**Human Capital Survey**

**December 2005**

**Question 8A**

Question: What additional skills does the agency need?

Response: open ended

1.  More staff memembers with skills in Conservation Planning.

2.  Needs MORE engineers, and MORE planners, and MORE computer
    genius-types inside the agency, Urban/Community planning skills for
    some areas

3.  It definetly needs to have people skills. Many employees just put in
    their time and really don\'t care it seems about the customers or
    tax payers. Also the agencies like FSA, NRCS, and RD are not on the
    same Page. Everything is program driven, and their still exists turf
    battles. It seems that lots of times each agency does not really
    know or are in tune with the mission of the other agency. It taught
    Service Center training a few years ago, and it does not seem to
    make any difference. Why is it that NRCS didn\'t know about the FSA
    tomorrow plan? Again each agency exists only on their on premise.
    Why can\'t we all get together and come up with a total strategic
    plan for at least the 3 agencies?

4.  NRCS must hire the most qualified people that apply and also people
    that have an agricultural background. Not just someone that fits a
    particular special emphasis group, and has very little knowledge of
    agriculture and the environment.

5.  More technicial skills

6.  technical compentence in the field

7.  There is a need to recognize that one of the basic natural resources
    are

8.  Hihger levels of skills in all technical filds to be on par with
    with private sector resource consultation skills and education, more
    emphasis on advanced degrees.

9.  Less emphasis on technical skills more emphasis on business
    management skills

10. more on the job or training ours applied

11. We need to continue to seeking a diverse job force not only
    culturally but across all natural resource fields if we expect to be
    leaders in natural resources. Admittedly, I do not fully know the
    breadth of technical disciplines represented by our younger
    employees, but we must strive to include as broad a suite as
    possible and not be weighted to heavily to one discipline. We have a
    fair mix of disciplines now, but it could be improved such as more
    landscape ecologists/planners, ecologists, foresters, agroforesters,
    etc.

12. Writing, speaking, managing,

13. More field experience needed by management.

14. More field training for younger employees.Not all work can be done
    on the computer,outside work is part of the job as well.

15. As an agency we are lossing the baby boomers with 30 plus years of
    practical field, problem solving ability. We need to get back to
    puting more employees in the field and fewer behind a desk. I am
    convinced as an agency we can do a better job and make the personal
    contacts with landowners needed to provide them with a quality
    product at a cheaper cost than the private sector.

16. We are always behind the curve on computer application at the field
    level and at the development level.

17. Eliminating unneeded beauracracy. Putting decisionmaking in the
    lowest level of management, closest to the issue. De-politicizing
    the agency at headquarters.

18. need to hire more technicians please

19. We need to work on the technical in-the-field type skills to keep
    from becoming another version of the Extension Service.

20. Need to make a stronger effort to recruit people with actual working
    land experience (grew up on farm, worked on farm, worked in farm
    related business, etc.)

21. Trained leadership.

22. Technical field delivery skill and management skills.

23. More technical people who can do the work we are paying contractors
    to do now.

24. Stronger leadership and management skills. We promote technical
    people and don\'t give them the supervisory and management training
    they need to be successful as administrators. More IT expertise at
    all levels (including clerical). We are automating more and more
    functions that used to be manual but we don\'t provide staff with
    the formal training they need to use these new systems. A lot of
    staff are still techno-phobic. They are uncomfortable with the new
    technology so they want to keep doing things the old fashioned

25. People skills.

26. In addition to natural resource technical skills, administrative and
    business expertise may be more essential in todays contracting
    world. Personnel management skills are critical in supervisors.

27. Network monitoring, GIS expertise, practical on-the-ground knowledge
    of natural systems

28. managerial, field skills

29. Technical skills in engineering and IT

30. Leadership and managerial skills. The agency needs to enforce their
    own policies. Employees are not completing their job assignments and
    others are having to work extra to finish their own tasks and the
    tasks of the

31. More highly trained and educated IT personnel.

32. GIS development and user skills are needed. Also, provide potential
    managers with leadership training as opposed to just project manager
    training. Promote managers who have leadership skills over managers
    who only have technical skills.

33. Business area and systems analysis

34. They need experience that reflects a good overall view of what NRCS
    is about, then they can specialize in technical leadership,
    management, IT, biology, administrative, or whatever.

35. Depends on what the mission is. The previous question assumes that
    all employee\'s know the mission, why don\'t you go and ask. The
    mission of many empolyees is to get to the next pay period.

36. Contract Administration, accounting, wastewater treatment, air
    quality assessment & treatment

37. new blood and listening skills

38. More technical training in conservation planning for newly assigned
    personnel. We are losing the skills that made the agency strong in
    the first place. In addition, too many supervisors are promoted
    based on their technical skills vice their human capital skills.
    More training for supervisors in human capital management.

39. People who have common sense and have appropriate field skills.
    Supervisory skills for supervisors should also be stressed.

40. If we continue to be progran oriented, we need more contracting
    training.

41. People skills development in being able to deal with our customers
    in delivering news that they do not want to hear. Being able to say
    no or knowing how to motivate or deal with contract managment
    issues.

42. 1.managerial skills 2.vision to planning skills 3.air quality
    4.nutrient mgt. 5.energy skills

43. The agency seems to want computer specialists and contract
    specialists more than conservationists and field staff. Maybe you
    need to change some job descriptions and requirements.

44. Technical Skills

45. Employing those that have a traditional background in agriculture
    and understand the Mission of the agency. More technical people at
    the field level that meet the above requirement.

46. Field Personnel need a better understanding of how and why things
    operate as they do from the Headquarters. Much could be done to
    improve morale and local-level decision making if the process, the
    goals and direction of HQ are understood. Neat little statements,
    slogans and jingles from the Chief don\'t cut it\...keeping your

47. Computer training, computer hardware and software support, program
    management, financial program support, field traininng to maintain
    our technical expertise. Field office people to state office people
    are being required to do work they were not hired to do, is not in
    their position description, have not been properly trained to
    complete and are not given the time or resources to do a good job.
    Everyone is hired with a position description and then a single
    sentence is added: Other Duties As Assigned. Those duties as
    assigned begin to grow as new duties and responsibilities develop
    with no one to give them to because the workforce continues to
    reduce as workload increases.

48. technicans, engineers

49. Go back and review the old job requirements for soil
    conservationists, engineers etc. That will provide you the answers.
    In addition, we need to strengthen the technology base (GIS, GPS,
    Soils) by employing competent individuals who can transfer this
    technology to field users.

50. More technitions and agricultural engineers

51. It needs more technical training. Although that will depend on what
    our real mission is.

52. more GIS training, support for GIS specialists and staff to help
    support GIS

53. Better publicity and outreach programs.

54. Technology related to energy issues. IT skills

55. more training needed on administrative functions

56. Managers who manage\...not act as figureheads Engineering staff
    levels appropriate to support the mission of the agency

57. in general, Older employees need better computer skill, and younger
    employees need better conservation TA skills.

58. Better leadership courses that are ongoing and not just basic
    managerial courses.

59. Manuals on agency policy\'s. More assistance when calling the
    nationl office or headquarters with technical or other questions.

60. Leadership, management, a functioning IT system, a succession plan

61. There is no room for individuals trying to enter the workforce with
    the projection of so many retiring. The positions I see are all at
    the 11 and above level in the state. There are no positions for
    entry level and no funding for those types of positions. The
    workload is increasing with no additional assistance in hiring entry
    level positions to assist in the additional workload. There are also
    part-time employees that could also assist by being put to
    full-time. Some positions that are part-time should be full-time
    employees due to the position description and work required in the
    position. Some states also list the position as full-time with
    multi-level advancement opportunities, even starting at a higher
    grade level.

62. In the whole state, we need an equal amount of people doing
    technical work because sometimes it\'s a lot for just a few people
    to do.

63. In all technical areas, we need the skills to get conservation on
    the land. Planning, design and construction, but, especially the
    latter two. We are spending more time tied to our computers so we
    are not getting practice with the on the ground skills needed to
    become efficient and exercise sound judgement. Specifically,
    structural design, soil mechanics, fluvial geomorphology, keeping up
    with latest methods in a variety of practices - these are the things
    our customers need and value from us, along with our unique
    perspective of the culture of agriculture.

64. Solid technical AND managerial skills in field office employees due
    to the limited human resources in each field office.

65. The agency needs to utilize the

66. More Soil Technicians, less biologists.

67. People with technical skills that have worked ther way up through
    the ranks within the agency.

68. We need to recognize that we have technical field needs and
    computer/accounting type field office needs. These require 2
    different people. Stop trying to get field staff to do both.

69. We need more skilled individuals to complete our mission. We are
    stretched to thin and are expected to be the best in all areas of
    expertise.

70. Engineering and conservation field skills would help in many areas.

71. More engineers, civil engineers and qualified conservation planners
    not just computer jockeys!

72. More people with experience and knowledge of conservation practices
    and not just computer experience.

73. working integration of all technical components

74. program management

75. administration and technical

76. This agency needs to provide more training. One thing I think we
    need is people to provide feed management recommendations to the
    landowners as a method of controlling our nutrient load in the
    manure. I feel we need to provide regualr trainings for all computer
    programs released, and not release them until many of the bugs are
    worked out (which would alleviate many of our frustrations). We need
    management training to improve communications. We need to expand our
    PR to get our name out there, so training our staff in PR would be
    helpful.

77. Marketing/Communication Skills - Our people can be the \'practical
    link\' between producers/farmers trying to make a living like they
    always have and environmental policy makers that are getting more
    and more restrictive. Our Farm Bill programs give an opportunity to
    help the producers incorporate environmentally beneficial and often
    financially beneficial practices. However, this takes marketing and
    \'selling\' training/experience that a soils, forrestry, or
    environmental resources graduate often does not have. Practical
    farming knowledge - We need to know what are clients do and why they
    do it that way. I hope boot camp does some of this. Computer
    Skills - We are slowly getting there but our computer programs have
    to work correctly first to really make progress. Administering
    contracts - Actually, I think we need to bring people in to do this.
    Our existing field people have more than enough to do.

78. Need time to train our newest employees to allow them time to gain
    the valuable experience needed to take over key positions as our
    workforce begins to retire.

79. more engineering skills and computer literacy also more on the
    ground skills, not just office skills

80. Program administration skills

81. In NYS more engineers. More new hires with agronomic degrees. We
    need to stop hiring people with loosely related natural resouce
    backgrounds. Current employees need more training in handling funds
    using Business Tools software.

82. Retention of Technical Skills This agency is starting to lose its
    technical competency and knowledge base, the reason people come to
    NRCS

83. In-the-Field conservation practice needs, layout & construction
    experience.

84. more technical and computer training

85. It\'s not necessarily the skills, but more than how programs are
    administered.

86. Hire an assistant Techncian that I should be training to replace me
    when I retire so I can pass on valuable information to carry the
    enormous workload that has been generated.

87. The agency needs to provide beeter guidance to the new employees
    they hire to make sure they start off on the right track because
    they may be the future of the Agency.

88. Administrative assistants that are contract specialist that serve at
    the field level since we are handling money. A great conservationist
    may not be the best contracting specialist. Once in awhile you may
    get both qualities in a person but not all the time.

89. The agency needs to better prepare soil conservationists for DC and
    other managerial positions with either mentoring or formal, required
    training.

90. We need to specialize more. At the field level we are all
    generalists. Our agency needs to focus more and do it well.

91. in the field practical experience

92. compitent employees who understand and are proficient in the
    electronic area of our job.

93. Computer and IT people.

94. Every field office needs a data entry/clerical person so that the
    technicians and conservationists can do what really counts - get
    conservation on the ground, not get conservation on a computer
    screen!

95. People in supervisory positions who are good people managers are
    always needed even though we are a technical service agency. We need
    training in GIS technology and how to make the soil survey updating
    go faster but still be of high quality.

96. fewer computer people and more field people

97. More qualified people to handel the workload.

98. I don\'t really know if it is a skill question or not. it might be
    an attitude or approach that the agency is taking that will be the
    problem. Requiring dirt poor farmers to enter into long term
    contracts that they can not afford to treat every issue on the farm,
    when the farmers are not sure they can even remain in business past
    the next year seems to be a larger issue to me than the skills of
    our employees to fulfill our mission.

99. Leadership and management skills are lacking at mid and upper levels

100. See my statement at question #7.

101. Both managerial and technical. We\'re loosing much of our good
     technical people through retirements and their isn\'t many of us
     left to train new employees in the work that we do.

102. Management above the field office level is unable to relate to the
     realities of the current day to day operations. This is caused
     mainly by the shift in how we do business over the past several
     years. No position has the same responsibilities that it had even 2
     years ago. The understanding needed by management to identify
     problems has become based on ideas of how things were rather than
     facts. I am not saying that the management is poor, but rather that
     decisions are being made from far away without a clear picture of
     the impact it has on the recipients of those decisions.

103. The agency needs to look outside of the box in order to accomplish
     its goal of helping to conserve our natural resources. Traditional
     management and program delivery are old and tired. New managment
     and focus to SOLVE agency and resource problems as opposed to
     fixing recurring ones is paramount in accomplishing this.

104. We need more employees with farm backgrounds and actual farm
     experience or at least have a better understanding of how farms
     operate. You need to connect with your client if you wish to suceed
     in getting conservation on the ground.

105. We need to know which direction we are going before we know the
     skills we need. Right now we want all field employees to know
     everything and we are on an information overload. It\'s impossible
     for every individual to be an expert at everything we do and that
     is what is expected.

106. I believe better communication skills are needed between management
     and technical levels to avoid frustration and confusion over what
     is ACTUALLY needed.

107. Supervisory skills so that entry level staff can improve and
     develop to become independent workers.

108. Ability to gain client trust, improved accounting skills, improve
     salesmanship to sell new conservation initiatives and better timing
     of program deadlines for our clients

109. field TA, wildlife TA

110. more on the ground experience

111. biological research to assess the impacts of the practices we
     implement.

112. more people with general agricultural knowledge, agronomic
     practices, equipment, etc.

113. Management skills and improved public relatinons. Especially in
     dealing with farmers. Employees that have a farm background would
     be a real plus.

114. Field experience. Working in the field with landowners and
     complimenting it in the office. Not days on end in the office.

115. Tech competent people

116. Computer people at the field level that would be hired to only do
     that.

117. we need to train people to do field work. it doesn\'t matter how
     much you do on the computer, somebody has to get the work on the
     ground! TSPs are NOT the answer.

118. more efficient computer support staff

119. understanding non traditional client base needs

120. computer training

121. Management needs a better understanding of the way processes work
     on the field level, as well as a better understanding that there is
     a direct link between the quality and timeliness of the work they
     are doing and the quality and the timeliness of the work we in the
     field are being asked to complete. Increased on-job training for
     those moving into supervision management positions, rather than
     pushing people who are not ready through a fast track just to fill
     positions.

122. More technicians and engineers.

123. To hire people who not only have the degree but have experience
     working in the agricultural community or the community they deal
     with the most. Hiring people because of a degree does not make then
     qualified to perform that job. Too many people are getting hired
     having no idea about actual field practices. They do not understand
     how to meet the customers needs so a practice will work for them
     and ultimately help them in the end.

124. Technical proficiency in planning and applying conservation and
     working with farmers and the land.

125. We need to have employees with computer skills that can organize or
     write programs that make all jobs more efficient. Specialized GIS
     and Engineering computer related jobs. Also data entry positions.

126. As stated, things have become so cumbersome and complicated with
     these programs that employees almost need an engineering degree to
     design or build anything.

127. Organization and attention to detail

128. people skills and in the field survey and engineering skills.

129. Many of the new hires lack experience in the technical lay out and
     functions of conservation practices.

130. We are spending entirely too much time on computers and not enough
     time in the field learning from experienced technician. We need
     more experience in engineering and construction.

131. We need compentent people who have been in the field who are then
     specialized employees who work out of our state office. Currently
     folks hid behind policy without finding a common sense why to
     approach concerns from the field. So we need folks who are
     technically based but are also good at teaching the skills
     necessary and those skills are those that address any natural
     resource concern. We need more biologists as we are being given
     more and more money for programs targeting wildlife and restoration
     practices.

132. The agency needs to give employees the opportunity to use the
     skills that we acquire at trainings. All too often we are given
     training, but not the time to use the training in the field b/c we
     are bogged down with paperwork.

133. More experienced field and technical people

134. People to handle contracting and reimbursements for programs. We
     are trained conservationist not secretaries and accountants.

135. The agency needs to utilize people with life experiences. The also
     need to completely revamp the hiring procedure to include
     interviewing.

136. Employees that can communicate effectively with clients at any
     level, and has first hand knowledge of the farming business.
     Technical competency.

137. Almost everyone at the field level has been pushed into the
     situation of trying to be a

138. People skills that help the newer employees get beyond the computer
     competency into the customer competency. Skills for the older
     employees to help them work with the younger generations and the
     understand that difference and get them to work together on the
     same mission. Get leadership to see that there is a point at which
     to stop training everyone on everything. The new kids are computer
     competent, the older employees are agency and conservation
     competent. Let\'s use the two to the best advantage that we can. I
     will never be as competent on the computer as the new kids are now,
     but I\'m very competent with the conservation work and
     implementation. I can plan, maybe even outplan a majority of the
     NRCS people using my knowledge but having to work the plan maps in
     the computer slows me down and really makes me incompetent. I could
     work with one of the new kids and we could work together to produce
     good plans. What would take me many hours and days to produce a
     plan map takes them an hour or at the most a few hours. Teamwork to
     produce a product. Teamwork that is recognized for teamwork to
     produce a product and no one is penalized because he/she does not
     have an advanced level of skill.

139. We have excellent training in skills, just a bid gap in the older
     experienced vs the newer unexperienced. Especially in conservation
     field work. The conservation programs are designed to not allow the
     new employees to get basic field work experience at a level that
     they can retain.

140. We have enough to get by now, but when everyone retires, we will
     lose so much of our expertise that it is frightening. And there
     aren\'t enough trained people to fill their positions. And the
     young people they are bringing on are not getting sufficient field
     training to be experts.

141. I am concerned that the agency in the state offices and the
     national office is being staffed with a higher percentage of
     managers who have little or no field experience.

142. Supervisors knowing how to treat employees with respect. Knowing
     how to handle situation in a diplomatic wasy.

143. More field related skills and less computerized bean counting

144. more trained conservation planners

145. IT - software integration, GIS, engineering

146. Administrative skills to manage Farm Bill programs in the field
     offices

147. Determine what we are to focus on then the skills will be more
     obvious

148. More leadership skills\...comprehending what needs are at all
     levels.

149. Management adn administration of programs.

150. Economics, administrative support, planning specialists

151. Database design; scripting languages like Visual Basic, Python,
     .net.

152. fisheries biologist, more foresters, more wetland biologists, more
     economists

153. The agency asks its employees to be competent at too many tasks
     outside their area of expertise. Hire more specialists to be able
     to achieve the agencies multiple resource goals and move beyond the
     hiring practices extent since SCS

154. Practicality. Programs do not make sense in so many ways at the
     field level. Programs are offered before they are developed.
     Everything we do is a moving target. This is foolish.

155. Technical skills

156. GIS skillls, good managerial skills problems are swept under the
     carpet rather than delt with, encourage those with new ways of
     getting tasks done, encourage efficiency

157. Proper understanding of our mission and employees who support our
     mission

158. comunication skills. At least between the field & non-field
     workforce. Also timely training. Defeats the purpose to provide
     training a year or so you have been doing a job.

159. We need to have skilled, full-time program assistants at the field
     level. It is impossible for someone to be an expert in Protracts,
     SCIMS, Toolkit, PCMS, PRS, Fund Manager, Soils, Wildlife Habitat,
     Stream Restoration, Contract management, and understanding the
     nuances between EQIP, WHIP, AMA, GRP, CSP, PL-566, etc. The field
     needs skilled program assistants to facilitate or ability to get
     conservation done on the ground. (And to free us up from the
     administrative burden that is preventing us from getting work done
     with landowners).

160. Recruit new employee\'s with the right backgrounds.

161. Top management needs to recognize reality that many things in the
     field are NOT working and that we cannot run programs without
     adequate staffing in the field. Top management needs skills to make
     sure web-based software WORKS. Current technology is ridiculous.

162. Technical and engineering skill are lacking. I\'m not saying we
     need more engineers, but we need people with practical
     implementation experience and has seen when things work or don\'t
     work. One way to do this is to get better at recruiting from the
     private sector. Jobs should be advertised in places other than
     USAjobs. I think soil cons and SCTs should have field experience.
     Anybody can become a conservation planner, but without practical
     knowledge, they won\'t be able to create plans that will work. I
     haven\'t been to it, but I think this boot camp is a good idea and
     will certainly help address the issue.

163. There tends to be an expectation of planners to be

164. This varies a lot between occupations (soil scientist,
     conservationist, engineer, etc. Generally speaking, more training
     in computer skills relevant to one\'s job now or for the future.

165. better leadership in upper levels and better technology skills and
     training for everybody

166. LEADERSHIP

167. Technology skills, but perhaps retiring of older workers and
     replacement by new younger workers may help ameliorate the problem.

168. technical, conservation survey, design and construction oversight

169. We need people that have come up through the ranks as leaders
     leading us - not people that read about conservation in a book.

170. More technical employees, soil cons technicians, engineers, survey
     technicians, and specialized engineers, we\'ve lost much of our
     technical excellence

171. basic technical

172. Civil engineering skills are a must for this agency to survive. Our
     programs are more structural oriented, customer services skills and
     ability to effectively communicate to others in order to promote
     our programs to those who don\'t know about them.

173. Extreme IT for everyone - not just the IT guys. We have no traiing
     in IT or software - just supposed to figure it out. This agency
     lacks decisive leadership, folks are technically sound - not born
     supervisors or mangers - need god training in this.

174. admistrative

175. organizational skills; ability to streamline programs;

176. We need supervisors to have more training. If we are to be program
     administrators, we need more training on that aspect of our jobs.

177. SInce we are in the computer age and so many folks struggle with
     the new software and programs and equipment, much more time needs
     to be spent with employees who need technical assistance. And, it
     is critical that those folks teaching such things be patient and
     understanding!

178. The new generation of NRCS need the field experience that the old
     timer have. Unfortunately, because all the new technologies and
     everything web base, we do not have the time to learn the technical
     part as good as they did in the passed.

179. Since I don\'t know where the agency is going its a difficult
     question. I guess a combination of skills in computer and the
     field.

180. retain technical proficiency; from field experience

181. Need to have better financial management skills and the bodies to
     do the work. In most facets few are expected to do more than their
     jobs.

182. Our engineers are getting older and we are not bringing younger
     blood.

183. We MUST utilize those with skills in leadership and communications
     to promote the message of NRCS

184. Field level admin./clerical/budget/data entry

185. Interpersonal skills, Basic technical skills in land use/land
     management, and at least one soils class ( we are hiring too many
     employees as 401 because that can\'t meet the requirements of 457

186. Technical conservation planning and implementation

187. More manpower in the filed - more workers and less supervisors.

188. If the agency\'s work force is going to be smaller, employees will
     need to have skills in multiple areas in order to keep up
     productivity.

189. I don\'t believe that the mission of the agency is clear down to
     the lowest levels. I am mid level and I can\'t answer that
     question. Are we becoming marketers? or are we going to try to
     maintain technical leadership or both? At the service center level,
     there is a very different idea of what we are about. Communication
     skills would be a good start.

190. assistance in inter-personnel communication and cooperation

191. Managers\...leaders

192. Need to let us as technical people do our job and the commuter star
     wars to the commuter specialists

193. Managers only care about being promoted. They care about produces
     or employees

194. Many of the new employees and not trained for the level that they
     are expected to perform, which in turns \...the public then views
     the GOV as Incompetent. Time given for employees to learn be for
     they teach.

195. AutoCadd and civil design training and commonality between states.
     In the future I see that we may loose our technical capabilities
     critical mass do to outsourcing.

196. Field,area and state staffs needs accounting and legal training. We
     took on FSA\'s EQIP responsibilities without adding any staff.

