in many parts of Napa County is an excellent example of how management of watershed-scale resource conservation issues can be successful when landowners gather together to work toward a common understanding and consensus.

Contact Us:

1303 Jefferson Street, Suite 500B, Napa

(707) 252-4188, ext 101



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NRCS Napa County Staff (l to r)

Carolyn Jones, Agricultural Engineer

Phill Blake, District Conservationist

Chip Bouril, Soil Conservationist

Kelly Gin, Soil Conservationist

The USDA is an Equal Opportunity

Provider and Employer

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