197. more entry level soil scientists so the experience gets passed down
     before the experts leave

198. more computer skills to utilize advanced programs better people
     skills

199. ability to recognize that landscape patterns and ecosystem
     structure and function are different in different places

200. well trained administrative staffs. Technical state
     conservationists

201. Better skilled employees

202. To ensure the agency is effective, employees need training in
     current technology, its proper application, and the agency needs to
     increase the political astuteness of employees.

203. more training in ecology, social sciences, collaborative leadership

204. We need to rebuild the capability to actually put conservation
     practices on the ground like we had in the 1960\'s and 1970\'s
     prior to the Farm Bills.

205. Needs to be on the cutting edge of technology so we can stay
     progressive and lead the way in new inovative ways of delivering
     products and services.

206. Engineers need skills in surveying, CADD, and GIS. We are being
     required to perform these traditionally technician skills on
     account of the reduction in the number of technicians.

207. More emphasis on community planning and outreach skills: knowledge
     and skills to better integrate and implement NRCS mission
     goals,technolgy and delivery systems to a broader base and for a
     greater good,- (too many still don\'t know of our agency or what
     important things we do); Leadership skills; Supervisory skills;
     interpersonal communication skills;And we really ought to be
     assessing and strategizing how best to capture a significant,
     essential

208. More trained field staff.

209. More technical training opportunities, both formal and on the job,
     for our newer employees.

210. The application of new technologies to meet new challenges (and
     regulations)in the environmental field. Research and development is
     needed to support Agency work. Need a clearing house for new ideas
     and for technology transfer within regions. As agriculture is
     becoming more regulated, we need to stay in front of the wave.

211. Needs more skill in applying tecnical practices.

212. It would be helpful to have training in facilitating meetings.

213. Many current employees lack technical field skills needed to get
     conservation practices implemented.

214. I have experienced CNMP writing in 3 states and all were done
     radically differently. I think the National Office needs to give
     further direction in both CNMP training and plan structure to
     provide more consistency nationwide.

215. Again, those skills need to be refined. Let the people who are good
     on the ground and out in the field stay in the field. We are
     loosing efficency with the administrative burden of protracts,
     toolkit and ever changes program rules.

216. A closer connection between HQ, State Offices and the field and
     farmers.

217. Employees at every level need contract management skills. As a soil
     conservationist, I spend as much time managing contracts, making
     payments, reporting progress, etc. as I do working with customers
     on conservation planning.

218. Leadership Vision Problem Solving Innovative thinking

219. More technical skills on the introductory level. The new staff
     appear to be very computer savvy, but we need more science:
     agronomic, environmental,biological and engineering etc. to keep
     resource management competent.

220. outreach - we keep assisting medium and large scale farms, while
     small farms that may have significant environmental impacts and
     need the most technical assistance are left out

221. marketing skills

222. outstanding managerial skills (human and programmatic)

223. Better communication and leadership.

224. Digital soils mapping. Accurate and detailed soil surveys and soil
     scientists who can relate soils information to people of all
     backgrounds.

225. -smart hiring (hiring people formally trained for position
     advertised) -ability to set guidelines on retirement (if eligible
     for retirement, enforce retirement if individual\'s job performance
     is lacking. -more support for those individua

226. More people to do the work. Not enough people to do tech work and
     planning. We are all doing both

227. facilitators - skills to get groups, clients, partners to see the
     same picture and willing to go forward.

228. Conservationist

229. personnel and budget management skills

230. Technical skills within the agency are very weak in the field of
     engineering.

231. I don\'t have enough of an overview to be able to answer that
     question for the agency as a whole.

232. Field engineering.

233. Many business-oriented people don\'t understand science, many
     science-oriented people don\'t understand business-separate the two
     because there is no overlap in their training.

234. At the field office level- -Technicians, Soils and engineering, but
     current salary for these positions is too low to keep good
     technicians -Contracting expertise, tasks and paperwork formerly
     done by FSA is now the responsibility of NRCS, but with little
     training on contracting issues, person determinations, etc

235. More field training,hands-on workshops, and less changes in
     computer programs - if something isn\'t broke, don\'t fix it. The
     field does not have time to deal with revised programs year after
     year when we need to get conservation on the land.

236. Technical proficiency in computers at all levels. Limited training
     made available. Make available modern programs.

237. Since we were handed the administration of contracts we have been
     foundering. Give it back to FSA or hire experienced FIELD OFFICE
     contract administrators. Recognize the fact that there is a huge
     mine of technical and people-skilled people about to retire and we
     are about to be replaced with much younger folks who very much lack
     these skills. The computer should be a tool, it is the not
     face-to-face interaction upon which this Agency used to operate. We
     are data-rich (maybe) and interaction-poor. Way too much confusion
     between too many programs. Give budgets to the Regions, eliminate
     the fiefdoms in Washington.

238. This agency needs to get itself recognized by the public. For
     example, when FRPP monies are deligated, the paper always says

239. Economics (cost/benefit) of our practices needs to be studied more
     and explained to our customers.

240. Air quality and enegy related skills.

241. It needs more individuals at in the technical fields. There are too
     many managment positions and not enough technical employees to
     actually put conseration on the ground.

242. Economists and environmental policy specialists that could provide
     the link to regulations and non-profit organizations that may
     provide funding and assistance where federal programs fall short to
     achieve the overall desire of the cooperator.

243. Most newer employees are proficient at the computer, but don\'t
     spend adequate time in the field.

244. Overall we are losing skilled and experienced employees to
     retirement and not replacing them and/or adequately training
     replacements (watershed planning, soils, engineering, biology,
     etc.)

245. The ability to fit people into jobs that they are capable of doing.
     Promoting people just to meet the promotion schedule creates an
     environment where people that are unqualified to be in a position
     (a Resource Conservationist, for example) make the jobs of the
     people below them harder because the people below them are
     continually having to do 2 jobs to catch up.

246. More field level technicians, less bean counters

247. Technical competence in planning and applying conservation
     practices instead of computer skills

248. better IT training and AUTONOMY - OCIO is a disaster!!!; more
     program administration/management training and regular follow up
     training.

249. Mandatory training in there positions/areas within and out of that
     particular employees state. I worked in several different states I
     think we all need to be on the same page technically and with
     budget issues.

250. More management skills.

251. more Technical! But since we are supposed to getting away from
     technical work, then i guess this would be mute.

252. Engineering, to further more

253. Scientists and engineers

254. We need to hire competent and quailifed employies. A fancy degree
     is not a substitute for acutal knowledge!

255. In field training.

256. If we are to continue to be a premier technical agency, we need to
     hire and develop the technical skills for the on the ground work.
     We have become too managerial and less field oriented. If plain
     management is the direction that the agency wants to go they should
     say so and stop frustrating the technically oriented people.

257. Catch up with technology of the private sector,

258. People Skills - acknowledgement of your FIELD employees and your
     sister agencies

259. People who understand agriculture, agricultural practices, land
     management, etc. - practical experience, not book knowledge.

260. Improved Decision Making to allow for a broader and more
     comprehensive view, such as Holistic Management traiing.

261. You dump alot of computer work on people, then give us NO direction
     on how to use it or MANAGE the info!!!

262. The agency needs to regain their technical credibility by hiring
     people who are capable of learning technical aspects or who have
     already demonstrated that ability. States need to look at the
     things they are implementing and the way in which they are doing
     so. For example, you need to have data to back up and support
     converting to an Average Cost payment structure and you need to
     recognize potential differences within regions of large states.

263. Working closely with farmers with more assistance if needed

264. field knowlege and application

265. It needs to maintain its technical proficiency, while moving
     foreward into 21st century technology.

266. Lack of training under experienced skilled empolees

267. Time use efficiency, and organization.

268. Technical skills.

269. Willingness to address issues up front instead of backing away from
     them.

270. New and lower level field staff need more technical field
     training.Field office managers need more training associated with
     computer tools, or better yet, additional staff to perform these
     duties. This will allow experienced field staff to spend the time
     required to train the less experienced employees.

271. In my opinion, much of the technical expertise of agency employees
     is being lost through the retirement of experienced personnel. The
     agency should focus on the development of conservation and skills
     through on the job training, formal training and application of
     these skills in the field. I am afraid that the increased reliance
     on Technical Service Providers could eliminate much of the job
     satisfaction agency staff recieves through personal

272. The older employees need more computer skills, while the younger
     employees have computer skills they lack skills and experience in
     technical field conservation.

273. TSP\'s are not going to do the TA part of our mission. In NY, they
     are becoming just as limited as we are on time. Additionally, the
     TSP\'s are not going to work with all of our customers - they pick
     the cherries. We need to encourage some of the retirement-age
     technicians to stay on a few more years (incentives) and train new
     technicians. In NY, the technicians need to be paid what they\'re
     worth - (GS 10/11). They are the backbone of the agency and they
     take on as much or more liability as the DC\'s and engineers.

274. The agency needs to strengthen it technical base, we are focusing
     to much on the planning aspects only

275. We need more technical skills for the new people so that our
     natural resources can be improved in the field, not on a computer.

276. It needs to learn the hands on stuff from those that are retiring.
     It needs to have the time to work with farmers and earn their
     trust.

277. Older employees lack the computer skills that are being required by
     mandatory use of computer programs. Younger employees have computer
     skills, but generally lack the hands on experience and skills to
     get conservation on the ground.

278. There needs to be more in-house computer programers. The type of
     work the NRCS does and the length of time the programs are in place
     presents a problem when there is a lack of understanding of
     agricultural and environmental issues.

279. I feel that since the 80\'s the technical component of the agency
     has suffered due to the change in programs, and the agency needs to
     strenghten it\'s technical expertise

280. Educate the older employees in database work.

281. better outreach

282. more entry level positions

283. More technical oriented employees at all levels. Many decisions are
     based on information gathered at the field level, all employees
     must understand the basis for this information and how it applies
     to management decisions.

284. As field staff, I do not see a significant number of newer
     employees who will be trained as greater number of

285. People with actual field experience.

286. Our mission is so comprehensive in nature that individuals need to
     have skills and experience in production agriculture, wildlife
     management, managerial skill, and technology skills. Training to
     provide proficiency in all these skill areas detracts from time
     available to provide planning assistance.

287. more computer training

288. More knowledge of field operations by DC and greater knowledge of
     contract management by technicians

289. not sure

290. Administration of conservation programs on the local level while
     ensuring good quality technical service is given. It is a time
     issue.

291. better communication of what works in one area that can help
     others. The internet is a great thing but actual site visits and
     one-on-one communication seems to get lost among people who make
     the major decisions and guidelines.

292. The agency needs to have a system set up to properly train its
     employees when they first start out in a position and not five
     years after a position has been started. Proper training will give
     us the skills we need to do our job!!

293. If we are going to provide technical assistance to farmers we need
     employees who have some knowledge of farming.

294. We need to get back to requiring and rewarding technical abilities.
     Forget the computer

295. IT is not so much the skills needed but the placement of human
     capital qualified for the postion.

296. Computer skills needed outweigh the technical skills once required

297. This agency needs people that have a combination of technical and
     managerial skills. People with this combination of skills also need
     interpersonel skills to deal with our true customers, the ever
     changing agricultural producer.

298. A better understanding of what is needed by Field personell, and
     thetime for them do do it.

299. Managerial skills, outside independent training for team building.
     Accountability, upper management needs to respect their workforce
     and revise the old, antiquated position descriptions.

300. More real experience with agriculture, new hires do not understand
     the dynamics of agricultural systems.

301. Communication skills

302. people skills

303. Needs persons with technical competency and salesmanship and
     communication skills entering the field workforce and needs
     dedicated skilled managers at mid and top levels of agency who are
     committed to strenghthening the only federal agency which has a
     mandage to work one on one with landowners and has friendly invited
     access to private lands. That is unique and must be protected to
     carry out successful conservation on private lands.

304. More on the job training for our new employees to keep field
     work/knowledge strong.

305. Management skills and technical skills.

306. coordination and consistancy of regulations and specifications

307. Geospacial analysis skills for more employees, not only GIS
     specialists.

308. People Skills

309. As I listed in 7 more well trained engineers. Experience is leaving
     our agency, and with the next more experienced engineer in my state
     being hired over 10 years before me, there are no engineers acting
     as go betweens to train under and work with. As we are
     understaffed, the old engineers don\'t have the time, motivation,
     or funding to properly train my generation of engineers. I.E.: A
     watershed dam in my state that was completed this year was designed
     by our staff. My state engineer and other senior engineers have
     told me that they don\'t think we have that capability anymore. If
     need be we need to get private companies to train us in
     capabilities we need if we lose them.

310. People that are not just book smart but have experience and common
     sense with things in the environment.

311. Need to keep employeesupdated to newer systems

312. Training in agency programs and goals.

313. Technical, field related skills and experience. I believe the
     Agency has lost a great deal of its technical competency due to
     several factors. In general, there seems to be less emphasis on
     training and, the overwhelming workload generated by Farm Bill
     programs (particularly now that we are doing what FSA should be
     doing)allows less time for trainers to actually train people.

314. New employees need to better understand the human elements of our
     work with the public. We all need better communication skills,
     understanding of economics, and an overall appreciation for a land
     ethic that doesn\'t just address conservation on a piecemeal basis.

315. This agency in turning into a collection of database managers and
     losing sight of the fundamental field based knowledge and
     experience for the younger generation of employees.

316. Now that NRCS is handling more of the administration of funds (eg.,
     EQIP), more people are needed at the field office or area level to
     handle payment processing. This is not seen as a priority at the
     state office level which indicates state office personnel may not
     have an accurate idea of what it takes to prepare payment
     information for transmittal to Financial Management.

317. Technical skills and agricultural experience necessary to determine
     what the problems are and what is necessary to address them.

318. The skills are there but need better leadership on how to use the
     skills.

319. Improve communication skills across all levels, including the
     public

320. IT skills and Agricultural background.

321. equal pay for equal work. recognize job experience and performance
     for promotions and qualification for advancement through the ranks

322. Current computing field tools are not adequately supported with
     either manuals or staff hired to train field staff.

323. WE NEED MORE TRAINING IN GENERAL. THE MOST LACKING AREA WE HAVE NOW
     IS IRRIGATION DESIGN. WE HAVE HAD NO GUIDANCE ON THESE PRACTICES
     AND HAVE NOT RECIEVED WORD THAT WE ARE GOING TO GET ANY.

324. Engineering technical skills to meet changing services and to get
     new engineers up to par with the retiring engineers. It is hard to
     replace an engineer with 25+ years of NRCS experience, and
     impossible to transfer all that knowledge.

325. Managers at National Leadership level who can relate their action
     to results

326. We need to ensure that we are recruiting and retaining trained
     professionals in plant and soil science as well as engineering. The
     liberal arts colleges are not our best source for new employees.

327. Hire employees with the specific skill sets for the job, not just
     because you have to fulfill the EEO requirement with BARE MINIMUM
     skills.

328. We need to recruit employees who have a strong committment to the
     conservation ethic rather than just working for a paycheck.

329. Skilled managers/supervisors who can empower and bring out the best
     in their employees.

330. Increase in non-profesional technical support (soil con techs,
     engineering techs, soil techs)

331. technical skills as opposed to administration

332. field experience

333. I do not have the ability to name specific skills in any field but
     my own, however it is should be obvious to anyone who has been with
     the Agency for any length of time, that we are becoming overrun
     with employees who are better at

334. Leadership skills to guide employees through policy requirements
     and procedures in order to complete projects properly and on time.

335. Training both formal and in house backed up by limited in-state
     (local) travel to conduct site inspections to balance the training.

336. Fair and competent management.

337. The ability to assess experience as it pertains to job
     qualifications.

338. Either train all employees in computer skills needed for todays
     NRCS or provide skilled computer people

339. We need younger employees to be properly trained in what our
     mission is and how we accomplish it.

340. I think we have the skills within our workforce, but as an older
     employee, the training is provided for new employees to polish
     their skills, we are expected to improve on our own. I think upper
     level management needs to look at the resources available to them
     through the existing workforce and utilize them.

341. Objective tools for measuring environmental impacts. Clarity of
     mission.

342. We badly need employees with production agriculture backgrounds.
     Without the basic ablility to understand farming and the knowledge
     to talk to farmers it is very difficult to deliver our message and
     programs to the Ag community.

343. more people, better communication with programs, better training on
     programs, having programs after they are figured out how to run
     them. Simplifying ARC GIS for maps. Better partnership with FSA to
     aid in producer eligiblity for our programs. Better/complete
     program manuals. One program sigup at a time. Time management and
     TQM.

344. Communication and outreach. Very little of the conservation folks
     outreach beyond the typical farming community, and only those with
     a history of working with the districts. New farmers, small
     operation farming and minorities are not outreached too. But this
     is not a fault of the conservationists, the programs are not
     tailored to these folks eithier.

345. Formal and OJT training in technical experise. Also the software to
     run our programs need to actually work correctly.

346. Far more computer abilities including Program Assistants in Field
     Offices to help free up field staff and reduce the cost of doing
     business.

347. New employees need to learn how to install practices in the field
     and older employees need to learn how to do the computer work in
     the office.

348. Contracting skills. This is all we are doing anymore.

349. more field personell and less management requesting information for
     what ever reason.

350. Basic computer skills training should be required for ALL
     employees. This is the future, however the majority of our baby
     boomers did not grow up learning these skills like the younger
     crowd. Most of our work force never even heard of a computer when
     they were in school.

351. Civil Engineers and Civil Engineering Technicians that can survey
     and use AutoCadd/SurvCadd to design conservation practices.

352. More field technicians, better management.

353. Our technical skills and one-on-one contact with the landowners is
     weakening. We spend more time with the computer than we do with the
     landowners, talking, walking the farm, learning their needs,
     difficulties and goals. We have, over the last 15 years, hired soil
     conservationist vs soil conservation technicians. Technicians are
     typically the folks with the farming backgrounds. Lately I have
     seen more SCT\'s nationally although it is very State specific.
     Technicians are responsible for putting conservation on the land,
     Soil Conservationists are responsible for putting conservation on
     paper. In the eyes of our external customers, (excluding Congress)
     which is more respected in the farming community? Obviously it is
     the technician from my point of view.

354. None.

355. Field people with knowledge of conservation planning and practice
     design and installation and fewer

356. This agency needs to invest more in IT and supporting the field
     staff in using new technology.

357. More technical training. Conservation Boot Camp is a good start but
     many employees need more intensive training in specific areas.

358. Good, motivated ( not ready to retire ) management

359. The natural resources environment is becoming very technical and
     NRCS needs to provide better and up to date information to
     producers. Often we have not been exposed to the lastest technology
     or resource management solutions due to lack of time on the job or
     budget reasons.

360. Computer skills, especially GIS. Public relations skills,
     especially oral communication. Leadership training for emerging
     leaders.

361. More engineering expertise available at the state-level

362. More training for the tecnnical people; more communication

363. Conservation planners - many new hires are chosen for their ability
     to administer programs so they have limited skills in our basic
     misson area - natural resource conservation!

364. We are losing our technical base to program delivery. Along with
     all the money that came with the 2002 farm bill, came a mandate to
     obligate funds, not plan careful, well developed conservation
     scenarios that get on the ground.

365. Its not the \'skills\', it\'s the \'skill\'. The \'buddy system\'
     looks past qualfied people and takes \'incrowd ner-do-wells\' into
     to many important positions.

366. fostering community

367. Due to Farm Bill needs, employees are required to perform more and
     more administrative and contracting duties, allowing much less time
     to do what the agency has been known for, ie quality planning and
     technical expertise. Administrative and contracting duties should
     be done by others. Keep to our strengths - keep technical people
     doing technical work.

368. supervisors need to be adequately trained as supervisors and
     technical training in conservation basics should be on-going for
     all employees.

369. The agency is losing the technical skills and capabilities. More
     technical support is needed.

370. More communication skills. Transparent agency is the way to gol
     Communicate, communicate, communicate.

371. Biologists Design engineers Geologists Technicians

372. communication, modernization of managment style. get rid of the

373. Increase in technical specialists (engineers, biologists, water
     quality specialist, environmental engineers, etc) to assist states;
     similar to the

374. Clerical or contract admin personnel. Public affairs specialists.

375. More diverse technical people with more administrative support to
     allow them to deal with technical issues.

376. supervisory, contracting, payment

377. personnel

378. contracting, computer, the need to know how all the pieces fit
     together.

379. Better or more highly qualified managerial level employees

380. We need to go back and examine the skills necessary to fill the
     basic technical jobs 20 years ago

381. Increase the awareness and attraction of younger employees by
     improving the outreach programs, cooperative program, and utilize
     the term position program to enlist interested out-side hires.

382. People need to be better trained to work outside. More and more
     this field people are becoming office people

383. Diversity

384. The engineering technical skills are severely lacking. SCT\'s are
     not being replaced and DC/SC are not gaining the engineering skills
     and compentency needed to replace the missing SCT\'s. DC\'s spend
     most of their time on a computer instead of planning and
     implementing pracices.

385. On-the-ground technical experience. Good solid engineering
     practices are the basis of the majority of conservation needs.

386. More organization/analysis. Not enough time for people to get their
     jobs done.

387. Leadership/management skills; better communication skills

388. Technical disciplines, especially engineering. The agency is also
     loosing by retirement a lot of technical expertise and
     institutional knowledge.

389. We need qualified engineers to produce designs and implement
     construction projects.

390. Agency needs better trained managers.

391. More engineeres, more engineering technicians, more conservation
     skilled employees.

392. Technical skills such as engineering, soils, and GIS.

393. Field employees

394. More communications with field offices

395. More practical skills of active agricultural production.

396. The agency needs to be more flexible in responding to needs, not
     more top down.

397. more communication between employees, field offices, and state
     office, more common sense approaches to fulfilling our mission (for
     example, the same approach doesn\'t fit every need in the field),
     more technical training from qualified employees.

398. Better training in how to keep up with all the changes in programs
     and computer changes.

399. leadership

400. technical communication skills with outside clients

401. More technical training is needed.

402. computer training

403. Hydrologic Modeling; Geographic Information Systems; More with
     Conservation Planning including Federal Programs and RUSLE2.

404. Skills that T R U L Y relate to the job to be done.

405. MRCS has the skills, it needs more field people to fill out the
     paperwork (which includes computers) that management continues to
     slide down the hill.

406. Management training necessary to address hostile non-nrcs co
     workers attached to field office.

407. More employees with an agricultural background.

408. I think, but I don\'t know for sure, that the quality level is
     sufficient but not the quantitiy. Some employees seem stretched a
     bit too much.

409. Skill at on the ground conservation implementation Increase skill
     with salesmanship

410. Better training overall, but particularly in technology areas (GIS,
     GPS,etc.). Need employees that know farming and agriculture much
     better than are current workforce of new employees.

411. more training in managment, accounting, contract management,
     outreach activities

412. Management needs to be in tune with what is actually happening in
     the field offices and on the farms.

413. Management skills

414. THe agency needs to have more people in the Field offices and less
     in the Management offices.

415. quality training in computer/gis/technology

416. The question should be: what is our mission? Is it to hand out
     money and do pointless bookkeeping or is it to get conservation on
     the land? We have people very capable of getting conservation on
     the land but they are being forced to be bean-counters.

417. We do not necessarily need additional job skills, but to
     increase/improve the ones currently being used (e.g. computer,
     geospatial, technical delivery).

418. Not sure at this time.

419. The younger crew needs more agricultural backgroung and experience

420. Engineering support for the field.

421. Better leadership and on the job traning with possible promotion.

422. Needs employees with experience in planning and applying
     conservation practices. Currently there are very few employees in
     training to replace retiring employees.

423. computer skills

424. Relationship building

425. The agency needs to hire more compatent Human Resource staff so
     that the headaches are kept off of the field staff.

426. Better technical skills to assist farmers and landowners: Start
     hiring Program Technicians(similar to FSA) to handle contract
     payments, administration, etc.

427. Its not a matter of additional skills, its just a need to better
     the skills we have to serve the needs of those needing assistance.
     This is caused from a lack of time in the field, due to time spent
     sitting at a desk doing computer input, whether it be inputting
     plans, or making payments,etc.

428. We need to seperate the technical skills needed from managing
     programs.

429. Mpre technical skills and better human resources skills.

430. Better funding, recruitment, OJT, support from state & national
     offices. Need to encourage employee based input

431. More technically oriented people

432. We need to train new employees to survive in the field, and not in
     the office in front of a computer.

433. employes with more on the farm knowledge

434. Need to develop listening skills. Agency needs input from the field
     employees to find out what is not working.

435. We are hiring people to work in the field with limited or no field
     experience. In addition, all managers should have worked in the
     field in the area of their managerial responsibility.

436. technical skills like surveying

437. NRCS needs to hire field people with good common sense about how to
     accomplish the work.

438. More technical staff and more training in computers.

439. The ability for techinical support or other members of the agency
     to sucessfully identify, correlate, and relate information in a
     timely, orderly and understandle manner is greatly lacking.
     Everyone from the top of the agency down needs to have simplier of
     dispensing information and data.

440. For younger employees, technical skills outside the realm of the
     computer. As a younger employee, I find myself doing, what I
     consider, secretarial work and data management while more
     experienced employees do the majority of the field work.

441. A lot of our newer employees don\'t have the necessary field
     experience that is required.

442. Employees raised on a farm with hands-on experience in agriculture
     and natural resource management.

443. All the ones it is losing, particularly onfarm experience and field
     experience from prior years working OUTSIDE of the office that the
     new employees get little experience doing.

444. More OJT for newer employees

445. WE have individuals entering the District Conservationist 11
     positions that are not adequately trained. We need to hire
     additional Soil Conservationist and have them to be adequately
     trained at the soil conservationist GS-07/09 level before moving
     them to a District Conservationist GS-09 let alone a GS-11.

446. Ability to work effectively with rural people. Good knowledge of
     agriculture. Good math skills. Good personality.

447. I said it recently that field personnel used to have technical
     experience to perform in the field whether it be planning of
     implementation. Now we have to knowledgeable in computers,
     clerical, banking and often need a law degree to figure out
     programs.

448. more hands on work in community

449. I put disagree because within 5 years it will not. Presently it
     does. You better think about

450. technical

451. Dedicated & motivated employees.

452. Technical training, technical training, technical training!!!!

453. organization of programs

454. Updated technology.

455. skills to apply conservation on the land. sitting in front of a
     computer does not train a person to properly apply conservation on
     the land

456. Technical, & managerial

457. More technical folks in the field. More people period in the field.
     We used to be the USDA technical agency. We have GS-12 District
     Conservationist that can\'t set up a level or delineate a
     watershed, due to promotions based strictly on race. The
     percentages have swung in the opposite direction, it is time for
     promotion based on actual merit. Fire the incompetent.

458. Practical field experience.

459. Less tech. skills more one on one with landowner builting repore.

460. Computer literate people. Qualified trained managers.

461. Engineering and solving field work activities before you get to the
     computer and then computer training that is useable.

462. Computer skills at the national level.

463. Computer skills

464. Need a mixture of technical skills and contracting skills

465. To many district offices are lacking in adequate engineering
     skills. Our landowners remember NRCS surveying a certain structure
     on their farm 20 years ago and how that structure has performed.
     They DON\'T remember the conservation plan you worked on for three
     days and gave them last week. OUR ENGINEERING MADE NRCS AND ALOT
     WAS DONE WITHOUT A COMPUTER.

466. This depends on which way the agency is going. Based on our past, I
     would say we need more Technical Skills - Engineering, Agronomy,
     etc.. Based on our current path to eliminate our agencies unique
     abilities of solving and managing resource problems, we can hire a
     bunch of computer geeks, budget analysts, and administrators. In
     other words, we are turning into the Farm Service Agency. Our
     clients and partners are frustrated hearing

467. improved ability to deal with local boards & support of younger
     employees

468. More computer related resources, Computer specialists, programers,
     fix it type people whom you can call when you have a problem.

469. More technical people trained in computers and engineering to help
     people at field level.

470. Administrative Skills at State Offices and Washington

471. more technical skills

472. communications with people we serve.

473. technical and engineering

474. People who were originally hired for their expertise in the field
     have been delegated to computer operators. Many do not have the
     skills for this task nor is it within their job descriptions.

475. COMPUTER

476. More field training for biology and forestry.

477. PROBLEMS EXIST IN COMPUTER TECHNIOLOGY LINKING PRS,
     TOOLKIT,PLANNING. IT APPEARS MANAGEMENT TEAMS DO NOT WORK TOGETHER.

478. There needs to be more specialization at the field level. Employees
     have too many USDA programs to administer as well as State and
     Local conservation programs.

479. A work ethic standard that demands that employees actually get out
     and engage landowners. This will motivate the employee to listen,
     learn, and develop the skills needed to be a true natural resource
     specialist. WE have numerous managers at high levels that know
     nothing about how to plan, design, and install a resource
     management system and they are supervising other employees. It\'s
     sad, the agency is program driven with very little apprecation for
     the beauty and resource value of planning, designing, and
     installing a field of stripping cropping, with grassed waterways,
     field borders, grade stabliztions strucures for outlet control,
     etc.

480. NRCS has taken over the finacial responsibilities of EQIP, which I
     think is a good idea. I do disagree with the current setup. Most
     NRCS employees have an Agriculture back ground, which I think is
     imperative to our mission. The problem occurs when you take that
     Agricultural back ground and add all of these finiacial
     responsibilities with out any type of formal training you are
     asking for problems. Hardly any of us have degrees in accounting or
     financial management, which is precisely why we should have gotten
     adequately trained. Please fix protracts, toolkit, and PRS before
     giving it to us.

481. Engineering skills; to few NRCS engineers to provide C0-01
     assistance to the field offices; this requires the field office
     personnel to be able to provide more complex engineering assistance
     to landowners.

482. New employees now have the opportunity to rapidly move into
     District Conservationist positions but we don\'t have all the
     technical skills that we need to perform at this level and do our
     job well.

483. Need lots and lots and lots of training in all subject matters that
     pertain to NRCS.

484. The agency needs a solid foundation that is built on a good
     understanding of farming operations at the field office level.
     Leadership skills can only be effective when the decision makers
     are able to communicate effectively with the field offices. To
     communicate effectively with field personnel, a leader must have
     spent time working at the field office level to develop and
     understanding of how things function. Without this basic knowledge,
     a person in a leadership roll will always be handicapped.

485. Young personnel need mentoring, hands-on-training in the

486. Need to hire young, qualified, people and train them over a long
     period of time. Let them move up ladder as they feel they are
     ready.

487. The technical expertise required to sell landowners conservation
     practices is being abandoned and will be lost. Currently all skills
     are tied to contracting and fighting the computer systems to
     implement the contracts. I haven\'t been to the field to use my
     technical skills for more than two years.

488. Training on new programs before being made public for sign-ups.

489. Conservation planning and engineering skills need to be drastically
     improved. Also less emphasis on reporting numbers and more emphasis
     on customer service.

490. Supervisors/managers with vision and foresight.
     Supervisors/managers that can and will make good decisions.
     Supervisors/managers with ethical responsibility. All technical
     skills including the use of GIS.

491. administrative skills to handle the ever increasing administrative
     workload on field people

492. Computer Programs that do not change and are reliable so employees
     can become efficient at inputting data.

493. More technically adept field personnel

494. More emphasis on technical training than computer or office
     management.,. Our recruitment in the past 10 to 20 years has leaned
     toward office manager, instead of personnel with technical skills
     or even desire to go outdoors. AS the Technical Agency of USDA,
     without this type employee we won\'t need those with secretary
     skills, well dressed with breifcase in hand. The next 5 years is
     crunch time for our agency. Utilize the technically trained
     employees we have to train new employees and use these seasoned
     employees as a recruitment tool to hire employees that are willing
     to learn the methology needed to install conservation practices as
     opposed to printing the paper and handing it out. There is good
     technical people heading this up that can accomplish this if given
     the freedom to perform. In the government it starts at the top and
     filters down.

495. More technical training for field people. The new employees.

496. Better managers

497. People skills, ability to deal with local dignataries, political
     leaders, partners and outside groups. More training on software so
     we don\'t spend so much time at the computer trying to figure it
     out\...would allow us to be more efficient.

498. The agency needs to revert back to some of the old ways of training
     employees to give them a good background in working with clients
     and getting conservation on the ground. There is a place for
     computers, but not the way we are using them today.

499. Technical managerial skills, managers that have field experience so
     they know what the field is encountering.

500. Employees at field level need foundational training in
     conservation. All employees generally need more advanced skill in
     using available technologies.

501. At this time training in computer skills such as ArcGis

502. Testing of employees on the job by non-biased, out of state persons
     with no in state connections.

503. No really skills, but develop a program first instead of trying to
     implement program and then develop rules and guidelines

504. No opinion on this as I feel the diverse and changing scope of my
     agency precludes a

505. Skills to keep up with the computer age just like the private
     sector. Keeping new technology at the forefront of government. The
     government should be the leader in technological adaptation and not
     a late adapter. We need more qualified competent people.

506. Business skills. Think about running this agency like an actual
     business.

507. We have to learn so many skills that we are never have time to
     become an expert in any ( we never catch up)

508. Highly motivate leaders

509. Management skills dealing with different clients.(not just farmers
     )

510. As retirements reduce our workforce, there seems to be no new soil
     cons being trained in our state. We have hired outside the agency
     over and over. Newer employees are not getting good field training
     as we got in the past. Some employees are moving into jobs without
     the field experience that we had in the past. We seem to be
     allowing some employees to be qualified with the appropriate degree
     fields. How do we expect these folks to perform in an agricultural
     field with a non-Ag degree.

511. Training in bio-security issues and animal waste issues.

512. We need more field people such as District Conservationists and
     Soil Conservationists. More technicians would also be welcome.

513. More skills to look at the

514. With my work as an Engineer: Keeping up with new or faster
     computers, to operate with. When we get new computers they are a
     year old before they are put on my desk. The field offices get
     priority and I support the field offices. The field offices are
     able to do stuff, run programs before I can. Training is also slow
     to come or it comes before the software get to me. I think NRCS
     employees has the skills to do their job, but they don\'t always
     have the equipement and training to use the equipement to do their
     job.

515. More intense technical training, environmental, wildife, etc.

516. Personality skills - we have went to computers, and left out the
     human side\...

517. The Agency has the skills in people they are just not utilizing
     those people in the right areas to get the job done. People who can
     do the jobs needed are not in the right positions to keep people
     motivated and continue the agency in the right direction. We lack
     leadership in key positions in certain states.

518. Personal skills to work with Clinents

519. More training with GPS and toolkit.

520. More technical skills at all levels.

521. Strong

522. Are younger employees have not acquired adequate experience in
     planning and implementation of practices because of the time
     required in entering data in the various software programs.

523. I think that technical competency at the field level is hugely
     important. More SCTs and CETs needed to provide engineering
     expertise.

524. Many younger employees have been promoted in the system without
     having attained the technical skills to provide good assistance to
     our clients and therefore have trouble building a repoire with
     clients.

525. To make sure that they compotent DC\'s that can truly lead a
     district to the extreme

526. Some older employees need better technology skills while some
     younger employees need better conservation planning and other field
     skills.

527. More training, especially technical and business skills.

528. Agency needs individuals with more computer skills and training.
     Most programs are going automated. Although workers have the
     technical knowledge to perform their job their comuter literacy
     level is wasting valuable work time.

529. In technology we are behind the

530. NRCS needs to provide better computer/software training. Currently
     there is 1& 2 day sessions and the employees are turned loose to
     learn at their own pace.

531. Large difference among employees in their skill levels holding the
     same positions.

532. more leadership and managerial skills

533. Good Managers who are Field oriented and care about doing
     conservation rather than spending money. It seems that all the NRCS
     leadership cares about is spending money. We also need leaders with
     INTEGRITY\-- Not much of that in NRCS anymore!!

534. Field experience.

535. Many of the employees lack the farm knowledge and technical skills
     needed to adequately serve our customers.

536. more technical people

537. Better training of new employees before they assume key
     responsiblities.

538. More qualified employees

539. more emphasis on working with urban planning with a conservation
     perspective, more marketing expertise to get our message and
     products out

540. Customer service skills.

541. More technical competence

542. Ability to do technical jobs and leadership that understands what
     the technical jobs are.

543. Technical and engineering.

544. People with technical skill.

545. More technical training. The agency wants to technically support
     the community, but every day it defers itself further and further
     away from the technical aspects of the job.

546. Working with other government entities.

547. Managers who know how to manage people, not just resond to their
     supervisors and make the numbers work. People with creativity and
     who are given the chance to USE IT.

548. Better management skills from upper management

549. More technical skills!!!!

550. Since we are becoming so reliant on computers, we need continued
     training in ArcGIS, GPS, and all other programs to be on the
     cutting edge of technology. Our agency is frequently a few years
     behind the private sector in technology. We should be the lead
     tech. agency in conservation.

551. Accounting

552. More experienced/knowledgeable employees.

553. Need to get rid of dead weight so that we can hire qualified people
     willing to work.

554. More folks dedicated to completing their job.

555. Engineering skills are lacking. Employees in the field should be
     trained to design since engineers are scarse. Hire more soil cons.
     technicians.

556. Needs better training for field work.

557. a better chain of command and those who follow orders

558. Employees need more technical skills. Employees need more people
     skills.

559. public relations

560. More technical expertise on the field level and more mangerial
     training. The field staff have no one area of specialization in
     order to administer different programs in different fields they
     need more training.

561. Get rid of the can\'t do because it is not program related on go
     back to helping put conservation on the ground.

562. People skills, not computer skills

563. Skills in understanding people how to gage there skill level and
     what they are good at.

564. Biology, engineering, forestry hands on training.

565. Technical competency in adapting agency standards to the landowners
     needs and providing the freedom to competent employees to do so.

566. Practical field experience. Some of us need better computer skills.

567. At the field level the agency has taken on administrative
     activities concerning payments and other process which we are not
     furnished secretaries or program assistants to accomplish this new
     task. Our people in the field are becoming overwhelmed by this
     additional tasks while at the same time additional positions are
     being filled the state and national offices.

568. Tools do do the job that are required.

569. Better technical skills not managerial

570. More people with field engineering experience.

571. PEOPLE WITH FARMING BACKGROUND AND AG SKILLS

572. improved field expertise applying conservation systems on the
     ground

573. Managerial skills to fill positions that will open up within a few
     years particularly DC positions. Need more SC positions to be
     training toward these managerial positions.

574. We are a technical agency. New people need more field experience
     and training. The verteran technicians that know the field work are
     retiring now most of what we have are computer kids coming out of
     college that couldn\'t run a terrace if they had to.

575. technical

576. Technical

577. Efficiency, coordination of support services, IT support.

578. Keep up with current technology and prioritize training.

579. I think we are headed toward a good goal with permanent MLRA
     offices. We need to increase efficiency and prioritize to meet our
     goals.

580. Further integration of GIS into soil survey and farm planning.

581. skilled conservationist

582. no coment.

583. engineering

584. Agency needs to decide what it want to do.

585. Have more hands on and not just look at the edudation a person has
     to get the job done. NRCS was startednby the good old farm boys not
     some one who sets at a desk all day pushing a key board

586. common sense and willingness to work

587. Human resource people that will hire qualified people and fire
     those who aren\'t.

588. Competent employees based on ability alone.

589. our agencey never addresses

590. Skills are available, we just need to push technical skills as hard
     as we do paper work

591. I believe the agency is promoting people at a rate that does not
     allow them to become skilled at their current job before they are
     promoted to the next level.

592. More training for inexperieced individuals or to keep sharp the
     skills that they have learned.

593. Enhanced engineering capabilities for non engineer employees.
     Develop mechanisms that can help non engineers perform tasks
     associated with engineered practices more readily and correct.

594. We appear to overly emphasize technical skills to the exclusion or
     minimization of interpersonal skills

595. After training, ensure that each employee utilizes the skills
     received. Being a DC should not eliminate that employee from
     working in the field with farmers!

596. more computer

597. Time and be left alone without constant change. Skills take
     repetitive time to accomplish.

598. Technicial skills and ethics to do the job.

599. We need our IT specialists back in the Agency and not in ICIO.

600. People skills and better communication.

601. More formal training

602. Geographic Information Systems expertise in more locations; more
     openess to newer technologies; invest more funding in latest
     imagery; employees with responsibility for purchasing better
     technology before it becomes obsolete.

603. better managers

604. I\'m not sure that additional skills are needed, perhaps better
     utilize the skills of personnel to fullest potential.

605. The people we are hiring now have very little ag. background and do
     not know how to communicate with people in the rural farm
     communities. Let them work as an intern on a farm for 6 months to
     understand what these people are doing every day and see first hand
     what goes on in a farming operation.

606. Human management skills and technical skills. There are too many
     managers who are

607. The ability to understand what is what going on with the
     environment on a macro scale, over all major problems are.

608. Agency seems to be losing emphasis on technical ability. And those
     skills seem to be less and less encouraged. Focus on forms and
     paperwork. Administrative internal.

609. Experiencs employees. Employees able to get out of office.Water
     quality training.Management that has some idea of what the real
     would is about.Their issues, problems and opportunities.

610. People and client skills, back to basics.

611. We have the tools and expertise. I think We have people promoted
     that do not have the technical skills required and can not train
     their teams.

612. Skilled persons in computer technology; skilled administrators

613. Better computer use for workingetting.

614. Combination of basic job fundamentals and advanced computer skills.

615. I continue to see poor communication skills throughout the levels
     that I am associated with. Some, but not all, of this can be
     explained by increased workloads. Nevertheless, I continue to see
     people who lack good communication skills or who lack the desire to
     be a good communicator.

616. We need good NRCS technicians to put conservation on the ground. We
     need practical engineering for most agricultural related practices.
     We need to concentrate on function and reliabiltiy - not

617. People that are competent and can get along with others

618. more emphasis placed on maintaining and improving our technical
     abilities

619. If we continue to take on more administrative functions in our
     programs we will need more skilled paper jockeys. Us field
     technical folk don\'t make the best administrative managers such as
     FSA folks.

620. Not sure.

621. The abilty to terminate people that are not doing their jobs, and
     reward those who do their jobs without bringing their education
     into account. If they do the job pay them for it.

622. Some of our admistrative people do not have the field skills needed
     to understand what they are asking field people to do. We also need
     to better explain to field people why we ask them to do certain
     things and show them how in the long run it will make their work
     easier and produce a better product for our customers.

623. Newer District Conservationists (a significant number) lack the
     technical skills required to design and install common conservation
     practices. DC\'s job priorities have shifted toward contract
     administration but without the additional support of technicians
     and engineers.

624. People with Ag background

625. Technical

626. people who are educated in management

627. Continued computer skill training. Farm Bill Program administration
     training.

628. The Agency needs to recognized that a 4yr. graduate who has never
     been on a Farm or seen cropland or experience Mother Nature first
     hand, does not have the ability to work with the majority of our
     clientele. Experience is the Key!!!

629. employees with more technical skills and understanding

630. More training and giving every person a chance

631. Those currently employed need to be brought up to speed and made to
     do their job instead of coasting on someone else\'s work.

632. More hands on with the real world. Need more interaction with other
     groups and landowners and Farmers.

633. I think we are trying to be proficient at skills in which other
     agencies (such as FSA) already have skills. We are trying to do too
     many different jobs.

634. Qualified managers with the common sense to assist field employees
     in accomplishing the conservation goals of the agency. Field
     employees need quality training from support staff that reflect the
     proper procedures for the installation of NRCS FOTG standards and
     specifications. A college education does not replace good
     on-the-job training from qualified individuals.

635. Computer specialists qualified to train employees how to exceed in
     the programs, instead of basic skills training.

636. more conservationists

637. NRCS needs to do a better job with transfer of knowledge. If you
     have a less than motivated supervisor, you are not receiving the
     training you need to become a DC or rise through the ranks. I\'ve
     worked for 3 years and I have yet to feel like someone has really
     taken my under their wing to train me. I\'ve gotten most of it on
     my own. With the exception of one SCT that helps us occasionally, I
     would say this is a true statement.

638. Tranfer of knowlegde from employee close to retiring because there
     is a huge gap between new employees and those close to retiring.

639. Consistency in policy.

640. people skills and love for one other

641. Some existing employees have not been trained and are not able to
     function independently towards meeting the goals of the agency.
     Some are not trainable.

642. Some from our roots are dissappearing: surveying, assessing on the
     ground situations, etc. Our new ones: GIS, remote sensing, are
     promising, but so frustrating to implement that we might as well go
     back to pencil & paper.

643. Technically they need basic skills and better management.

644. Need more field people with the technical skills to get
     conservation on the ground. Agency has evolved into a disseminator
     of technical information and computer people, not much conservation
     on ground anymore

645. Legal assistance within the Agency.

646. We need skills in the energy conservation arena, such as skills
     with new technology.

647. People skills, farm knowledge, administrative skills

648. Train it\'s managers. Train the people in the jobs they hold. From
     my experience in Administration, verbal instructions are given
     rather than proper training and the instructions come from people
     who have been here many years and are not current on procedures.

649. Better recruitment and retainage of younger skilled workers. Less
     focus on centralization. Emphasis at states and below on balancing
     mobility with longevity.

650. As a technical agency, we must have expertise in public relations,
     enhancing the technical expertise already in place, expanding
     agency programs, visability and mission.

651. More technical skills at the lower levels and historical skills (or
     background) for new agency employees.

652. Technical

653. To compliment the current NRCS workforce, the agency needs more
     employees that are skilled in the use of innovative technological
     programs, especially GIS. Also, the agency seems to be somewhat
     lacking in those that are skilled in written communication.

654. Personnel/human relations and various technical disciplines.

655. In my opinion, it would be beneficial to have more in depth
     training on technical conservation planning activities. I have
     experienced a feeling that most employees that have worked for the
     agency for a long time do not have the time nor energy to train new
     employees. I think the agency would benefit from enlisting
     professional trainers in each state to develop a uniform training
     system for all new employees to go through. I know that the
     Individual Development Plans are in use, but they do not function
     properly.

656. This is a grass roots organization and we should get back to our
     clients. We need to train new employees before our retirees leave.
     Just think of the wealth of knowledge and experience.

657. Devise methods of relieving desktime/computer time for
     conservationists by hiring data processors to input necessary
     agency paperwork and recordkeeping.

658. Improved managerial skills but more importantly people at the field
     office level to accomplish mission

659. Since NRCS has financial/payment responsibilities at this time it
     would be beneficial if our structure allowed for true program
     technicians such as FSA has employed to assist with the additional
     workload involved with payments.

660. Needs people who are better trained with writing skills and
     computer language

661. Accounting and computer programming

662. Skills are there not enough work force.

663. No comment

664. communication skills; better training system.

665. The group that will be retiring soon did not come up with the
     computer experience that the younger employees did. The older group
     are stronger in the technical and field skills but needed help with
     the computer.

666. Soil Conservationist need to be getting more hands on experience in
     the field. Most of the work we do now is so computer oriented. Most
     soil conservationist being hired now are not coming from farming
     backgrounds.

667. We need competent people do work such as Computer skills, updated
     programs, survey skills.

668. More people at the field level to do clerical duties so the
     technical employees don\'t get so bogged down with paper/computer
     work and get behind on serving our customers in the fiels. After
     all we\'re here for them, not our management.

669. People skills to start with. Most of the new, young employees we
     hire have very few people skills. Most of all, they don\'t have
     farm backgrounds and the hands-on knowledge to understand the
     different landuses and how they should be treated.

670. More employees that meet the public, and less employees that work
     to justify their specific position.

671. Basic computer skills. Too much

672. The agency needs to enhance more technical training for younger
     employees outside the area the work in and allow our employees the
     chance to participate in Leadership Development Programs.

673. Better understanding of the work we do.

674. People who can write a computer program so we report a completed
     practice only one time, not twice, to be counted toward the
     national goals.

675. Use of high-tech equipment such as GIS and CAD to complete our job

676. Be sure all incoming employees especially for field offices have
     enough agricultural back ground.

677. Communication skills, job placement skills

678. let technical staff do technnical work and hire administrative
     staff for that

679. More training in any employee\'s areas of uncertainties. Also more
     training for new employees.

680. money management skills

681. People that are in touch with agriculture and have commom sence
     about how to get the job done. We have too many people that have
     book sence and want ot do everthing by the book they do not
     understand and relate to what takes place on todays farms.

682. Hire the Qualified person who wants to work instead of someone that
     really doesn\'t want to be there.

683. Farming back ground personal.People with hands on skills and
     knowledage of agriculture production!!!

684. Need to get back to being a more technical agency. We are losing
     sight of that.

685. Select high quality students from ag. colleges and train them
     through a student trainee program like that of the 1960 and 1970.

686. Leadership and integrity.

687. People skills with ag. background.

688. We need to train each employee according to the job in each county

689. More accessible (to the FO) technological access. More people with
     people skills, used both in house and outside the agency

690. New employees at the field level who work directly with the public
     may need more emphasis people skills.

691. I\'m not sure what you meant by

692. Higher standard qualifications for soil conservationists to be
     hired in the begining. Addition skills will then be much easier to
     obtain.

693. Public relations is our downfall. This agency need people that have
     the drive or motivation to go outside of the box or office and make
     contact with all people. If you check the records most of the
     people we serve are repeats. We need new clients. We need people
     with skills to reach out to those people. We need people that are
     movers and shakers. We need peolpe with communication skills to
     explain these programs to help landowners and farmers. We need
     people with positive attitude. We need to teach our people about
     SERVITUDE.

694. I think if the Boot Camp is done properly it will give the new
     employees a leg up in the agency.

695. More qualified people wanting to work and not just doing the
     minimum work required for them to keep their job.

696. In my state we need competent leadership.

697. Field experience for new employees versus computer competency
     skills. We still must work with the land but we only get credit if
     its in the computer.

698. provide training

699. Organization and efficiency in job

700. Engineering assistance

701. more engineering

702. Interpersonal and field experience.

703. we need to do a better job of recruiting competent employees who
     already have some level of experience within the jobs being filled.

704. competent people

705. Technical

706. Soil Scientist, that wants to work, not someone for a position or
     meet a quota.

707. field experience

708. Qualified managers who recognize quality performance

709. We need to spend more time traning the soil conservationist before
     we put them in a DC position. We need to let them spend 1 1/2 years
     with a good training technician who is paid more than a 7 and then
     put them with a good training DC for a 1. This will help them learn
     how to be a better more qualified DC. Otherwise garbage in garbage
     out.

710. People with knowledge of agriclultue (more than textbooks) and with
     good people skills.

711. Higher level of computer skills in NHQ. Managers need to know
     computers to know how to intergrate with programs, field
     operations, and participants.

712. computer skills such as toolkit and arcgis

713. The agency needs more ag experienced individuals in order to not
     only address rural America but also understand it\'s needs.

714. more understanding by management of outside and subordinate duties

715. The agency people in management that know and understand what goes
     on in day today field operations.

716. Managers at all levels with management skills.

717. Ability to work with people. Need employees that care more about
     the needs of our clients rather than program goalsl. Need more
     employees willing to go the extra mile to meet client needs and
     willing to put in a day\'s work for a days pay. Need more employees
     that are self-motivated, have initiative and that are willing to
     make decisions on their own and will to take risks and accept
     responsibility.

718. Technical, technology and effective communication skills.

719. Leadership, managerial, and technical skills

720. Additional managers and technical field employees.

721. Our Customers are changing faster than we are. We will need to step
     up our training to keep paste.

722. Training on the programs. Not enough time to implement the
     programs.

723. More skilled person for the different areas of service.

724. Supervisors should attend personnel mgmt

725. In some areas (i.e. IT and ADM staff) we OJT people into postions
     when we could be hiring highly qualified, college educated,
     personnel.

726. New leadership that is more diverse.

727. Ability to utilize our automated equipment such as computers which
     constantly change along with the constant change in our program
     delivery electronically. The agency should utilize specialist to
     handle the computer input for multiple field offices allowing our
     conservationists to spend time using their professional skills to
     solve conservation problems for our clients.

728. Legal, financial

729. The main thing the agency needs is to assure that people hired into
     the agency are qualified and can read, write and speak english. All
     we have to do is look at the current fiasco with the GS-457, Soil
     Conservationist series to see what can happen when we loose sight
     of making merit based hiring decisions.

730. From a forestry perspective, more staff level positions to help get
     the job done.

731. Program leadership

732. Workers in the agency need a stronger understanding of computers.
     Computer literacy is a must and so many have knowledge of only the
     basics.

733. New employees to become more experienced through working with older
     employees

734. Training especially on the computer side since everything is going
     computer and web based. But also we do not need to forget the hands
     on, in the field training that keeps us technically sound.

735. Human Behavoir Skills

736. Additinal IT employees and more employee as a whole to handle the
     additional work place on by the computers, particular in the field.

737. I think the agency is not well developed in the public relations
     department. The public does not know enough about the NRCS to
     support our mission.

738. Skills are not the issue. The same number of personel, or less are
     being asked to do a greater and greater workload.

739. The shortage of employees in the field has forced them to take on
     more than what they can do in a timely, competent manner. Have
     employees put in jobs that maximize their skills.

740. Being better organized and comunicate better with field office
     staff

741. Increase field personnel to complete projects with high quality
     information. Provide the Soil Survey with the recognition that it
     deserves.

742. The ability to sell itself in Chicago, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth,
     and Los Angeles, not Mount Pleasant, Columbia, and Peoria. The
     money and votes are in the cities, not the small towns.

743. I think the Agency\'s push towards technology has allowed us to
     loose technical knowledge and skills.

744. Greater technical completency without the oversight.

745. Information Technology and GIS are capable of making our jobs much
     easier, yet half of the people who work in the field have any
     computer skills at all. Many are uncomfortable even using a
     computer.

746. People oriented employees who can associate and understand the
     needs and objectives of the customer, not just the technical
     aspects that are in some cases are very outdated or obsolete.

747. More training of competent people that possess the integrity to
     handle the jobs they are assigned

748. Nobody in the world knows who we are. We\'re selling ourselves in
     Peoria, but no one in Chicago (where the votes and money are) knows
     us from Adam.

749. Newly hired field staff should have better natural resources
     training. People skills should be enhanced.

750. Greater scientific and agricultural training

751. Since the workload is steadily incresing, more training is
     certainly needed, as well as new employees. Older employees are
     falling behind because technology is rapidly improving.

752. I think we short on the technical end (engineers and technicians)

753. More available training times.

754. As a fairly new soil scientist with the agency, I feel if we can
     have quarterly meetings, if not more often, with the other soil
     scientists to allow for updates, new ideas, etc\.... we can be more
     effective in getting our job responsiblities accomplished.

755. Some employees now are tied to the inside of an office due to the
     time that is required by computers. We have lost our personal
     contact with our clientel in the field.

756. Offer career development for lower grade employees to advance.

757. Technical training on quality criteria of the natural resources,
     actual applied on farm/ranch natural resource management, office &
     personel management at the Regional, State, Area, and Field Office
     levels, multi-tasking, professionalism,

758. Technical,practical experience

759. More people with more ambition.

760. Managerial training.

761. This has been traditionally a technical agency, but the desired
     technical skills seem to be just computer skills now. There seems
     to be very little emphasis on any technical skills needed to
     accomplish conservation work on the ground.

762. Need to do a better job training.

763. The Agency needs to have more technical employees.

764. NRCS needs to become more field oriented. Get back to putting
     conservation on the ground and out of the office.

765. With all the program contracts that are written. The agency needs
     to ensure their employees have the knowledge needed to write and
     issue these contract and the ability to explain the terms to the
     producers

766. ON THE JOB TRAINING AND NOT INTERNET/PHONE TRAINING. TAKE THE TIME
     TO TRAIN EMPLOYEES ON PROGRAMS (I.E. CSP)

767. Longer on the job training before assigning employee to the
     position

768. Continued Education training of all kinds for current employees.

769. Many NRCS field office employees need hands-on training in the
     planning and implementation of conservation practices that are
     applicable to the area in which they serve. As a technical agency,
     we must have a working knowledge about how to get conservation
     practices

770. technical

771. Employees need to be fully trained to do their jobs

772. By relying on majority of computer and not going out in the field
     to do actually reading and measuring, you are loosing the hands on
     ability we once had. Also, with field work you connect with your
     clients. With one on one, you can do a better job of getting what
     the public wants be it city, urban or rural.

773. Technical leadership above the state level, but available to the
     states.

774. More technical skills

775. more oppertunities for non collage ed.personell

776. the old basic skill of relating with the public , not just stair
     into a machine and reconize the customer as a number,so someone can
     get a feather in ther hat for pushing the correct buttons!

777. Street savy on par with farmers and agribusiness, field skills we
     used to have and people skills. The average DC workolad prevents
     them time and ability to pass this on as trainors like we used to.
     Right now it is jsut trying to swim with your head above water!

778. Agricultural and farming backgrounds - better communication skills.

779. More employees, more networking of employees and placing employees
     with better technical skills in positions of management.

780. more trained field personell to see that conservation practices are
     implemented properly, and more trained trained planners.

781. For the current work, we need people with a better background in
     agriculture who don\'t mind sitting at a computer all day.

782. We need data entry professionals and we need field professionals.
     We can\'t take the field professionals and convert them to data
     entry professionals. We need both. Conservation needs to be done on
     the farm not behind a computer.

783. This agency is not hiring people with a farm background and it is
     really hurting our credibility with the farmer.

784. computer skills

785. As a soil scientist, I am concerned that my profession in the
     government is eroding away. Many of us will be eligible to retire
     within the next 5 years, and I do not see an adequate number of new
     employees to fill the positions. In many cases, states are

786. Better computer training and software.

787. It appears to me, at the FO level, that we need contract
     administrators and data processors more than we need technical
     skills, if we continue the current trend.

788. need a clear view on programs

789. Training for newer employees.

790. Unknown

791. Technical training in all areas and software developers that know
     what they are doing.

792. A re-emphasis on technical skills (

793. As an agency we need more common sense with empoyees instead of all

794. The agency has the skills within the employees, but training has
     always been the first budget item that has been cut every year that
     I have worked. (30) years. Stop doing that if you want a competent
     workforce. If you want them trained then make it a priority. Put
     your money where your mouth is as the saying goes.

795. Younger employees lack field skills such as survey and design,
     conservation planning, and interacting with external customers.

796. technical

797. leaders instead of managers. people who appreciate the field staff
     and the work that we do. the agency is way out of touch with the
     field staff. we are to serve the public, farmers, and such instead
     of up the \'food chain\' in the government

798. Managerial

799. We need to balance

800. People to do the administrative work of the programs; contract
     payments, modifications, etc

801. The agency needs to be consistent in how conservation programs are
     conducted each year. Constant change is stressful and leads to
     mistakes. In the field we see that each section thinks their
     changes are small but if many sections make changes that results in
     lots of changes in the field.

802. More GIS specialist, FO staff to help process programs (soil cons
     -soil con techs.)

803. More GIS specialists. More field people with agricultural
     understanding. More experienced field people who are good trainers
     of newer employees.

804. More technical staff that talks to the clients out in the field,
     not behind the desk in the office.

805. greater computer skills; more ability to use GIS capabilities in
     day to day operations. Many younger hires are more computer savvy
     than the older employees. Have databases that aren\'t so user
     unfriendly or that don\'t come with a steep learning curve. We need
     to work more in teams at the local elvel as well as higher levels

806. More training for ALL employees on how to utilize existing
     technology (e.g. NASIS, GIS) more as a tool to be more effective
     rather than as an additional work load.

807. with the addition of new programs and payment being made some type
     of accountant training

808. The Young People (new hires) need Field Experience to understand
     the product they are selling to the public and know where it fits 7
     what it will cost. Everyone (old & new) need more training on
     software that works & is not used for the first time with a quick
     deadline for completion of a sign-up\...

809. Contract management, computer, more technical skills

810. I feel we have lost some of our agriculture presents.

811. The way we do are job is changing faster then our staffs ability to
     become proficent.

812. The agency needs people that have a basic understanding of
     agriculture in order to have programs that work for farmers,
     landowners and agency staff. Sometimes the timing of programs is
     poor and sometimes the material that is asked for is unrealistic
     and after the fact and what is the point of making certain changes
     in paperwork that really will not show any benefit to the landowner
     / operator when we are already short on staff and we need to be
     moving forward towards our current goals. We need managers that
     understand what goes on in the field and know how to help the field
     get things done to meet our goals.

813. leaner management

814. Computer skills, technical skills such as survey and design.

815. Enhance technical skills in resource inventory and problem
     identification - reduce focus on program application based on what
     applicant initially requests (e.g. producer requests for CRP
     grassed waterway - there is usually more to it than that)

816. Our conservationists spend alot of time on data entry rather than
     farm planning.

817. We need to concentrate on being able to provide the correct
     technical answers to producers. It seems as though people are being
     hired for their computer skills, and not based on their knowledge
     of agricultural conservation.

818. Good leaders who are good listeners and are interested in
     supporting employees and putting conservation on the land instead
     of moving up the ladder for personal gain. Stand up for
     conservation and the land and not for what is politically correct.

819. Enhanced relationship building skill. Greater use and availability
     of mentoring skills. Greater organization and management skill.

820. Soil Cons need more training to develope the skills to fill DC
     vacancies. More hands-on field training.

821. Computer skills. Most have rudimentary skills. But most need to
     have GOOD to excellent skills. And many employees I work with
     (especially those over age 50)don\'t WANT to invest their own time
     to become skilled. And our agency doesn\'t provide the incentive to
     become a skilled computer user. We stress our technical expertise.
     But almost everything we do is tied, somehow, to the computer.

822. Managerial skills. It is very difficult to have technical people be
     managers when most do not have the capability to have managerial
     skills.

823. Needs better attitude employees

824. People in the field who have technical knowledge and ability to
     apply conservation to the land.

825. Better computer program skills to handle the new software dealing
     with payments and contracts. Better training on the contract
     requirements for EQIP and similar programs so that field level
     employees are getting consistent answers and guedance.

826. Promote managers based upon competency and not quotas.

827. More field personnel in specialized areas like pasture mgt.,
     wildlife, engineering, etc.

828. The agency is losing a lot of technical expertise in the next few
     years and they are not providing enough training for new employees
     to fill this void.

829. We need to get new hires into the offices before the people with
     experience all retire and leave us with no one who knows how to do
     the work. Life does not run completely by computers. Young people
     coming out of school know how to work those programs, but they need
     to have field experience and the only way they will get adequate
     training is from those who know. We need people who know farming
     and ranching, engineering, soil science - both the mapping part and
     the resource part.

830. Need to be training technical and communication skills in the
     field. Doing great with computer skills, but losing it in the
     field.

831. How to say no to more program dollars, and yes to technical dollars
     to do a better job of implementing and one on one with the
     landowner, stand up for the work the field offices are trying to
     do, more money with less people quality of product is gone

832. Why hire technical people to do computer data entry and make maps?
     Decide if our staff will work with customers or work behind a
     computer screen and hire appropriately.

833. Information Technology and managers who know how.

834. better personnel management with better focus on keeping and
     rewarding good employees and especially dealing with poor
     employees, the latter is very detrimental to employee morale and
     discourages inititive

835. more people skill knowledgable\...more adminastrative\...better
     able to manage self\...we are becoming less and less technical\...

836. just need more people

837. To hire more people with farm or agriculture backgrounds or at
     least see that they receive training in farming so that they
     understand what is being done.

838. I think we have lost sight of our mission, consequently our job
     skills reflect competency in office skills and not technical skills
     and knowledge of natural resources.

839. Better computer, personal communication, and technical skills.

840. The agency, in my opinion, in an effort to meet EEO

841. More technical training for new employees.

842. You need statistical skills, database skills, and computer
     programming skills. The data you are collecting make no sense, the
     databases are inefficient, and the computer programs are user
     unfriendly.

843. I do not think in general we need to learn anything new but rather
     how to be more efficient with the tools that we have now.

844. basic technical skills, ecological knowledge (ability to look at
     problems wholistically), people skills

845. Needs more skills in farming systems. Many employees have virtually
     no experience with farming operations.

846. The NRCS needs to develop a strong picture of the mission of the
     agency relative to MODERN American agriculture, and decide what
     core competencies are needed. Hire more people that actually like
     people and are able to work with a broad range of individuals,
     groups, NGOs, other agencies, and MODERN agricultural producers.

847. The agency needs to have a better understanding of soil quality.
     One of the biggest reasons we have not soloved the erosion problem
     in the US!

848. Our folks need to develop more overall natural resource technical
     skills instead of just doing programs

849. Communication skills

850. more people/ public relations, stronger technical in some areas

851. Don\'t know

852. In-house GIS, modeling, and programming skills to adapt complex
     models & programs to simple ones that the field can understand &
     use in a common framework. Air quality, energy, and animal science
     specialists to deal with emerging issues.

853. The agency needs more synthetic thinkers\--folks who can cross
     discipline lines and look at

854. This is a matter of degree. The field needs not only the skills,
     but proficency in applying these skills, and I know I need an
     economist on my staff.

855. The agency hires people with traditional disciplines as opposed to
     hiring people with new specialities that are more in tune with our
     new goals. For example, we have many people with natural resource
     specialties who are supposed to implement locally led conservation
     without receiving the proper training or leadership.

856. If we are going to be program based and not technical, then we need
     more people trained in program administration. Quite frankly, I
     think we need to be technical though. Then, we need to focus our
     attention on fewer disciplines and let other agencies with
     different expertise handle what they do best and not be trying to
     capture what they do. We need to collaborate more rather then being
     all disciplines to all people.

857. Computer literacy. Need more legal knowledge (for contracts, etc).

858. Skills to use the new software products. Skills to better
     understand and work with administrative events such as contracts
     and payments.

859. Skills are needed especially in the managerial/supervisory aspect.
     Most supervisors do not want to deal with the administrative aspect
     of management.

860. people skills

861. Engineering

862. People who understand the programs.

863. With increased emphasis being placed on species at risk and
     ecosystem managment, the agency needs more biologically and
     ecologically trained personnel.

864. We are often asking our technical employees to become
     administrative employees. We need to consider hiring more
     administrative personnel at the field level so our technical people
     can be technical people. Additionally, many managers are NOT being
     allowed to manage - they are

865. Better training on technical practices and not so much on reporting
     skills.

866. The agency needs to recognize the importance of the engineering
     descipline to the agency.

867. Employees who are skilled in working with people.

868. This is almost too late. The agency needed to hire employees 3 to 5
     years back to work with existing employees who can retire now or in
     the next 5 years. This would have been a great, effective and cost
     efficient way for new employees to gain knowledge and skills to
     perform their jobs. We\'ve already lost a huge amount of our
     conservation expertise due to retirements that we probably never
     will be able to regain.

869. Engineering/technical skills to put conservation on the land.

870. I think we really need to focus on what we really do best. That is,
     conservation planning. Programs are great for producers but they
     should not drive conservation which, is what is happening. We must
     shed the burden of meeting program goals and responding to program
     pressures and increase our conservation planning effort (CTA-GEN).

871. Management skills at all levels, people & communication skills

872. NRCS tends to put personnel on the ground without the training or
     experience to do the job. The people who are competent are
     overworked with no time to do their job properly because they are
     driven by meeting their goals.

873. management training, computer software training, new technology
     training

874. The agency is currently lacking in almost all skills; especially
     the technical specialties.

875. NEED ADDITIONAL HELP TO REDUCE THE WORKLOAD SO WE CAN EXCEL IN OUR
     REGULAR JOB. AS IT STANDS, I\'M NOT ABLE TO FULLY DO MY JOB
     DESCRIPTION BECAUSE STILL DOING A JOB THAT SOMEONE ELSE SHOULD BE
     DOING BUT HAVEN\'T HIRED AND DON\'T PLAN TO HIRE.

876. strong and creditable agronomic education and skills

877. Each person in a department needs to be exposed to all aspects of
     the work that goes on. Too many times we are so private with
     information about how a job is done that if one person is
     unavailable, no one knows what is going on in that person\'s
     workload and would have no idea how to pinch hit - and we never
     know when that is going to happen.

878. Problem solving skills

879. More talented young employees to replace potential retirees in the
     next few years.

880. technical field office staff - more conservation on-the-ground, not
     program goals

881. More technical expertise, more GIS capability, more computer
     related field. We lost our entire ITS capability when we allowed
     our computer experts to break away from our agency.

882. Technical.

883. We need employees with farm backgrounds who can work effectively
     with our clients. Most of our younger employees lack the background
     to intelligently deal with nutrient and pest management issues. We
     need water quality specialists, air quality specialists, and others
     highly trained in speciality fields since our mission has expanded
     to cover all natural resources.

884. More soil conservationists.

885. Skills to better train and educate the lower series group.

886. Management of A/E Firms

887. higher quality \... don\'t promote people to fail.

888. listening to field and lower grade employees

889. More training oportunities for all areas of the agency.

890. leadership and managerial skills

891. RC&D program needs direction. Coordinators need skills as grant
     writers, communications skills, planning and managerial skills.

892. We are losing or have lost our technical expertise in some areas of
     the country.

893. Replenish planning and technical expertise.

894. Leadership, manegerial, continued emphasis on technical skills for
     newer employees as with Boot Camp

895. old time field people, that know how the work was/is done. Training
     of newer generations

896. More compentency in the contracting area with regards to specific
     programs. Good higher management understanding with regards to
     leasing and how (directed) regulations influence the capabilities
     of accomplishing/supporting the mission.

897. More Engineers that have actual field experience.

898. I don\'t know. My job is so specialized I don\'t even know what
     other people do. Pretty sad!

899. people skills

900. We need to downsize the management portion of our agency. We are a
     TECHNICAL agency and we should perform that way. The only way for
     an employee to secure finincial satisfaction is to go into
     management and most of our folks are not managment material, even
     is we spend thousands on training them. We are a technical agency
     and we should put our dollars into paying technical employees and
     not into the folks that just micro manage. Usually these management
     people are not technically sound and can not understand technical
     thinking and then we ask them to manage technical people. What a
     miss direction for the agency. So, raise the pay of our techical
     people and I don\'t mean at the top levels. Do it at the level wher
     the public still interacts with our agencies employees. The publis
     will be better served and our employees will assume the agencies
     roles and be responsible and self accountable. Because they won\'t
     feel used or taken advantage of.

901. The agency needs better training with software and more time spent
     working the bugs out of software before it releases the application
     to the field offices. Also keep in mind that field office staff are
     not hired as software designers or computer engineers.

902. engineering, biology, management training, personnel managers not
     technical people promoted for being good technicians.

903. learn how to be objective professionals in all aspects of one\'s
     work environment

904. training should begin to start looking at the urban aspect of
     conservation in addition to our traditional base of customers. we
     also need to be sure that states are adequately funded in order to
     have disciplined occupations such as State Resource
     Conservationist, Geologist, Biologist, and etc.

905. Engineering and computer.

906. Less dependancy on computers or more and better computer training.

907. more technical training for new employees

908. More people with the necessary skills.

909. Quicker training for new employees.

910. more competence in most levels

911. more people

912. Newer employees need more field training on the job. They have not
     had the level of prior field experience like some of the more
     experienced employees have prior to some of the 1985 and 1990 farm
     bills. Experienced employees need more communication through small
     group or areas on any changes to ennsure a better more complete
     understanding of new policies, procedures, and technology changes
     in order to be the most efficient they can be in the field.
     Specific training we need more of is: Arc GIS, Using GPS, and GPS
     software on our newest computers in order to better utilize the GPS
     unit in locating fields and tracts.

913. The skill to make all employees feel important.

914. Qualfied Trainers

915. IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN. A LOT OF THE PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE
     PLANNING OR ENGINEERING SKILLS DUE TO ALL THE PAPER WORK THAT HAS
     BEEN ADDED SINCE FSA STARTED.

916. New and old employees need field experience, and I wonder how many
     are actually working on a computer at this moment. Field experience
     and agricultural experience includes engineering, soils, planning
     experience, and even one on one conservations with landowners to
     gather information.

917. A return to basic training of new employees would be a great start
     in the right direction.

918. Technical, there has been more focus in the last few years for
     office type managers and employees that never leave the office,
     instead of field type and technical field employees. The work is in
     the field not in the office!

919. environmental expertise

920. Technical skills. We have become program managers instead of
     technical experts.

921. Qualified managers.

922. improved training and management with

923. Provide enough time for training, don\'t condents 3 days of
     training into 3 hours to save time.

924. Tech. Training In the field

925. Management skills; training skills; people skills

926. More training on technical skills (engineering, soils, GIS)
     Workshops for managers to improve employee relations.

927. Training employees with 15 years or less, with field survey,
     design, and implementation before they are allowed to plan and
     certainly before they can be expected to manage.

928. We need leaders in management positions that are in tune with the
     needs of the clientle that we serve.

929. The agency needs to hire people to assure mission is accomplished.
     -Rather than waiting around and saying that 50% of the workforce
     can retire by 2010.

930. computer, software, network

931. more on the job training

932. more people hired with some training not off the street

933. We need conservation technicians. Now. Our planning ability makes
     this agency good. Our ability to put those plans on the ground have
     made us great. Technicians are the best way to accomplish this
     task.

934. Continued emphasis on technical training on the job, especially in
     the area of technology tools.

935. MORE TECHNICAL AND PROGRAM TRAINING

936. For NRCS, more actual field personnel in actual numbers as working
     in the field where there are heavy workloads. Today, it seems like
     everyone is labeled as field personnel, but as far as Tech Teams
     are involved, there are only a few who travel the entire Tech Team
     area, and some drive as far as 2 hours to get to the job site. When
     construction starts, you can imagine the pressure this puts on only
     a few involved that is involved with the Tech. Team. Since Tech
     Teams have started, there needs to be more overall training as to
     the many diffent jobs now available to producers. NRCS Tech Team
     members are now travelling very long distances to get to the job
     site, and if problems arise during construction, you are not likely
     to be in as comfortable of situation, as when you knew the area
     quite well. There is not near enough training or education
     available today for all the engineering that we are now involved
     with. For 20 years there was very little engineering training
     because of all the Farm Bill requirements of highly erodible,
     wetland, etc. Now everything has changed and we are overloaded with
     more different types of construction jobs that we are not familiar
     with.

937. New employees do not have the training or experence to do most
     jobs.

938. Very few of the employees hired today have farm experience, most
     are environmental educated from the city and do not have any common
     sence of how agriculture realy works.

939. Better management, more time for technical work, and less political
     interference.

940. require the employees to attain and maintain the technical skills
     for their job level.

941. The NRCS staff is being expected to perform a lot more secretarial
     tasks because the NRCS now makes payments for EQIP and CSP. We need
     full time contract persons in the office to assist with the
     paperwork trail of making program payments.

942. The agency has taken on a huge contracting and financial managment
     workload without corresponding increases in staff with those skills
     or training for existing staff.

943. To get field offfice people back in touch with working on the land
     and away from being a magnet to the computer and all the paper
     trails that go with it.

944. The agency needs to look towards new technology in the private
     sector, and bring it into what we do. If someone finds a better
     way, let them try it.

945. more technical compentancy, people with better work ethics and I
     believe this is a nation wide problem not just with our agency.
     Young employees feel they are owed something instead or being self
     starters and aksing what can I do for my organization

946. More person skills

947. Good tech training, promote too fast.

948. a better handle on using new technology and more experience in the
     field working on construction and with contractors

949. Better trained employees with less programs they are responsible
     for. In the field offices they can\'t keep with all of the programs
     and do a good job.

950. Finance/Management

951. Need more people versed in dealing with technical resources, such
     as soils, plants, etc.

952. Need to allow field staff specialization in one area of work, such
     as application/contract dev in ProTracts, use of ArcGIS for plan
     mapping, cons plan development in customer toolkit, processing
     cultural resource requests for undertakings, and use of PRS to
     report accomplishments. Workforce is stretched so thin at present
     that one person has to do each of these throughout the year, which
     requires continual

953. more experience, on the job training

954. More administrative & contract specialists. Our trained technical
     staff have too much administrative directed their way.

955. More technical skills in the DC ranks, rather than overpaid data
     entry people. Computer skills are needed in technical fields like
     engineers and soil scientists.

956. My opinion is that technical service providers are a brain drain on
     the agency. If you want the best skilled people then don\'t give
     private buisness the money to do our jobs, keep the money to hire
     the best skilled candidate.

957. More technical skills.

958. There is a number of people retiring we are lossing some of our
     knowledge. Need to remain TECHNICALLY COMPETANT and HAVE THE
     PERSONALITY SKILLS TO WORK WITH PEOPLE.

959. people with ag. skills

960. More training

961. Contract specialists at the area level. More technically qualified
     civil engineering technicians. Better conservation planners (we
     have too many filed employees who are just doing

962. state specific technical knowledge for field staff

963. Better on the job fundimental skills.

964. New employees need additional field experience and technical
     knowledge.

965. money management

966. More experienced and respected leaders at the Natonal Level for
     Management to provide support to the field and offer a sense of
     direction.

967. computer use of software

968. More people with a understanding of agriculture

969. communication skills in mid-level positions

970. These are not necessarily required by our mission, but we need
     contract representative skills at the field office level. We need
     more administrative support so our technical staff can provide
     technical assistance instead of administering programs.

971. We need young employees with a conservation ethic. Many of the new
     employee\'s I\'ve worked with have a strong agricultural background
     but never heard of Aldo Leopold or anyone else for that matter.

972. We need to utilize more GIS technologies.

973. Training tools for the employees

974. Contracting experience and technical experience for new employees.

975. Motivated leaders who have a passion for conservation and are
     dedicated to

976. Contract specialist and secretarial help for field offices.

977. technical

978. Since we have become a agency that develops and manages contracts,
     we need skilled contract people.

979. I feel the skills are beginning to suffer as a result of new
     technology. Staff are unable to spend time learning the skills
     needed to provide customer service in the field environment.
     Workload has taken us out of the field and placed us on a computer
     for the majority of our time. Computers do not put conservation ion
     the ground Staff working with customers developing relationships
     and trust will get sound conservation on the land of this country.
     We need the field skills necessary to resolve resource issues and
     current program management responsibilities will not allow staff to
     develop and maintain these needed skills. The agency is too hungry
     for numbers and not looking at the quality of results.

980. give management the ability to realize where we are headed as an
     agency and make an honest attempt to get back on course of making
     technical assistance a priority

981. Better technical training and background for newer employees.

982. more real field time for all levels of and positions so everyone
     nderstands what we are and what we should be doing.

983. we are losing the techincal expertise as now we have become
     accountants for our cost share programs

984. We have lots of new people who understand computer technology and
     very few who know how to apply common sense conservation on the
     land.

985. don\'t know

986. The last four to five years has created field employees that do

987. Employees are spending far to much time at the computer. We are a
     technical agency that should be in the field in the farmers
     envirement. Instead we have him come into the office to see our
     computer system and make fancy maps. You can only fool the people
     that fund us so long.

988. The agency needs to utilize the skills of the older employees
     before they retire. We have already lost many skills with
     retirements.

989. We need more technical staff.

990. Though we obviously need computer and administrative skills, it
     should never be at the expense of the technical skills needed to
     produce what is wanted and needed by the customer, a conservation
     product that they understand, can, and will implement. It sometimes
     appears that we have gotten so complex that we are spending far
     more time with internal requirements than we are with producing the
     conservation product that is to be applied. Wherever possible, we
     need to hire people with the background, skills, and practical
     knowledge of conservation as it is to be applied by the producer
     and in a language that the producer can understand. This is a way
     our agency will be able to retain (or maybe regain) it\'s
     credibility.

991. More soil Scientist who have computer and GIS skills

992. Technical training

993. In field offices we need more secretarial help

994. Every field office needs a full time, competent clerical person.
     District conservationists should have their title changed, and
     their position descriptions totally re-done. A DC is now an
     administrator, a manager, and should be qualified as such. DC\'s no
     longer do conservation work. Technicians and Soil Conservationists
     are the

995. Younger people that are more exsperinced and are willing to let
     technology help them get there job done.

996. TECHNICIANS that can apply conservation on the land.

997. We need to be able to sell conservation in a successful way.
     Meeting with landowners one on one. Taking initiative to care about
     what they care about. Showing them the advantages of conservation.

998. Need to spend more time on the technical disciplines - less time
     dotting the i\'s and crossing the t\'s

999. The Agency puts people in Management and they have no managerial
     training, this creates nothing but problems. You can\'t supervise
     people if you have no training.

1000. A high level of computer skils appears to be covered by the new
      employees I see coming into NRCS. Field experience is now what is
      lacking. There is only so much you can do to get conservation on
      the land through a computer. Excessive documentation is draining
      field time to get in touch with landowners.

1001. Hiring interns with farming expierience or background.

1002. Better communication skills between the state and field offices,
      set rules for programs ahead of time not change everything during
      sign-ups

1003. We need additional staff in the positions of clerical
      assistance/data entry clerks at the FO level.

1004. People skills training. How to deal on a person to person level.

1005. Technology is moving faster than our learning curve to maximize it
      use. We have the pratical on the land skills.

1006. Knowledge of sustainable and appropriate technologies to keep
      agriculture diverse and econimically sound in rural areas.

1007. Our employees are now primarily computer technicians. Hire
      computer trained employees and provide computer training on an
      ongoing basis.

1008. There aren\'t enough personel to do the work. Everyone is
      overextended in their positions. Hard to make goals when there is
      only 1 person in an office. Nobody can be replaced, even if there
      are qualified people that are willing and able.

1009. Computer skills in older employees is lacking, engineering skills
      need to be trained before older technicians leave.

1010. Skills in reading the landscape and understanding the
      opportunities for profitable resource management. Should have
      business skills to help in making resource decisions. Should have
      speaking skills and professional skills in making presentations
      and working with groups.

1011. The agency needs to hold on to the field experience to pass on to
      the next generation of employees. Do not break the chain with our
      clients (farmers and landowners) and become too removed.

1012. more technical staff, we still DO in house survey and design work

1013. Less problems with computer programs and more of getting plan on
      the ground

1014. Field level employees who work directly with customers.

1015. experience and connectedness with field situations at higher
      levels than the field office.

1016. Agency needs to hire more SCT\'s, and also needs more GIS skills,
      so that we are efficient in the application of products.

1017. I don\'t know if we need additional skills, but we are not
      prepared for all the retirements coming soon. In engineering,
      there is a big gap in my state. Engineers are either near
      retirement, or have less than 5 years experience.

1018. It needs to get our younger staff up to speed very quickly. In the
      next 2-5 years we will lose a huge amount of expertise and
      experience. Very hard to replace that with someone just out of
      school\....

1019. Management needs experience in the field office.

1020. We need to stay field delivery base. Computers are nice but they
      do not put conservation on the ground. The people that make the
      policies and rules need to have a strong understanding on how it
      impacts the States and field office in delivery. More field
      experience is needed before people move up the change. We are the
      Natural Resources Conservation Serivce.

1021. More Computer

1022. Marketing programs, educating the SWCD staff, FSA staff and ISDA
      staff on marketing and promoting conservation.

1023. In recent years I have been questioning the people skills,
      interigity, morale, and character.

1024. more technical people in the field and less people in the field
      that are promoted just because the are college educated and have
      no technical skills.

1025. Better overall conservation planning abilities. Also the need to
      keep up with current industry changes.

1026. A well qualify, trained, and deicated workforce.

1027. kindness sheep skin does not mean everything

1028. Several of the employees that are close to retirement have skills
      to pass on to newer employees but we don\'t do well as an agency
      at encouraging the passing of these skills onward to newer
      employees or the older employees are so bitter at the system they
      don\'t want to pass on the skills they gained over a long career.

1029. Common sense

1030. need more technical skills

1031. More qualified people in the field offices that have adequate
      computer skills and a willingness to learn additional software
      programs.

1032. More technical experience for young employees.

1033. We need technical folks to fill the retiring and vacant spots, or
      take away all the contracting and computer work off of the
      technical people so they can do their job.

1034. Adequate training for the various discipline skills. We are
      promoting people that are not ready to assume those duties that
      are expected from them.

1035. Communications!

1036. more technical skills for field employees, such as agronomics,
      especially for those without a strong degree in that area.

1037. More clerical peaople to handle the basic protracts, prs, etc. in
      order to free DC\'s to do conservation planning without being tied
      to the computer 24/7.

1038. Agricultural background of employees

1039. Additional tech and financial assistance at field offices.
      Agronomy: No till specialist

1040. We are loosing our engineers and engineering technicians. We also
      need to sharpen the agronomy, biology and planning skills of our
      conservationists

1041. Technical competency

1042. How to get good conservation applied with out all the hours of
      Paper work.

1043. More Human Resources Management for NRCS\'s supervisors.

1044. In light of recent shifts in responsibilities: contract
      management, accounting, and tax laws.

1045. Trained managers and field employees. Increased training budgets
      to train new and stale employees.

1046. More farming knowledge.

1047. Cumputer skills, accounting skills, leadership and managerial
      skills.

1048. Improved work ethic, accountability, and improved technical
      knowledge of subject matter

1049. The experiance from the ones who are retiring.

1050. Computer literacy and new equipment skills. We have too many older
      employees that won\'t or can\'t keep up with the new equipment and
      software. Old school knowledge is invaluable, but it is slow and
      will be depleted when retirement hits the agency.

1051. We need people who can really communicate with landowners out on
      the land

1052. Computer trainings/less dependency on technology

1053. More experienced technical people, and more consistent training
      programs so people in each area all come to the table with the
      same basic knowledge. More mentors!!!! Boot camps are very helpful
      and EVERYONE should have to go.

1054. More and better training before advancement, being comfortable
      with the work they are asked to do, OJT is good but does not
      develop confidence.

1055. IT Training

1056. I think that management has been somewhat better recently, but
      everything can\'t be a priority. The skill to say no unless
      resources are provided.

1057. We are now as much a financial and administration agency as we are
      technical. Computer,administrative, business and accounting skills
      are very lacking among our employees who were hired for their
      technical background. Our newer employees have more of these
      skills but are extremely lacking in agronomy and engineering.

1058. More technically competent at the entry/intermediate levels at
      basic soils/agronomy/biology diciplines.

1059. Possibly computer training in technical program areas

1060. More training

1061. We need to be less burdened by administrative, computer, and
      office time demands inorder to have more time in the field to
      practice and perfect skills that we have been taught.

1062. Technical skills where field employees can work independently &
      more efficiently.

1063. More personel

1064. Common Sense and better people skills

1065. Farm related training (ie. what does it take to be able to
      communicate with farmers and ranchers and obtain credibility?)

1066. ablity to comunicate with farmers

1067. more sound technical skills needed for proper planning

1068. I believe our employees need more knowledge of what it takes for a
      farmer to meet their bottom line. Farmers are NOT wanting the
      government to give them a handout for a good job. They want our
      cost share assistance and technical expertise of making their
      operation more effecient. I believe our employees are extremely
      lacking in the knowledge of the mentality of a farmer and what it
      takes to make a farm profitable.

1069. people with a knowledge of crop production, soils, etc, not people
      with no ag knowledge, classes, etc and who only know wildlife

1070. Better technical skills.

1071. Knowledge of computer programs. Basic technical (agronomy, biology
      etc) knowledge so employees can talk to our clients.

1072. We need more engineering and technical staff

1073. Technical expertise based on real world practical knowledge. There
      is to much paper work. Why leave the computor?

1074. District Conservationists are filling the role as managers and
      often lack managerial skills. Most have science/ag backgrounds. If
      you want a manager, hire a person with a buisness degree.

1075. business and administrative skills. District Conservationists are
      called on to create contracts and authorize payments that are
      becoming more complex. Training in these areas is needed.

1076. The biggest factor I have seen change is the increase in the
      number and complexity of contracting that we are responsible for.
      At the Field Office level we are developing and administering
      millions of dollars in Farm Bill Program contracts with little or
      no formal training and unreliable resources. We need to be
      contracting specialist just as much as we need technical
      expertise.

1077. Stronger well rounded technical skills balanced with management
      skills.

1078. People who will except change.

1079. better computer programs and corresponding training

1080. technology skills

1081. The agency needs better technical skills taught at a slower pace
      so the new hires REALLY understand how conservation practices
      function on the land.

1082. Computer programs given to us to use are never given with proper
      training and followup. This needs to improve greatly.

1083. Better training of D.C. Better leadership at higher levels

1084. An emphisis as been placed on computer work with toolkit, PRS,
      protracts and other office based work loads. This ahs resulted in
      less time communicating with producers. This may be hurting our
      younger employees more than our more experianced employees, as the
      newer younger employees are delegated computer work in the office
      since they are more computer literate, but this prevents them from
      working with producers and building the connections with the
      community that are so valuable to each field office.

1085. We seem to lack good solid technical training. We are good at
      survey and field work. I am meaning keeping up with all the
      different computer programs and changes.

1086. AGRICULTURAL backgrounds and a thorough understanding of
      agriculture and farming practices. Not enough employees have an ag
      background or know much about farming. This is very upsetting to
      producers who come in for assistance from NRCS. They do not like
      being told certain things about what they can and can\'t do by
      someone who has no idea what they are or aren\'t doing.

1087. need to hire people based on their abilities and technical skills,
      we are rewarding too many people for just handing out money and
      not really caring if they accomplish our agency\'s mission.,too
      many people are hired based on just sex or race, and don\'t have
      the necessary abilities. When a black state con. comes to an area
      meeting and says we need to hire more women and blacks, and these
      people are promoted just so our agency can say hey, look what a
      good job we are doing filling our quotas.

1088. Ability and proficiency adapting to new and/or changing farming
      and wildlife management techniques in order to provide the best
      land stewardship.

1089. We need to make sure that all employees are achieving goals and
      meeting more than minimum requirements for their position. It
      seems that as long as someone meets minimum, they are promoted.
      Those who are well exceeding are grouped with those who are barely
      getting by and all are promoted together.

1090. I am convinced we need to specialize in program implementation
      instead of having to try and be experts in all programs.

1091. The older employees need skills relating to computer usage
      (ie..being able to use GIS, Toolkit, etc\...). Newer employees
      need more technical skills (ie\...conservation planning,
      engineering skills, etc\...)

1092. salesmanship skills; technical/planning skills

1093. Computer and other skills that keep up to date with new technology
      and software.

1094. Better foresite into the future and ability to get along well with
      related agencies both federal and state.

1095. We are losing our technical expertise at an alarming rate. I am
      speaking of technical staff like civil engineers, civil
      engineering technicians, and soil conservation technicians.

1096. better computer skills

1097. More technical expertise in the higher levels - someone who knows
      what it\'s like to get dirty!!

1098. People skills; Too many employees do not know how to communicate
      with our landowners. Work skills; Too many have an
      internship/educational background, but do not know how to
      physically work. One employee was heard to say,

1099. Management

1100. People who are the current flavor of the month are promoted
      without any real basic skills. All employees need to be competent
      in all basic work we do at the field level before being considered
      for advancements. We are currently placing Soil Conservationists
      at a GS-9 level who are not even certified planners. SCTs are
      expected to do the same level of planning while being paid at a
      GS-5,6, or 7 level. This is a ridiculous situation and adds to
      dissention and hard feelings in the field offices.

1101. Getting people trained on what they will be working on in the
      field and in the office.

1102. More individuals with a mixture of agricultural backgrounds and
      good people skills

1103. technical. Skills on computer related programs. Employees need to
      have the willingness to learn

1104. Leadership and people/office management skills.

1105. We need more focus on our basic technical skills. The ones we used
      to use to troubleshoot problems with farmers, then survey, design
      and build solutions.. Anymore, our technology comes in the form of
      computer programs. While they are helpful, they can\'t do the
      thinking for us. The younger workforce in the NRCS is incredibly
      lacking in technical knowledge, skill, and ability.

1106. more technical, in the field or close to the field, especially
      Engineering staffs. Engineering staffs need to be able to hire
      WAE\'s again. It is a great way to start people out and evaluate
      them. Our older staff needs help with the surveying too.

1107. Better regional technical assistance for new employees and
      training on the computer programs that we use.

1108. Field people that know agriculture. Some new hires have never been
      on a farm before, don\'t know the difference between corn or
      soybeans. Farmers don\'t want these people on their land.

1109. more IRM people and clerical people.

1110. Before a program is announced to public, we need to know the rules
      and they should be set in stone to be fair to all participants
      involved. Which means, better training and communicaton for all
      employees not just DC and SC

1111. Good upper management with some down to earth skills. Common
      sense. They should actually get out there and implement the
      programs they want the field to use.

1112. Many employees need to learn to use tools such as CAD to
      effectively carry out their job. They also need to be provided
      with tools such as total stations for engineering work even at the
      field office level.

1113. Placing the right people in the right jobs, rather than just
      promoting to achieve grade levels.

1114. Salesmanship training. We are salesman if we like it or not since
      we are selling a conservation product.

1115. Employees with an agricultural background that can relate well
      with our clientele.

1116. Follow through with training for upcoming soil cons. that need and
      look forward to aquiring the knowledge and skills to work as a DC.

1117. We seem to have some people in some higher positions that don\'t
      really seem to be in touch with what really happens in the field
      offices. You need to maintain that connection between the two.

1118. Need more young employees that have some kind of agriculture
      experience/background.

1119. If the agency wants to be in charge of distributing money, then we
      need to develop a more professional approach, refined, simple and
      accurate.

1120. Leaders that are more interested in the future of NRCS. Many are
      just worried about when they are retiring.

1121. More computer skills and GIS training to show our professional
      printed products. More field experience for all employees working
      with farmers and ranchers. Fewer and fewer new employees have a
      farm background and more need to understand what type of
      investment farming involves and what makes a person want to farm
      and how we can work with them.

1122. We need to continue to have our customer friendly skills.

1123. Field experience for newcomers

1124. Return to hiring employees with a hands on knowledge of the land

1125. We have become an administrative agency, but we only hire
      technical people. Computer assistance is totally inadequate.

1126. Engineering skills are lacking. Alot of our skilled personell have
      retired or left in the past 10 years.

1127. They need to train their new employees better so that they are
      able to perform their job to the fullest when they arrive at their
      duty station. There is not enough time for co-workers to provide
      all the training for the new employees that they get. The
      co-workers are very buisy as well, because they are going from an
      experienced employee that worked in their office, to a employee
      that knows nothing.

1128. More technical skills. Soil conservationists know books, computers
      and programs but know very little about the conservation practices
      they are planning.

1129. People skills, we are becoming a highly technical agency, but we
      still need to work with our customers.

1130. More experts in the field offices that specialize in certain
      areas, or better training.

1131. Managers are not responding to technical training

1132. More and better training for managers, to handle the increasing
      responsibilities or running an office, including personel issues
      and administrative issues.

1133. With the ever changing computer needs, more help is needed to
      train employees how to use programs, currently training is too
      technical and short for the

1134. More leadership training. More business skills training.

1135. Our new employees should bring basic agricultural and
      environmental skills with them to the job, however many of them
      don\'t. Many dollars are wasted by teaching basic skills to less
      qualified employees when the same dollars could be spent on more
      advanced trainings if the hiring process were refined.

1136. we need to define what or whos mission,,,and encompuss everyones,
      not just nrcs\...we should look at our customers mission and try
      to align ours to theirs to help them with environmental concerns

1137. They need to hire people that have some common sense and can think
      .

1138. keep the workforce top heavy with technically sound people

1139. better trained technical skills, and a uniformity(statewide) in
      the layout, design, and cost share of practices such as terraces &
      waterways.

1140. Communication SKills from the National Level to the field level

1141. new employes need to be trained in the basics in the technical
      area. We are becoming just computer operaters rather than having
      the technical understanding of how and where technical information
      comes from.

1142. Personnel management skills.

1143. More technical personnel and better management personnel.

1144. We need to stay on top of new technology. A lot of our
      recommendations are based on old data and making use look bad
      professionally. If we can keep up I think we can still be a great
      agency.

1145. Hire qualified people

1146. Especially at the field level we are a technical agency. We go out
      and recruit folks to plan and apply practices. We are actually
      doing much more administrative work with all of our programs
      requiring fed. contracts. CSP, EQIP, WHIP. Some of these folks we
      hired are very unhappy, they were hired to go out to the field to
      help landowners and are being used to input data and manage
      contracts for our programs. If were need program managers we need
      to hire program managers that want to spend their time managing
      contracts, their job satisfaction would be much higher..

1147. A more thorough knowledge of soils and how they impact what we do
      and how folks manage their land and how erosions actually works.
      We need a much better handle on plant physiology as it applies to
      range and pasture managment. Salesmanship.

1148. The ability to apply conservation practices to the land. Knowledge
      of farming.

1149. rethink the depletion of the technical skills necessary to do the
      job at the field office level

1150. Not so much skills a manpower where it is needed. We have a
      workload that may justify way more employees than we will ever
      get. Result, mandatory programs get done on time but with a very
      low quality.

1151. Better management at the field office level

1152. Hire people with backgrounds that they will be working in. Book
      learning and educations doesn\'t also do this. Hiring part-time or
      as temp would help.

1153. Need to make sure that new hires still have some ag background as
      well as the special skills designed for their position.

1154. Computer skills

1155. Interpersonal and technical/engineering. Some of the new employees
      have little or no experience with practical design (they are
      unable to interpret results) and have difficulty working and
      communicating with others.

1156. software programers who can design user friendly programs that can
      be used & valued by the end users.

1157. Need to give new employees more technical skills. We are rapidly
      loosing our technical expertise.

1158. We need to listen to the field offices they are the ones that
      understand what is happening in the field and can give better ways
      to report and get the conservation out on the land. I think that
      the people that are in charge in DC don\'t understand how things
      have changed, are changing and what is the most effective way to
      accomplish our goals (it\'s like they have gotten to lost in the
      political side of things)

1159. More Tecnical and less paper pushing.

1160. Better training of all

1161. We need to develop things and test them BEFROE they become a
      required system. Protracts for example is a great tool, but as we
      have become a payment agency, trying to make multiple payments for
      CSP, the bugs should have been worked out so that the field office
      do not look bad and we do not look bad as an agency, because we
      cannot deliver prompt service to our landowners. It gets old and
      somewhat embarrassing when the field staff has to explain why
      things cannot be processed as the systems do not work correctly.

1162. Need to use private contractors, when it comes to writing computer
      programs.

1163. job openings for new people - who then get trained by the more
      experienced people in the field and in the office

1164. Mgt. & technical

1165. computer technical skills

1166. Strong communication skills and the willingness to accept
      responsibility for work at the employee and supervisor levels.
      Problems need to quite being pawned off on others or dismissed due
      to an inability for the agency to address.

1167. Better technological availability

1168. Training, communication

1169. interpersonnal skills

1170. Managerial and entrepreneurial skills

1171. Need more managerial training.

1172. We are getting less and less technical, and need more engineers.

1173. Need to develop proficency with using computers at the field
      level. Often training on new systems or software is insufficient,
      causing more distress to field people.

1174. Economics, computer skills, communication skills

1175. technological

1176. GIS

1177. Technical - soils, agronomic, engineering.

1178. More use of geospatial technologies to assist with work and in
      making decisions.

1179. Need for people with GIS skills

1180. Training within the agency is woefully inadequate. Thee is a need
      to improve the manner in which the NRCS provides training
      sessions. Single 8 hour training sessions are a waste of time.
      There is a need for more brief training sessions followed up by
      individual field/home office training. Most NRCS employees are not
      comfortable with the technological tools the agency expects to use
      to compensate for the lack of personnel.

1181. More structured SOPs and regulations

1182. Engineering and soils technical proficency.

1183. Better management and supervisory skills.

1184. We need to increase technical competency, AND recognize and admit
      that we are becoming a program administrating and contract
      managing agency and hire the number and kinds of people we need to
      take care of them. It will allow the technical people to do their
      jobs more efficiently. too.

1185. Promotions should not be based on heritage. promotions should be
      based on technical skill not just who you know.

1186. People management skills. Need to learn how to motivate staff and
      reward them and make them feel like they are part of a team
      instead of constantly having the rules changed and feel like the
      agency is pulling the rug out from under their feet.

1187. In my field, older workforce technical expertise is outdated and
      keeping abreast of new technology is not occuring.

1188. more customer skills

1189. hiring staff knowlegable in agriculture and not environmentalists

1190. We need to do a better job of monitoring landowners for
      compliance. We need to make decisions and grant cost-share funds
      on the basis of conservation merit, not political merit.

1191. A training program for new technical staff members that is hands
      on prior to completing a project.

1192. More scientific and truly technical folk. More engineers and
      geologists.

1193. engineering

1194. Mentor new employees with like personality individuals whom have
      the same interest(s)in disciplines of the agency\'s mission and
      enforce rewards consistently, basicly start a required mentoring
      program like the upward mobility/career enhancement for new
      recruits(1-3 yr. length depending on results).

1195. With the requirements of the Farm Bill there are many areas that
      need to be addressed. More and more things are put upon employee
      without the necessary training and without taking away other work.

1196. Scientific competence. Realistic goals.

1197. Communication skills Collaboration skills Ability to value and
      appreciate diversity

1198. We have not trained our managers to be excellent managers. They
      are doing the best they can being conservationists and managers.

1199. Computer skills; administrative skills on the District
      Conservationist level

1200. Not sure that the skill losses from retirements can be replaced
      with remaining staff.

1201. What is the goal? Tell me the goal and I\'ll tell you how to hit
      the target.

1202. Better communication/outreach for program promotion. It appears
      that producers who are involved with the NRCS are enrolled in
      multiple programs while others who may have conservation issues on
      thier land are unaware or not interested. I feel that with better
      marketing of the Agency we can capture others who may be unaware
      of our services.

1203. We need people which are better skilled to work with the puplic in
      conserving and protecting our nations resource base. We sometimes
      have managers that lack good people skills. The agency needs more
      rounded employees.

1204. GIS and GPS training.

1205. pratical (real world on the ground) knowledge. The knowledge of
      how to take a paper plan and make it happen. Getting real world
      work done.

1206. How to work with others and other agencies. NRCS is currently
      doing a poor job in this area.

1207. Business, management, computer, economic development

1208. Technical skills and interpersonal skills

1209. The agency needs to continue to put effort into making sure
      employees understand farming operations and can work with
      producers. Sometimes our employees are not considered credible in
      the field because they have no farm background.

1210. Technical skills Communication skills Organizational skills
      Leadership skills Managerial skills

1211. our jobs are constantly changing-evolving. Continuing education is
      needed to maintain productivity

1212. I am a GS-9 Soil Scientist. I am not privy to information that
      would allow me to competently answer such a question.

1213. 1\. Training sometimes seems to lag behind the job need, and may
      not be given in an effective manner. For instance, GIS training is
      now being offered, but where will I find the time when I also have
      a greatly increased administrative workload in EQIP and other
      program? 2. It often is not so much the need for additional skills
      as getting more in depth in the skills we may have.

1214. common sense, leadership

1215. Technical skills like nutrient management and more engineering
      authority.

1216. the agency needs to hire and maintain only quality individuals at
      the pay rate of private America.

1217. More technical knowledge. We are being more trained on computer
      use, loss of actual knowledge of what is needed.

1218. With the rapidly changing capabilities of computers and the
      outsourcing of our computer specialists, I feel that we are short
      on the computer expertise necessary to keep up with the
      opportunities available and our need to utilize new technology.

1219. constantly needs to increase technology skills

1220. The agency needs more technically qualified people in the field.
      Conservation Technical assistance(customer service) is what this
      agency is all about.

1221. Technical skills in all areas!!!!

1222. More on the job training seesions.

1223. More bodies are needed to imput data into computers. People are
      spending too much time behind the desk and not enough in the field
      doing our jobs.

1224. More people skills and common sense devloped by not being promoted
      every year or two. Stay at one position long enough to have to
      live with your mistakes.

1225. it needs people with rural/farm back-grounds and outdoor/wildlife
      background, not just a college degree. it needs people who have
      people skills, not people who are just climbing the ladder of
      success for money and power. they forget who\'s hands they step on
      as they try to climb the ladder for power.

1226. All employees, especially field office employees, need computer
      skill formal training to enable them to do a more efficient job of
      georeferencing conservation plans,using RUSLE2, running
      engineering programs, and other general software training, ie.
      Microsoft Office.

1227. More appropriate technology. Less emphasis on the world wide web
      for conducting day to day business

1228. Computer, GPS, GIS

1229. The agency has no skills. The people who are the agency have the
      skills. That includes the scientific, technical, communicative,
      and leadership skills. The NRCS needs to get authorization to
      provide more assistance to non-rural America. There were times
      that the SCS could use PL566 projects in non-rural settings, but
      then that was stopped when the requirement to accrue 20% of
      benefits to agriculture. There were times when NRCS sponsored
      AmeriCorp projectsand participated in the Urban Resources
      Partnership. The urban peopple were very appreciative. It seems
      like today that the NRCS only has an interest in the Farm Bill as
      if that is the only need we can serve. I understand that there are
      resource limitations, that priorities must be set, but why can\'t
      the NRCS recognize that there is a need to serve America\'s
      resources in all settings. I suppose what this leads me to is that
      the NRCS needs the skill to deploy her resources in a manner in
      which the NRCS serves throughout the land and if the resources are
      not there then the NRCS needs to find ways to secure the
      resources.

1230. Livestock industry and contract specialist/technicians to address
      livestock planning concerns and free up D.C. administrative
      responsibilities to do more technical planning.

1231. contracting, proactive planning prior to contracting without the
      concern that we must produce contracts to met goal or hold on to
      current staffing levels.

1232. I believe that some one-on-one training in the area of GIS-GPS
      training. There is no commitment to technology from upper
      management. It is a tool that can serve the agency greatly. The
      field offices are having to get by with very little training. Any
      training that is being given is done by fellow employees that
      already have a great deal to do.

1233. The agency needs better skills for the new computer programs that
      are constantly introduced and improved. New employees need a more
      diversified technical experience, and a greater understanding of
      the agency\'s past programs and activities.

1234. More engineering and agronomic skills

1235. To stop playing catch-up. We alwats seem to be scrambling to meet
      a deadline whether it be for program sign ups or having a computer
      program working efficently for reporting to PRS before the end of
      the fiscal year. It is frustrating as a new employee when you are
      not given the proper tools or information to accomplish a task.
      With the new work forcing coming on with the agency nothing should
      be presumed as common knowledge. Maybe the older work force knows
      of the way things have been done in the past but us new comers
      have no past experiences to rely on.

1236. We need to stay with what we do best, working one on one with land
      owners. We are the teck arm of USDA let FSA be the check writers.

1237. Minimization skills. Much of the work of the agency is overkill.
      Also, time management skills for field office employees dealing
      with constant interuptions.

1238. Some managers don\'t know the programs they are supposed to be
      promoting.

1239. Contract management at the field level

1240. Contract development and implementation

1241. Need better skills at the field level for contract management,
      fiscal management, and technical expertise.

1242. I think the bootcamp idea is great. We aren\'t giving our new
      employees the training they need and the older employees who are

1243. The new employees need field training not just time behind the
      computer reporting.

1244. Much of the people skills and practical insight at the field
      office level is being lost and/or pre-empted with program
      administration and time spent on line.

1245. less bureaucratic burden on field office staff

1246. A return to basics and what made us strong & admirable before.
      Clients care about our technical skills and how it helps them
      accomplish their goals and we are continually hiring new people
      who can\'t even do basic math.

1247. I think skills in understanding and managing for water quality are
      lacking. NRCS still overemphasizes reducing erosion at the cost of
      water quality. Also, many employees seem to have less than
      adequate KSA of soil science subjects to perform their job at a
      high level. Instead area specialists are required for more
      involved projects and facets of soil science and water quality are
      not considered adequately on smaller less involved projects.

1248. Better administrative skills for programs to be more efficient.

1249. Training for communication skills, prioritizing/ time management

1250. Individual employees need to gain additional computer experience.
      Even newer emplyees lack some of the basic skills to manage files
      and work with ArcGIS.

1251. Leadership skills from the field up.

1252. Common sense and a farm background. We are quickly becoming a
      computer operator.

1253. Leadership needs to strategically identify the positions needed
      and position the agency to acquire them.

1254. More tech. skills

1255. Field skills and comprehension\...we need to get anyone associated
      with conservation planning in the field, at least a few times a
      year, from the top manager on down.

1256. NRCS is sorely lacking in people skills. It\'s just unbelievable
      at times. Coordinate job tasks with technology. Stop requiring
      performance before you provide the technology to do the job. i.e.
      computers & programs that work. Don\'t trot out a new program
      before it works or before anyone in the agency knows how it works.
      Everything should work before it is sent to the field office to
      use.

1257. Many of the old field level skills have been lost. They need to be
      re-established to properly provide on the land assistance. Improve
      people skills.

1258. The agency has gone from a tech. provider to admin. and it lacks
      admin. skills

1259. Most historically technical positions, it Soil Conservationist,
      are becomming increasingly more administrative and less technical.
      Those hired when this was a technical position need more training
      on the administrative aspects they are being asked to assume.

1260. data input, it seems our planners are spending more time in front
      of the computer instead of being in the field doing conversation
      work, trying to satisfy the computer

1261. The agency needs to realize who their customers are and quite
      feeding the computer. We were a technical agency and respected.We
      have lost the respect of the farmers and landowners and we spend
      all our time feeding the computer with numbers that don\'t mean a
      whole lot.

1262. Uniform training for all employees, until they are comfortable
      with what is required of them, similar to what FSA does.

1263. spatial technology

1264. agricultural experience, proper training with computer programs,

1265. Practical farm experience or backround. People skills.

1266. More technical training, and followup to determine if the training
      was effective

1267. We need to go back to a technical based agency where we actually
      help people and when we tell them we can help, help comes in a
      reasonable time frame. Our resource planners don\'t have time to
      do on the farm planning. They are spending all of their time
      behind a computer putting together a meaningless paper plan to
      seek funding. Environmental success is what actually happens in
      the field, not because of the ability an individuals has
      completing scoring worksheets.

1268. The agency is loosing field experience and expertise. We spend too
      much time on the computer and not enough time in the field. We
      have become contract writers and dollar pushers. We throw money at
      a problem rather than fixing it.

1269. More management level understanding of the field level work and
      relations/needs of the customers we serve. Overall, workforce with
      better understanding/experience of farming.

1270. Less management and more field level employees.

1271. Our agency (SCS/NRCS) has always had strong technical abilities,
      however, if the new CSP program is the future, the computer
      environment, data processing, and financial management (programs)
      are the future skills needed.

1272. More involvement in Intregrated Crop Management activities for all
      land uses.

1273. The ability to learn more about what other jobs are and what they
      require.

1274. New employees need to be hired based to an extent on their
      background. Many of them have never even been on a farm, so
      therefore know very little about agricultural programs.

1275. MORE EMPLOYEES FROM ACTUAL FARM BACKGROUNDS OR HAVE THOSE THAT
      ARENT UTILIZE THE PROGRAM THAT EXIST FOR FOLKS OUT WEST TO WORK ON
      A RANCH/FARM AS AN INTERNSHIP TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF WHAT REALLY
      OCCURS ONA FARM SO THE EMPLOYEE IS JUST NOT ANOTHER BUREAUCRATIC
      LAYER FOR THE LAND OWNER TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO GET ASSISTANCE.

1276. The agency needs to develop the basic skills that it has. A
      majority of agency employees are familiar with the technical
      skills necessary for conservation planning, and implementation -
      very few competently possess those skills. A common quote is

1277. More technical assistance at the area office and field office
      level.

1278. We are promoting a lot of staff with good computer skills but
      maybe not good communication skills with farmers. There needs to
      be more credit given to good field experience working with
      farmers.

1279. Our technical background has always been our strength as an
      agency. We need to maintain this. We need to continue to have
      personel with strong technical skills that are employeed by NRCS,
      Ex. (Soil Conservation Technicians need to be NRCS employees, not
      district or third party providers). This would be true with any
      technical discipline within the agency.

1280. n0 comment

1281. we have too many people in high positions that think they have to
      change something in order to justify their position. For instance
      someone is making nrce small watersheds in missouri quit using
      steel anti-seep collars around steel pipes in structures. scs and
      nrcs has been doing that successfully for over 50 years and now
      someone who does not live in Missouri and obviously doesn\'t know
      much about our procedures is changing how we do things. for a much
      higher cost and higher probability of dam failure.

1282. Many post 1987 hirees are not technically skilled to address
      natural resource issues. Most are at best office managers that
      cannot relate to the agencies clientle.

1283. computer data entry people to do reporting and recons in high
      workload counties.

1284. Testcomputer programs like Toolkit in the field before they are
      implemented, then provide adequate training at the time they are
      implemented,not 6 months before and then change a bunch of stuff
      in the meantime. Don\'t change policies on programs like EQIP and
      CRP in the middle of the program. Have the bugs worked out before
      they hit the field. It destroys our credibility in the field to
      tell a producer something and then have to go back and say OOPS!
      Sorry about what I told you before, but we have to do it this way
      now.

1285. Strong Technical Backgrounds.

1286. Trainers in computer software use, nutrient & pest management

1287. Engineers with a wider range of experience in the field and with
      working knowledge beyond their individual comfort zone. Engineers
      are not willing to step outside of the box and assist with various
      practices that ARE in the technical guide. Engineers should be
      required to have as a minimum two state experience.

1288. They need to recoginise the quality of work employees do and not
      to just give the same few employees all the recoginition

1289. Hire people with good work ethics; not based on color, gender,
      etc.

1290. More Computer Skills,

1291. I will always believe that all employees should know or be
      acquainted with the technical side of NRCS. It still does revolve
      around this, no matter which level you work. You have got to know
      or remember what goes on in the field office.

1292. more experience needed bfore being moved up

1293. At field level, managers financial adminisitrative/support
      skills,and computer skills in addition to good technical
      background.

1294. I feel the agency has the skills but not enough people within an
      are have the skills

1295. I believe that our State and Local staffs are very capable and the

1296. we need planning skills to coordinate program rules in a timely
      fashion, before the signup starts.

1297. Technical aptitude to operate the new and changing business tools

1298. Mostly what we need is to have computer software that works and
      equipment up to date

1299. Additional computer skills.

1300. More computer competent personnel at the field level.

1301. geomorphology, landscape planning

1302. We currently have the skills within Agency but many of the newer
      employees who are Soil Conservationist are being allowed to
      advance without learning technicion skills thus do not have a clue
      or are very limited in their field skills.

1303. The agency needs more employees with better basic technical
      training. We have too many employees on board who can only
      function with a computer in front of them.

1304. Personnel need to be trained on basic technical enities in
      agricutural engineering and advancement in computer
      tecnology(Arcview GIS).

1305. More technical empasis than program emphasis - seems we focus more
      on the programs due to money but overshadow and assume the
      technical is taken care of. Need to put emphasis on technical.

1306. Better leadership in the national office. Someone who will set
      realistic time period for programs to be administered.

1307. We will need to develop a better understanding of computer
      software and GIS capabilities. We definitely need better computer
      programmers and programs that work.

1308. Computer. Also,because of the complexity of NRCS responsibilities,
      positions should be more task/technical specitfic rather than

1309. More people with practical experience. Do not overrate formal
      education.

1310. We are going more towards wildlife instead of traditional ag. Need
      more wildlife training and the agency needs to fund training when
      need arises

1311. With NRCS moving more toward a program driven agency I feel that
      we need more Corporate type bussiness skills in our field offices.
      (Marketing, Management, etc) Many office employees are more
      techenical driven and are unwilling to change or go with the flow
      of the new programs which I feel are our agency\'s future.

1312. I don\'t think over all we need any additional skills but the time
      to properly develop the skills we have. In other words we are not
      given the time to do our jobs properly and develop our skills
      fully due to the deadlines.

1313. no comment

1314. The agency needs to TRAIN it\'s employees. Soil Conservationists
      are becoming District Conservationists without some fundamental
      knowledge contained in the General Manual and the other Manuals
      and Handbooks. Conservation Technicians are being hired and then
      receiving little training by engineers or they are receiving
      training by other technicians. Sometimes it produces a sloppy
      technical employee that doesn\'t really know anything about
      standards and specifications or how to conduct a survey.

1315. people who actually own and work the land

1316. Newer employees are not given adequate technical training or
      training in conservation planning.

1317. More one on one in the field training

1318. If the national office wants us to do more clerical or contract
      development and maintenance we need the training to support this

1319. Computer skills - training in new programs, and tips on how to get
      the job done easier/faster. Technical skills - new employees need
      more training on what the mission is of the agency (to get
      conservation on the land - not to sell the programs).

1320. Since the 1985 Farm Bill employees lack the experience of in the
      field training that comes from time learning a job.

1321. We need more time in the field for on-the-job training. This has
      almost been completly cut out due to the complexity of programs.

1322. more training for new employees for techical and computers

1323. Less time on the computer and more time in the field working one
      on one with landowners

1324. More training.

1325. It appears the agency is placing more emphasis on management and
      very little on technical expertise. We are a technical agency and
      that has been our strong suit with our clients in the past.
      Employes need the technical training and the ability to use that
      training in the field.

1326. Let people get trained before putting the places they cannot
      handle.

1327. A new state conservationist

1328. Many of the skills may be there, but there is not enough time to
      complete tasks with the competency we are capable of.

1329. We need employees with communication and leadership skills.
      Currently we have a lot of smart folks who can not relate to
      agricultural producers, because of a lack of farm background and
      good communication skills.

1330. People in management positions need to know what goes on at the
      field level. To expect a fruitful interaction between managers and
      field people when the managers don\'t know what the field people
      do is poor use of both groups.

1331. Computer and techncial expertise with the equipment/programs to do
      the job.

1332. More emphasis on public service over computer/data entry. Web
      systems have too many problems and therefore slow down
      productivity. A better division of labor within an office (ex;
      dividing program assignments among staff).

1333. I believe the training for the skills needed are available, we
      need the budget to attend the training

1334. Fine tune the public speaking skills, powerpoint presentation
      skills, general people skills.

1335. Survey grade GPS knowledge or at least liscened surveyors

1336. Internal review of managers and their ethics.

1337. Water Resource Economics. We\'ve lost a lot of our corporate
      knowledge and are having to try to regain it. Folks are not being
      trained comprehensively to provide the needed analysis.

1338. Advanced technical degrees to validate conservation effect claims

1339. Better managers and leadership skills. Our leaders need to
      understand the value of technology such as remote sensing and how
      to get this in the hands of working people.

1340. Don\'t know. Not sure what our mission is anymore.

1341. ground water hydrologists

1342. I\'m not sure

1343. The people the agency has do not have the skills to do the job.

1344. communication, computer skills, public relations

1345. A way to weed out the deadwood and keep the enthusiastic, workers
      who are still actively trying to complete meaningful work.

1346. Unknown.

1347. The agency needs to listen to the employees. For example, if there
      are numerous EEO complaints in one particular place, a thorough
      investigation should be done by the agency instead of

1348. Hire people who have the necessary skills. I see many people in
      jobs that may look good on paper, but cannot actually do the job
      they are hired for. Then they get awards for doing who knows what.

1349. Fair leadership.

1350. our state office currently needs biologists due to recent
      resignations and a hiring freeze; we also need more expertise in
      contracting and finance

1351. Managers need to be required to attend beginning/exposure training
      to all the program activities they supervise.

1352. More continuing education on items such as GIS, administrative
      processes and programs.

1353. The agency needs people with clerical skills to perform the
      program application and payment tasks that used to be performed by
      FSA program assistants (GS-4 to 6) and are now done by Soil and
      District conservationists (GS- 9 through 12)

1354. This agency needs better ecological skills. Restoration of
      ecological function on private lands should be the major
      over-riding emphasis within the agency and although we work
      towards these goals there are not enough well trained ecologists
      and biologists out there for the workload.

1355. The agency (at the county level) has become a glob of computer

1356. Analytical skills using digital GIS data is becoming more
      important.

1357. competant managers

1358. Computer and GIS

1359. technology

1360. management and public relations

1361. There is not enough emphasis at the moment on analyzing the
      benefits of conservation. The agency needs more
      resource/environmental economists who have the technical skills to
      develop useful benefit matrices.

1362. Don\'t know.

1363. In relation to federal contracts, more training needs to be
      provided for technical staff on their requirements.

1364. More individuals with a rural background.

1365. More skills in telling our story to DC for funding

1366. technical skills in engineering and resource management.

1367. More agricultural experience in offices dealing with rural,
      farming, ranching issues. City folks with little such experience
      should not be placed in these offices.

1368. we just need to allow for improvement/experience on what we have.

1369. Quality management experience. Skills that are valued in the
      private sector should be valued within the government. Poor
      results get poor returns (awards, grade increases, etc.).

1370. I think we need to focus on trying to hire individuals who
      understand who NRCS\' customers are and what products we provide.

1371. Hiring and training new personal before individuals retire. Also,
      hiring new employees not solely based on college degrees, but
      consider currently employees working in a position which has
      gained them good on the job training.

1372. More people with agricultural background\....common sense.

1373. Computer and software skills - a lot of employees don\'t even have
      a basic understanding of directory structure, folders and file
      types

1374. In order to accomplish more with less (people, \$, etc) we need to
      improve our ability to work as a team. We need management who
      truly understands what goes on at all levels of the agency and
      have the skills to make policy that is workable in the field.

1375. Better computer software and better computer skills

1376. I believe that we have lost the ability to promote conservation
      planning. Planning is done as a knee-jerk reation to a customer\'s
      application to a program, instead of the application to the
      program being the result of the planning process.

1377. ability to provide interdisciplinary planning and implementation
      assistance for natural resources conservation at the watershed
      scale

1378. In working for the RC&D, it is difficult to know where the line is
      between NRCS and RC&D. It seems like the rules change on what
      financial assistance will be provided to the program and what an
      NRCS can or cannot do in working for the RC&D program.

1379. More Engineers

1380. they need people skills to work with the public

1381. business managment

1382. Heart!!!! Understanding the people we serve and the resources we
      are charged with protecting.

1383. Our newer employees lack the technical skills needed to do the
      job, especially addressing the resource concerns we are now
      putting an emphasis on.

1384. More clear and concise information when needed. More hands on
      training - less online training (such as job shadowing etc..)

1385. Not sure

1386. More field experience. Not computers.

1387. None

1388. We hire people to fulfill numbers and not people with people
      skills. They need to know something about working in the field and
      on farm.

1389. The technical aspeck of applying conservation practices is very
      weak by new employees. They need better training on laying out and
      applying practices.

1390. technical training, leadership training.

1391. We obviously don\'t have the skills needed or we would not be
      contracting our work out to others. We need leadership that will
      stand up and say this is what we do better than anyone else, and
      then are capable of securing the resources needed for our
      employees to get their jobs done.

1392. Better training for new programs,computer technology, and computer
      programs that are designed to make our job easier and more
      effiecient but the demand to learn all on such short time frames
      are impossible.

1393. Technical & Managerial Training, not a culture club.

1394. Managers that can accurately assess the workload not based on a
      budget but performance capabilities of the available staff.
      Managers that can look forward, keeping one on the wheel and one
      eye looking back. I call it loyalty. Paraphrasing a quote from a
      famous college football coach,

1395. Recruit people that are willing to work, provide them training,
      and reward them for jobs well done.

1396. Diversity

1397. Technicians need to be trained in the field by seasoned
      technicians,(like an apprentice).

1398. Basic agriculture economics.

1399. Better management at upper levels.

1400. More staff should be hired to do data entry on computers so that
      GS-9 and 11 technical staff can get into the field to provide
      assistance rather than sitting behind a computer

1401. NRCS employees need to help the producer with fence, terraces,
      grazing, woodland, wildlife, and the componets that go along with
      implementing those plans. Many NRCS employees do not know how to
      build a fence that meet NRCS Specs.

1402. There needs to be more infasis placed on technical skills and not
      so much placed on administrative activities.

1403. More administrative capabilities at the Field Office level. Most
      Field Office employees are hired because of their technical
      competence and are poor managers and fiscal administrators.

1404. We are lacking in the ability to deliver timely and well thought
      out computerization of program deliver. There are great ideas out
      there but our implementation is amateur at best.

1405. Field experience in conservation planning and application. Also
      technology skill development seems always to be needed.

1406. technical

1407. We need more accountants if we are going to be a contract driven
      agency.

1408. we need to maintain our technical skills,because thats what made
      us,we need to take some of the workload off the Field Office.

1409. The agency needs people with more technical skills.

1410. conservation ethics

1411. Office or clerical help in the field office with contracting
      experience

1412. more time for more extensive computer training and support

1413. more technical folks and fewer MANAGERS who are not technically
      SOUND

1414. We need more people who are skilled in our our priority computer
      programs as Protracts,PRS,Etc.

1415. Managerial skills. Interpersonal skills. With the trend going to
      online everything, the human element and interaction with
      customers is suffering. Both external and internal customers are
      affected. Personnel evaluations that are completed online do not
      engender supervisor - employee interaction. Situations are not
      addressed until they become

1416. More staff in the field to put conservation on the ground and more
      time to train individuals to have an excellant technical and
      managerial background. Technical training and experience is a
      must.

1417. Any new hire should start at the bottom and come up, NOT be hired
      at mid-level status.

1418. Technical & Managerial skills Efficiency skills (day to day)

1419. Communication, contracting

1420. Oral and written communication with internal and external
      customers. Knowledge and experince in agriculture at the producer
      level. Example,need to know the difference in a Herford and a
      heifer when working with producers.

1421. There needs to be more skills in salesmanship since we are moving
      toward actually selling our services.

1422. The agency is in dire need of administrative skills. Our leaders
      are not focused and lack the understanding to direct our agency.
      As an agency we should lead, not be led. Our administrators need
      to (1) have the experience to identify the work that needs to be
      done, (2) have the experience to understand what it takes to get
      that work done, (3) have the experience to raise the political
      leaders to a level of understanding of what our work takes to
      complete (time, resources, direction, accountability and
      committment).

1423. Leadership skills are needed. The field needs adequate support.
      More real tools. Less e-help. Actual manuals. More consistency,
      less tweaking. Fairness. Macro management not micro management.
      These aren\'t just catchy phrases. Somebody

1424. Add training ciriculum for Nutrient Management

1425. We have good tools to work with and can deliver a good
      conservation plan. We do not have the right kind of commutations
      with upper management. We need Managers in the State and Area
      Offices who are in touch with the Field Office staff. They have
      lost touch with what need to be accomplished on the land. Or how
      we can make it work best for the producer.

1426. We keep changing computer programs but we get junk as a whole. We
      need to do away with GSA contracts. They do not help us to get
      what we need. It locks us in to equipment that doesn\'t do what we
      need. Contracts or more expensive than what we can buy on the open
      market. GSA is a farce.

1427. Our agency is sadly lacking in employees that are technically able
      to apply conservation to the ground. We have many employees
      writing compliance, EQIP, CSP and WHIP plans who have no idea of
      what conservation practices are feasible or appropriate in many
      instances.

1428. To replace employees with the appropraite skills fairly and
      equally.

1429. All personnel should be technically trained all the way to the
      top. There should be no political appointees to any position
      including the Chief.

1430. need to use more up to date computer programs and then train the
      employees how to use them.

1431. Our DC training does not teach good FO managerial skills, we sort
      of expect the employee to pick up these qualities on thier own. We
      also don\'t add much incentive or creative training to older DC\'s
      who don\'t like the computer or don\'t want to be a desk jockey.
      We haven\'t added computer literacy to the DC qualification
      requirements.

1432. COMMON SENSE

1433. This agency needs to learn how to relate to employees on a
      personal level

1434. Technical in dealing with newer needs, i.e. global warming, air
      pollution, ecologoy, outreach.

1435. Communication skills

1436. Common Sence! start developing programs from the field level up
      instead of haveing people that have never worked in the field and
      have no clue trying to develope rules and regs that are not even
      close to what is needed. CSP is a night mare that is 3 times
      harder than it needs to be. Whom ever developed all that crap
      should be tarred and feathered!

1437. Technical skills of sound conservation planning in the field.

1438. NRCS needs specialists with specialized skills not employees that
      have a little bit of know-how in everything but are not strong on
      any subject. Several businesses have specialized positions
      (example: medical field)

1439. Less on the computer, more with people skills

1440. additional training in reporting and contracting.

1441. Don\'t know

1442. More help to accomplish the work load. Details help but it leaves
      a void in the county the person is detailed from.

1443. Program up-dates or refreshers as each program has it\'s own rules
      to operate under.

1444. see above

1445. If NRCS is going to administer more and more programs, we need
      more administrative type support in the agency.

1446. unk

1447. Technical training

1448. Better technical skills

1449. new good employees

1450. Not sure

1451. To recognize conflicts between line and staff people. To avoid the

1452. More biologists

1453. Consistency with it\'s programs\.... it seems that every time we
      turn around things have been changed again; and we hadn\'t even
      had time to understand the first change, let alone the second,
      third or eleventh.

1454. The older generation needs to be more technologically savey and
      open to using technology and open to new ideas on work place while
      the new generation needs more time and experience in the field. We
      could learn from each other. The new generation is more open to
      learning.

1455. They need to hire qualified people with agricultural back grounds,
      not the first person thats going to fill H.R. quota.

1456. Consistency and accountability beyond PRS. Make managers
      accountable.

1457. Computer literacy. Listen to the people in the field offices!!!!

1458. More employees with farm & ranch production (rural) backgrounds to
      better relate to the clients we serve.

1459. COMPUTER SCIENCE TRAINING/EDUCATION FOR ALL EMPLOYEES/MANAGERS WHO
      NEED IT. HIRING CRITERIA THAT ADDRESSES A FAIR DEGREE OF COMPUTER
      LITERACY IN ALL POSITIONS.

1460. more technical know-how in water quality, livestock waste mgmt.,
      nutrient management, irrigation water management, soil quality

1461. More employees

1462. If our field people are to continue to do more contracting they
      need more training/guidance provided to do that. More emphasis is
      being placed on modeling tools and less on field contacts so more
      training needs to be provided on theuse of the modeling tools.

1463. In house training - in area training - in state training

1464. How to multi-task - Five things at once!!!

1465. Soil conservationists and Clerical at the Field Office level so
      that contracts can be administered effectively to get the
      conservation on the land that the contracts are paying to apply.

1466. Additional skills and training in contracting and managing
      workload.

1467. the abililty for supervisors to train new employees

1468. The ability to comunicate with the cliental we are serving. We
      need to be more user friendly to the public.

1469. To be able to hire the extra personnel the agency needs and not
      have to always be behind.

1470. Good quality trainers.

1471. Technical skills developed in rural communities along with the
      ability to communicate with people.

1472. computer

1473. Management and behavior training

1474. leadership to help the small farmer and rancher

1475. TRAIN THE TRAINERS SO THEY CAN ADEQUATELY TRAIN! DONT JUST GO
      THROUGH THE MOTIONS. THAT JUST UPSETS PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY NEW
      EMPLOYEES.

1476. We need to train new employees in all aspects of soils and soil
      management items. This seems to be lacking in new recruits.

1477. older employees seem to need more computer skills, and the younger
      employees don\'t seem to have much of technical skills on an
      agriculture background.

1478. Need more employees with farm and ranch experience, along with
      better communication skills

1479. people

1480. training officer

1481. More people doing on-the-ground conservation.

1482. more holistic perspective, needs and desires of the landuser,
      needs and desires of the landscape and the lack of understanding
      and ability to

1483. If you are going to service landuser request for conservation
      concerns, you do not need data key punch operators. You need
      individuals with experience to train employees on the job before
      everyone retires.

1484. The agency needs to make sure that technical skill in applying
      conservation on the ground doesn\'t erode.

1485. Leadership and Practical Working experience at the National,
      Regional and State Level

1486. it needs staff that understands motivation, dare to be an advocate
      for our mission, technically sound people

1487. Geographical Information Systems, Global Postioning Systems

1488. I am not sure.

1489. better communication with not only producers but also within the
      agency

1490. Better communication skills.

1491. Technical Skill is being lost and employees that are managers have
      no managerial skills. We are lacking in many areas and it is
      exacerbated by the promotion of incapable people.

1492. Need ag background

1493. The agency has a tendancy to hire personel based on race,
      nationality, etc and not on what an individual knows or how they
      perform. There are numerous individuals with the agency that
      don\'t have any background, knowledge, or skills in the line of
      work they are in. Yet they are promoted due to race, sex, etc.
      Several of the employees have done what the agency expected and
      have stepped up their performance to learn and achieve what is
      expected. However over 75% of them have not performed. These
      individuals are promoted and rewarded to keep numbers up and they
      leave behind problems that someone has to fix. That costs the
      agency money and time as well as bad public relations. Bottom
      line, the agency needs to hire competent people out with competent
      backgrounds, not an agronomy grad that has never had biology,
      soils, or plant classes.

1494. When you promote because of job skills do not assume that this
      person has manager skills that are needed, make sure they have the
      training that is needed for that job. Either in school or on the
      job.

1495. They need to recognize that all employees are not then same and
      that some employees are statisfied with less responsibility and
      less pay.

1496. The ability of new employees with regards to computer skills has
      increase wonderfully, but the same employees have little to no
      hands on experience, or knowledge in the area of dealing with our
      client base. So in a field office that the new employee goes to
      they have to be educated to what they will run into in that field
      office, and how to deal with that. Then by the time that the
      employee has a grasp of what\'s going on and how to deal with the
      situation the employee is told to pack thier bags they are being
      transfered to an entirely different ecoregion and they have to
      start all over in their education. The learning curve should be
      decreased the next time\.....should, but taking a person from an
      area that is either rangeland or crop farming from fence line to
      fence line and expecting them to be able to walk into a field
      office that there is no crop farming and is has no rangeland, and
      has only forest and improved pasture. It\'s going to take a little
      while.

1497. We need to hire more employees that have a background in
      agriculture to be able to relate more effectively to our
      customers.

1498. many of the employees hired after the 1985 farmbill was passed are
      wonderful computer jockies but working one on one with the
      landowner is faulty. Many of them did not come out a farm
      background and are uncomfortable with discussions where farmers or
      ranchers grill them. During the last large buyout that the agency
      had many of the technicians in our smaller and rural field offices
      left. When that happened a lot of our institutional memory left
      with them. What we need is the time to actually implement in the
      field the large amount of financial assistance dollars that has
      been obligated over the last several years. Many FO\'s have the
      contracts but not the time to get to the field and do the visits
      with the producers that we did 20 years ago. I realize times
      change but the meat of the agency was always its one to one
      contact with the producers. That\'s why the Forest Service and BLM
      suffer with their leasee\'s. They can\'t spen quality time
      discussing resource issues.

1499. Technology training

1500. Hands on people skills. NOT COMPUTER OR OFFICE SKILLS.

1501. Need to hire people with more personal life experiances. More
      practical life experiance. More people skills.

1502. More computer training as a whole

1503. More Training

1504. Additional training with computer skills, management

1505. None

1506. Provide sound technical training. Most training is quick and does
      not allow for total comprention of the subject.

1507. Practical techincal expericence\--field level Ongoing techincal
      education\--field level

1508. Skills in working WITH employees to make them feel part of the
      team like SCS used to do. Teach leaders to respect employees below
      their

1509. Good technical training in all technical disciplines.

1510. Technical expertise

1511. get back to being a technical agency. not a paper pushing agency.

1512. Not a matter of skills, more workers bees instead of management
      positions!

1513. Training for new employees

1514. More employees with a background in AG or natural resources to
      assist producers in the field. Jobs should be earned and given to
      the best qualified person for the position. Not handed out to
      folks because of their race or gender.

1515. More computer skills!!

1516. Field staffs need to be continually updated on new production
      technology. I usually learn about new products and technology from
      the local ag dealers or the innovative producers.

1517. pasture and range plant ID and effective management of the same

1518. Need to hire people with an agriculture background.

1519. Working knowledge of farming operations.

1520. technical expertise in conservation

1521. Engineering, Soil science, computer science

1522. More on the ground technical field work skills and the trainings
      to provide these skills

1523. More wildlife related fields,

1524. More field experience working with landowners and solving resource
      problems and lees time sitting in front of a computer performing
      data entry for supervisors.

1525. communication

1526. The institutional knowledge of agriculture and broad spectrum
      conservation is lacking. We don\'t have the ag background and the
      college education is too narrow/specialized. Interpersonal skills
      are also lacking; ability to work with people and not against
      people.

1527. Lack of efficient technology to implement programs in a timely
      fashion.

1528. I think you have made a big step forward with the Conservation
      Boot Camp training that was started in 2005.

1529. We have the skills needed, just not to the extent to handle the
      workload. Need more staff at the field levels to reduce the stress
      of work to be accomplished.

1530. We have to make sure all employees are kept up-to-date on changes
      to programs, training in a timely manner and not always put off
      because of budget.

1531. We are gradually reducing our Engineering workforce and need to
      keep it up.

1532. Personal skills and working with people, both inside and outside
      the agancy.

1533. The agency needs to invest in their employees give them proper
      orientation and ongoing training. The

1534. More on the job training or more staff to complete current
      increasing workload.

1535. More knowledge of animal agriculture and how it relates to natural
      resources

1536. Unsure

1537. New employees aren\'t exposed to as many activities. We\'ve become
      technology dependent. Many days are spent on
      documentation\...working with producers accounts for less of an
      employees work day than documenting the visit or planning with the
      producer.

1538. I think that many field employees do not have the technical
      knowledge and expertese to be leaders of conservation in their
      community. Many employees have lost touch with natural and
      man-made ecosystems.

1539. We need to redirect our efforts to getting people out in the field
      to do there jobs, not sitting behind computer screens. People are
      losing their technical skills and replacing them with
      administrative skills.

1540. Better technical training for new employees, skill in working with
      the public and private land owners.

1541. They need to find ways to get the young people away from their
      computers where they are comfortable and out in the field building
      relations with producers.

1542. Focus on priorities and not get spread to thin.

1543. Individuals who can acutally do the job. We seem to be hiring
      individuals outside of our agency that come to dictate policy and
      don\'t know our policies.

1544. The Conservationists and Technicians in the field offices need to
      be able to interpret soils maps and information. These skills are
      leaving the agency and are not being replaced. Resource Soil
      Scientists are needed to help train or re-train the field, area
      and state office people. They need to know how to do things for
      themselves instead of having it done for them. Staff the field
      offices with sufficient people to get the job done so they are not
      always looking for someone else to to the work for them.

1545. Need more training in computer related technical skills such as
      engineering.

1546. on the ground people that can work with ranchers and farmers

1547. Ability to communicate with farmers and ranchers

1548. It depends on what the goals are. Conservation on the ground will
      require trained employees, mainly in the engineering practices.
      Programs will require more manpower on the computer, working with
      data entry, sign ups and planning.

1549. This agency needs to be transfering the skills, abilities,
      knowledge, and expertise of those employees who will soon be
      retiring to the incoming generation of federal employees. Budget
      constraints and other government red tape have prevented this from
      happening at an acceptable level. When these experienced employees
      leave, the capability gap of their greenhorn replacements, will
      likely leave this agency floundering in what they are able to do.
      Efficency goes down, productivity drops, quality lowers, customers
      are less satisfied. Less is accomplished.

1550. Trainings that are practical, rather than thoeretical. Working
      with other organizations and agencies better. Finding ways to
      simplify bulletins, memos, procedures, manuals so that employees
      are able to utilize them. Currently, there are so many changes,
      additions, addendums, etc. that one can hardly keep up, and could
      spend 40 hours per week reading emails, bulletins, my.nrcs just to
      try to keep up. More help with computer/technology problems in the
      field offices. The technology is great\...if you can use it and if
      it works. Test computer programs out better before sending them
      out for use (ex. ProTracts).

1551. ENGINEERING EXPERTICE

1552. science

1553. Interpersonal communications skills at all levels. Liberal arts
      backgrounds would be desirable to ensure people come to the agency
      with broad-based education, and, therefore, a greater likelihood
      of foreseeing and adapting to change. New 457 series employees
      should have had, at the least, introductory coursework in
      environmental economics, conservation biology, environmental
      science, etc.

1554. Practical communication skills. For instance, require managers to
      learn to communicate remotely using our available technology. then
      maybe, they would not be so resistant to distance learning,
      netmeetings and telecomuting.

1555. On the ground knowledge, skills, understanding of our natural
      resources. To many techno/computer types lack natural resource
      wisdom.

1556. Air resources, forestry, landscape ecologists, wetland scientists,
      and especially crossed-trained

1557. I believe we have the skills we just need to commit ourselves to
      long-term development of employees. The quick-hires are not
      solution to our work.

1558. Leadership training - administrative training

1559. no idea

1560. Programs constantly change. The training is usually too early
      (before we get the programs) or too late. We have to self teach
      before we get training.

1561. People skills, working with producers and employees, and
      understanding where they are coming from. People with experience
      in the farming and ranching and all other agricultural fields. Not
      just someone who has the college education. Experience is far more
      valuable than just getting through school.

1562. The agency has the skills, just needs more people to carry out the
      needs.

1563. We need some breadth of perspective in the upper levels of the
      organization to bring in some different ways of accomplishing our
      mission and perhaps changing the way we do our job. This might be
      best accomplished by hiring people in technical specialist and
      administrative positions, especially in the GS12+ levels from
      outside the agency to get a fresh perspective on some of these
      issues. It may be especially beneficial to hire technical
      expertise (e.g. agronomists, engineers, range specialist, wildlife
      biologists) with advanced degrees from academia and industry and
      administrators from the private sector, NGOs, etc. It may also be
      beneficial to allow more promotion in place (i.e. geographically)
      to increase the rapport with producers and resource managers in
      the community WITH THE PROVISO that these people have some
      experience outside that community either from past professional
      experience or from details or special assignments in other
      countries or areas within the country, and by providing
      professional input at higher levels in the organization (e.g.
      assignments in the state or national offices). It would also be
      good to allow promotion in grade for technical specialists for
      superior performance or innovation to encourage specialists to
      increase their breadth and depth of knowledge when they do not
      have a desire to become an administrator. The last statement would
      require some more funding to provide travel to professional
      meetings and possibly time

1564. When hiring the person should have some kind of agriculture back
      ground in order to understand what ag producers are facing each
      day. In order for our agency to help producers on the ground a
      good knowledge of agriculture will help reach the ag producer.
      People with a degree in ag that have never worked with ag producer
      or on farms or ranches have no idea what it takes for ag producers
      to make a living.

1565. Too much of the agency\'s

1566. We need more new employees with hands on agricultural experience
      to relate better with farmers and ranchers without sacrificing the
      required college education. Managers with the proper personnel
      skills.

1567. Need additional staff to implement conservation cost share
      contracts in the field.

1568. Don\'t know if I\'d consider it a skill, but give the field staff
      the time to do real conservation planning for landowners.

1569. Need to keep up with

1570. We need to hire compenent students which is a little bit different
      from what the position discription requires for education. The
      class requirement need to be changed for the positions to adjust
      to the current situations at hand.

1571. We need more qualified, experienced range conservationists and ag
      engineers

1572. We need to get back to basics and train the individual for
      multitask involvement.

1573. Agronomic technical expertice Skill in communicating with farmers,
      ranchers and other clients. More empathy and listening skills;
      less arrogance

1574. More skilled people in the field assisting farmers

1575. The agency needs managers at the field office level who mainly are
      responsible for personnel issues rather than having supervisors
      who are technically sound, but do not have the people skills to
      deal with employee personnel issues.

1576. Over the past several years focus has been on selling programs and
      it seems skill development has focused on being able to use
      toolkit, protracts, develop contracts, rank applications and
      report progress. Many beleieve conservation planning is how weel
      you can use toolkit and the p\[rogress reported or contracts
      developed. The basic skills related to developing a conservation
      plan and working on the land with a client have taken a lower
      priority. We still expect it, but with limited time most work
      focuses on the prgrams and contracting. THese things are supposed
      to be based on sound planning and plans, not the opposite. We need
      to get back to our top priority for skill developement is on the
      techcnial side. Bootcamp may be a start, but in realtity when they
      get to the field, the focus changes.

1577. Basic technical skills od surveying, hydrology, hydraulics, soil
      mechanics, as well as new technology. Also need to gain the people
      skills to market conservation.

1578. Cutting edge technical expertise in all natural resource
      disciplines and better training for managers/leaders. Quit
      promoting people who do not have a good combination of experience,
      technical foundation and management skills into leadership roles
      vital to the agency.

1579. Training seems to be lacking in many areas and it is often the
      first thing to go when budgets are tight. We need more employees
      who have a strong desire to be with this agency and not just for
      the paycheck. They must be trained well using all training means
      at our disposal to make sure that they know what the job is and
      how to do it. We need to re-think what we are doing with NEDC and
      not waste time and efforts dreaming up courses that are not
      effective and enjoyable for the employee. In this day and age,
      where budgets are not always good, some training could be more
      on-line, however, there are some very effective short courses that
      could be made available at colleges and other venues that might be
      more beneficial to the employee and get the NRCS Job done.

1580. We need competent and effective leadership at the national level
      that is fully aware of what\'s going on at the field office level.

1581. We need all disciplines rather than TSP\'s who are interested in
      the money, but not the work.

1582. We need to hire people with agricultural backgrounds and/or
      education. We are hiring people with all kinds of flimzy, very
      losely tied to agriculture degrees and with absolutely no ag
      background.

1583. We need more emphasis on technical expertize and more emphasis on
      public information. Most people still don\'t know who we are.

1584. My area is woefully undertrained in using the technical equipment
      our agency has provided. Further, development of policy that
      maximizes the effective use of this equipment is not in place to
      encourage improvement.

1585. Hire qualified people

1586. The agency is losing it\'s technical support ability (engineering,
      soils, range management, resource planning) because we are getting
      too close to being an

1587. Water Resources Planners.

1588. Supevisors need to be more prepared when promoted into supervisory
      positions.

1589. Increased computer literacy.

1590. A good HR department

1591. Contractual expertise.

1592. should use detailed training

1593. Managerial and people skills. More technical training. We are not
      the go to people for technical information anymore. We are too
      busy keeping the program paperwork caught up.

1594. There a people who know how to handle the programs but very few
      with hands on experiance that knows how farming systems work. We
      need more hands on training in the field. Bootcamp is a good
      start.

1595. I do not know.

1596. We need better computer models that are user friendly. We need
      stronger real life ag managment skills to communicate with our
      producers. We will be lossing many of the people who have learned
      the skills in the field with hard work. These skills need to be
      passed on to the younger employees before the experienced
      employees retire.

1597. Evaluation programs that don\'t change every 4-6 months. Not
      changing the administeration of the program half-way through
      signup. Training on technical tools that are actually functional
      and not

1598. Administration/Clerical

1599. We need to provide more computer training as most of the workforce
      is at an age that they didn\'t have computers when they were
      young! Everything is on the computer this day and age.

1600. With programs such CSP, with un-clear guidance and direction, it
      is difficult to develop skills.

1601. Keen ability to prioritize and ability to focus on causes not
      symptoms of problems. Improving policy development for
      effectiveness.

1602. More technical skills. We need to keep up with the private side in
      the computer skills and out of the box thinking. We still have a
      box we have to comform to.

1603. Field surveying skills. Land management skills. Cancel PRS!

1604. More environmental training in the field offices

1605. More civil eng technicains.

1606. Since we are living on computers and constantly working computer
      programs, we need endless training on computers. We get computer
      updates that we have to spend hours trying to crack the

1607. The Human Resources division needs better people skills. They seem
      to manage the state by threat. We always feel like we are being
      watched so an example can be made out of an innocent mistake.

1608. We need supervisors that understand the programs and record
      keeping processes that we use on a daily basis.

1609. Leadership doesn\'t have an understanding of what is happening in
      the field.

1610. Improve employee technology skills.

1611. To get all new trainees the time needed (more) to learn skills and
      technical adequacies, and not try to move them all the time and
      push individuals to go to the next level jobs before they are
      ready.Teach new employees the need to work well with
      customers/clients at the field level.

1612. Technical planning skills and follow up for customers.

1613. People with the technical knowledge.

1614. More specialists to help field staff. Our area specialist are to
      few and far between toacutally assist field offices. To many times
      you cannot get a specialist opinion or assistance, even if y ou
      try for literally months ahead of time. So alot of item are
      muttled through and probably done incorrectly.

1615. working with customers

1616. More technical positions.

1617. All levels.

1618. The agency has a mission and the agency has a workload, often the
      agency workload and deadlines overshadow the mission and become a
      priority. The skills are there but many times the deadlines keep
      the skilled people from focusing on the mission. The skilled
      people address the deadline, but the workload keeps increasing and
      all we basicly do is meet deadlines and not address all facets of
      the agency mission. More staff?

1619. We need Agricultural graduates that have farm backgrounds.
      Economics and Agronomy skills are very important when dealing with
      producers.

1620. More soil conservationists.

1621. More employees would help reduce the workload placed on some field
      offices.

1622. More technical skills

1623. Has I mentioned before, technical type people will develop the
      skills because that is where thier interestes are, as long as
      there are skilled people in these jobs to train the newer
      employees. Office or paper shufflers will develope thier skill,
      because that is was they are interested. At the field level you
      have people that are educated in technical fields (soils,
      agronomy, engineering) trying to make them become business
      admistrators/accounts.

1624. Common sense and customer relations.

1625. agency needs to hire employees which have good communication
      skills and experience in the field which the job is in.

1626. Skill is not the word, but the agency has a weak presence among
      natural resource partnerships such as state water quality
      agencies, private agencies and watersheds. We need to have a
      stronger presence.

1627. The agency needs to put a stronger emphasis on people skills in
      their upper management employees. Get an idea on the type of
      personnel being promoted by asking coworkers. Nothing is worse
      than being led by people who have no regard for the people they
      are leading.

1628. people

1629. Technical expertise in wetland delineation. Keeping individuals
      that have a strong expertise in soils. We also need to remain
      strong in keeping up with technology (ArcGis) and how producers
      are using it out in the field.

1630. More Information technology skills for some and others need more
      technical and field training. Each employee is different.

1631. More people skills, be able to work with a producer, not through
      something down their gullit! Be far to all people, not just help
      the bottom class people, but help every one. Take EQIP for
      example. Some practices were shoved down producer throat, even
      though producer did not want them! Indian earmark and Begining
      farmer! What about the middle class people? They don\'t get any
      extra points? Lose EQIP, bring back GRP!

1632. We have greatly increased out IT skills at a cost of our science
      based skills. Such as Range evaluations, etc.

1633. Recognize all employees that are doing their jobs. Not just people
      that super exceeds their work. Need a different criterier for
      employee awards.

1634. Back to the Basics. If the computers go down, we are left without
      producers\' files to work on.

1635. I see a lack of practical skills for applying engineering
      practices at the Field Office level.

1636. More formal training in engineering.

1637. new ideas, not the we have always done it that way attitude

1638. Accountants

1639. I think we need more natural resource people and less agricultural
      people, especially if we are actually going to help conserve our
      natural resources and environment.

1640. The skill to reconize that a problem employee should not get a
      promotion or special treatment just to get them out of an office
      or area for causing trouble. This workforce should be run as the
      privot sector. Firing can be a punishment not moving a person
      somewhere else.

1641. From my perspective we have too many specialists. All of these
      specialists have demands for the field. I am a field person that
      is trying to comply with 4 or 5 specialist\'s needs & that makes
      it hard to get anything accomplished. We as an agency need to
      decide what we want - quality or quantity. Our goals continue to
      rise but the criteria to meet the goals is becoming more & more
      difficult.

1642. More new hires with ag backgrounds, and williningness to learn and
      adapt

1643. to teach soil con trainees not only the technical but also the
      managerial skills necessary for becoming a DC

1644. The agency is deficient in basic landscape scale application and
      understanding of wildlife habitat needs. The agency planning still
      is based on the single-species concept.

1645. Younger employees have much greater responsibility without the
      wisdom that comes with experience. Since newer employees are

1646. We are unloading alot of work on TSP\'s. This is required but when
      we do not complete even 20% of this type of work and we should
      provide the employees to complete this type of work. We need more
      Technicians and Engineers for the application side, it seems we
      are too far on the planning side these days.

1647. More communication between state offices, field support offices
      and field offices. Clear rules on our programs for our producers
      to understand. Quit changing the rules on all the programs yearly.

1648. Need more Conservation planners and technical assistance
      specialist and fewer administration positions at least on the
      State Office level.

1649. I feel the agency has very resourceful people within the agency,
      but often these valuable resources are not properly utilized, and
      years of wisdom, experience, and knowledge is lost when these
      people retire or leave the agency. I think this is a great
      tragedy, and NRCS is the biggest loser when this happens. Clarity
      of NRCS\'s mission and how each person within the agency, fits
      into the overall big picture (an on-going, open line of
      communication from above), is key to the agency moving forward in
      the right direction. NRCS can and should do a better job of this
      at higher levels, and they should be open to constructive comments
      and dialogue from employees at all levels.

1650. Better conservation planning and inventoring of natural resources;
      problem solving and business planning.

1651. Common sense at area, state and above levels -both line and staff
      positions -in dealing with customers (external and internal)and
      dealing with programs to more efficiently and effectively meet
      goals for individual field offices.

1652. It is not so much a matter of skills but time there is so much
      more documentation that will hold up in appeals , wetlands, nepa,
      etc., than there was 20 yrs. ago that much more time is spent on
      paperwork than actually doing fieldwork.

1653. I would have to say improved program designers - or management
      needs to stop trying to get Toolkit, arc/gis and protracts to do
      the impossible. These constant changes and lousy programs have
      created a HUGH learning curve and equal frustration. When ArcView
      information did not roll over into Arc/GIS we had to do it all
      over again. This created a large work load and again, a high
      frustration level. GET IT RIGHT OR KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.

1654. More specialized experience in the new employees.

1655. The agency needs more employees with a farm background that can
      understand agriculture economics, not just book learning

1656. The leadership needs additional management training, right up to
      the top. There appears to be too much ignorance of what it takes
      to deliver conservation to the customer. At the field level,
      management skills are badly needed. Most DCs do not know how to
      manage a field office and their personnel. They generally do it by
      the seat of their pants, often with dire consequences.

1657. I\'m not sure enough of our field people have the basics needed to
      work with producers getting conservation on the land. That
      includes planning, knowledge and application of conservation
      practices, and the ability to integrate a conservation plan into
      an existing farm/ranch operation.

1658. Technical skills on implementing conservation practices.

1659. business management. run the agency as a business for profit

1660. The agency should not hire people who don\'t have the ag. or
      construction background needed to this kind of work. A person
      needs some real world experince before working for this agency.

1661. I beleive we need to look at continuing to hire individuals who
      have farm/ranch backgrouds, at least in rural states, so that
      employees and customers can relate and communicate. We need to
      emphasis our technical expertise, instead of having TSP\'s handle
      what we are suppose to specialize in. We do a great job now of
      educating us on how to properly fill out the forms needed to
      provide technical assistance, but I wonder if we really are
      relating to the needs of our customers. Technology is great, but
      most of our customers are more impressed if we physically go to
      the field and help our customers.

1662. I think the agency fills positions based on reasons other than
      just job related qualifications.

1663. Competent Leaders.

1664. We need enough techinally sound people at all levels of the agency
      to spread out the computer workload.

1665. A lot of the folks working here are not comfortable with or enjoy
      working with computers. There is a lot of time lost on waiting for
      computer associated problems and answers.

1666. Skill communicating with land use decision-makers, identifying
      resource concerns (problems & opportunities), and developing
      effective alternatives for land use decision-makers to consider.

1667. Resource planners that have on the ground expirience and one on
      one relationships with producers.

1668. Sound technical skills in range, agwaste, irrigation, pest
      management, nutrient management.

1669. Technical; soils, agronomy, range science, plant materials,
      engineering.

1670. agency is becoming less technical and needs to maintain personal
      that have skills in the field not just office skills

1671. people skills and use of common sense and negotiation in
      administrating programs.

1672. Computer and technical training related to their discipline.

1673. Better technical skills for young employees. There is too much
      emphasis on administration of programs.

1674. The agency is horrible at making farm bill payments. Not enough
      skilled people to process or even provide guidance at the national
      or state level. And all of our automation is geared for tracking
      progress at the national level. Very little automation is
      developed that actually helps the field do their job. Look at
      engineering. What national engineering software has been developed
      for use in the field?

1675. Technical field skills and experiance in the field by upper level
      management-

1676. Need to hire new employees based on skills not on gender sex or
      cultural background.

1677. Technical expertise in engineering, soils and GIS

1678. Needs technical people less paper pushers

1679. Technical skills and the ability to communicate with people in the
      field.

1680. Savy political skills and the permission to utilize them.

1681. Leadership and management

1682. technical competency in conservation planning

1683. unsure

1684. Technical emphasis (It has been loosing out to paper work and
      database work the last 3 to 4 years).

1685. Engineers, biologists, soil scientists

1686. If the agency goes to a merit promotion pay and or advancement
      this will be the downfall of us. I have seen to many advancements
      strictly on sucking up to right people. Better comunication from
      management to all people. When budget is tight it seems the first
      thing is cut is training. This should not be cut, the employee can
      better themseleves if they are able to go to training. This is a
      plus for the agency and for the employee, so both win.

1687. Technical

1688. Technical expertise - computer technology

1689. More highly trained technical skills. These have been watered down
      in recent years. Civil service ratings are no longer done by
      specialists in the field. In addition, more individuals with
      general types of degrees are being hired. For example, many soil
      scientists hired now have natural resource degrees and lack a lot
      of the fundamental soils background (i.e. soil physics, soil
      chemistry, etc). These individuals are ill equiped to master
      highly technical information as is required to populate the NASIS
      database.

1690. technical knowledge and experience of conservation practices their
      benefits, negatives, and management needs.

1691. Cultural Resources management, biology, geology, forestry,
      landscape architecture.

1692. People skills, common sense and integrity skills.

1693. Technical

1694. Wetland training that actually pertains to USDA policy and
      regulations.

1695. better technology but still having field experience

1696. NRCS employees severely lack on solving problems on a landscape
      scale when they prescribe a practice. They may know of the
      problems on a landscape scale, but often do not or are not allowed
      to solve problems on a landscape scale. Often times this is the
      agencies and employees fault for trying to be

1697. 10-12 years ago field staff indentified a real brain drain due to
      current retirements and lack of hiring and training new employees.
      This is even more appearant now with 50% of the staff retiring in
      the next 5-8 years. The agency and certain states need to be very
      aggressive in recruiting and retaining new blood. Without this
      happening the agency is doomed to be eventually eliminated!

1698. Need more employees with a technical background and people that
      care about what their are doing.

1699. People skills and more well rounded technical skills.

1700. plant bonanists, more technicians or engineers

1701. I think we need more technical people who actually work at the
      field level to get conservation out there and less managerial
      positions who push paperwork.

1702. More public relation skills.

1703. don\'t know

1704. ecological training, more in depth training on water quality and
      soil health

1705. Need more technical based training that is applicable to the
      persons geographic location.

1706. stronger technical skills

1707. Contract administration staff at the field level, not at the State
      Office or above. This will allow the conservationists to do their
      job!

1708. More technical training. We are becoming contract administrators
      and going away from technical experts.

1709. IT, GIS, software programmers, engineers, technical specialists,

1710. Not everyone can do everything

1711. More people in leadership positions with solid field experience,
      to avoid the disconnect between the setting of policy and what is
      actually happening at the field level.

1712. The agency needs more computer skills especially in Microsoft
      Access, to be able to maintain better records.

1713. Employees that are actually trained properly to do the job they
      are in, some are promoted too soon without the real time they need
      in the next lower grade to do a good job when promoted/reassigned
      to a diffent postion.

1714. technically proficient staff in technical positions; leadership
      skills for some of those in managers positions; additional and/or
      better communication skills for some in positions with lots of
      public contact;

1715. The agency needs to hire the best of the best and not hire based
      on number of Hispanics, Blacks, women or Asian Pacific Islanders
      short of their diversity quota.

1716. Hire new soil scientists to replace retirements.

1717. Stronger leaders in the mangement positions

1718. Hire based on skills, not quotas.

1719. Management skills at the field and state office levels.

1720. WE need younger employees with very good planning skills and
      understanding of resources and the environment. Also need to have
      a basis understanding of practices, engineering associated with
      the practices that are used.

1721. Varies depending on the employee

1722. Engineering is a perennial issue - NRCS is not competative with
      Private sector. Also need to visit support & technical staffing
      needs.

1723. Better managerial skills are needed. Some at headquarters need
      skills on how to disseminate information in a less confusing
      manner.

1724. Agricultural/Civil Engineers, Civil Engineering Techicians, Soil
      Conservation Technicians

1725. Improving communications as events/dates fluxuation

1726. It appears that the agency has concentrated on Budget, so none of
      the staff have accounting and the leadership still thinks budget.

1727. Technimcal, Administrative and more NRCS home grown leaders
      employees that know the agency and the agency mission.

1728. Skills that would be beneficial to the agency would be to better
      promote the agency through positive outreach, putting a bigger
      emphasis on Public Relations. Make our agency more well known.

1729. We need good leaders and managers, ones who know/understand what
      our agency does because they have worked in the field, encouraging
      landowners to implement conservation measures. About question #5 -
      I did not any of the answers but had to answer to move on. I
      believe employees are promoted because the

1730. Additional skills is difficult to define. What is difficult is the
      salary range to attract young engineer employees and other
      speciality fields.

1731. Not so much that agency doesn\'t have people with needed skills,
      just not enough skilled people in positions where skills are
      useful.

1732. Further developement and refinement of (for lack of a better term)

1733. More job positions.

1734. cant answer, I dont know

1735. Individuals with solid training in natural resources, personnel
      management, and governmental affairs.

1736. Newer employees lack the overall conservation planning training,
      and have been limited to program-driven specific experience with
      little training.

1737. Competent, well-trained staff\...particularly in planning and
      engineering fields.

1738. stronger agricultural skills and appreciation

1739. Need to develop a cadre of young soil scientists.

1740. Maybe we should consider developing our secretary\'s with
      technical skills to support field workers with entering
      information in protracts/tool kit. This would give secretary\'s a
      better feel of what the field does. And again avoiding outsourcing
      jobs.

1741. We really need more techincal skills at the field office level. We
      need supervisors who are really good at people management. We need
      to improve the skills of specialists at thr Area and State level.

1742. We need individuals who are trained as planners and work as
      planners, not distributers of program funds.

1743. Supervisory/Management/Strategic skills

1744. I think our work force is getting older, and they are doing a poor
      job of mentoring the younger work force. There are just too many
      employees that don\'t want to take the time to help a younger
      employee.

1745. Focus on managerial and communication skills

1746. Don\'t know

1747. More people with administrative skills need to be

1748. forestry

1749. Many of the newer employees have learned their skills in training
      sessions away from the actual

1750. Depends upon the direction that the agency may want to move
      forward in

1751. The agency needs to learn how to comply with environmental laws.
      The agency also needs to encourage a more technical understanding
      of the associated disciplines so fewer mistakes are made and a
      better more cost effective job is done. The agency has a
      reputation for incompetence with people who have worked closely
      with the agency in the past.

1752. unknown

1753. Technical background individuals\...

1754. The newer employees need to be exposed to as many features of our
      mission as possible.

1755. Interpersonal, management and math skills

1756. training and experience

1757. More people willing to move forward with technology and not try to
      continue to do things the way they have always been done.

1758. I would like to think of how to

1759. The agency needs on the ground technical competance. Not more ways
      to report on the internet.

1760. Supervisor training, people skills & communication other than read
      a book.

1761. A greater emphysis on technical knowledge.

1762. Basic technical know-how. Many field staff don\'t know how to set
      up a laser level or self level.

1763. The backbone of NRCS is competent field staff. The agency needs to
      ensure field staff remain competent.

1764. Pople are being promoted without adequate technical skills.

1765. more individuals with ag/rural backgrounds

1766. Many of the newer employees are far removed from the land
      themselves, and when working in a field office situation, they
      will have a harder time relating to the landusers they are suppose
      to be serving. We also need to be able to justify some of the
      practices we try to sell on a economic basis, in order to be able
      to sell them better.

1767. More technical skills the time to develop them.

1768. The agency needs to take the time to train the

1769. Technical people in the field offices.

1770. Those who specialize in a specific area are not always exibiting
      this. Each individual needs to be trained on the expectations of
      their job, and work with an independence that shows that the skill
      is present to carry out the task.

1771. Better leadership. Qualified people that are willing to do the job
      they have applied for - not just put in their time.

1772. more qualified employees

1773. Technical competency. District Conservationists have been
      restrained to their office pushing paper and reporting artificial
      progress.

1774. Many employees lack eng skills and have a poor knowledge of farm
      operations.

1775. I believe they need to bring more people in that have a solid
      agricultural background. These people bring hands on knowledge to
      the agency. We also need to continue training on design, layout,
      planning, among other basics to keep the entire agency solid on
      the essentials.

1776. We either need to decide we are going to be a technical agency or
      an administrative agency. We don\'t have the wherewithall and
      funding to be both.

1777. basic technical agonomy skills

1778. Flexibility, better computer skills, better communication skills
      and the ability to truly reward a good employee based on merit and
      not a having the exact degree or amount of experience.

1779. Train supervisors to do a better job of mentoring/teaching their
      employees. Recruit more people with an ag background to assist our
      ag producers.

1780. more on the job training for new employees

1781. Soil Conservationists that have the ability to meet with farmers
      and landowners in the field to adequately develop and implement
      plans meaningful to the farmers without keeping their heads buried
      in a computer screen. Sound technical ability in the field with
      agronomic and soils information.

1782. People

1783. Improved technical skills at the manager positions

1784. Be more technically sound with new DC\'s.

1785. More technical/field experience.

1786. More technical expertise at the ground level. Better skills in
      working with individual landowners/managers

1787. field technicians

1788. More engineering skills.

1789. I think that as an employee I am not taken very good care of in
      regard to workload. I went 5 years without a tech and now I am
      without again. I have practically the same workload now with out
      any help just like before when I had no help.

1790. In depth training with GIS when we get the new technologyin
      opposed to a training session given one year before we actually
      recieve a new program.

1791. More technical and hire based upon performance, not quotas

1792. More engineering skills and personnel management skills i.e
      speakers to motivate workers, career coaches. I\'ve been with the
      agency for almost 3 years and still don\'t have a coach.

1793. Those skills needed focus on the mission the agency was founded on

1794. we need to strengthen our computer skills

1795. New hires need to be better trained

1796. Need to train the trainers to do a better job. In many cases
      software needs to be in place before training is given. Training
      and then 6 months later getting that software does not do any
      good!

1797. more technical with better training

1798. Technical skills related to conservation practice application.

1799. More field office personnal, to keep program impletation working
      more adquately.

1800. More expertise in engineering at Field Office and Area Office
      levels. Young soil cons are not getting practical on hands
      experience like older technicians have.

1801. More technical expertise is needed in our field to stay up-to-date
      with the changing and advancing scientific community. Our agency
      also needs employees with excellent communication skills, be it
      for presentations, written articles, outreach, or one-on-one
      services, in order to present a professional image as well as to
      get the information across to our target audiences.

1802. communication

1803. More trained people. Being in a training office, it takes more of
      my time to train someone then to just do it myself.

1804. Better communication skills.

1805. More people with farm background

1806. We need to get on the ground experience not experience from the
      office. Time spent in the field is necessary to develope the
      conservation planning skills needed.

1807. not sure

1808. Nutrient management, pest mangement, We are far behind what the
      private sector is offering. These duties are being placed on top
      of the duties staff already have with no additional resources.

1809. We need more manpower to carry out programs like CSP.

1810. Work load is too heavy, too understaffed to allow time to
      adequately train employees.

1811. more individual with urban conservation skills. Conservation in
      urban areas is an overlooked area of consern

1812. The agency needs to put more emphasis on training plans and insure
      that employees get the training they need to stay technically
      strong and are capable of handling future workloads.

1813. Managers who are mentored, allowed to make their own decisions
      even if that results in mistakes, being able to learn from those
      mistakes, and having state conservationists who empower their
      employees, not micro-manage.

1814. I have not been with NRCS long enough to make that determination

1815. Development of plans to train personnel for upward mobility and
      the personnel to put the plans in action.

1816. Better supervisory training.

1817. computer training for lower level positions

1818. Good managers that understand the agency

1819. working with private landowners

1820. Program assistants in all field offices to handle computer related
      workload and let the soil conservationists spend time in the field

1821. Field Technical Skills \-- Basically we need more engineering
      technical staff (Technicians) to meet obligations in Farm Bill
      Contracts

1822. Hire well qualified individuals that can do the job. The
      competition for instance for a SCT job has many applying with
      College Degrees when locals that can do the job that are less
      likely to move should be hired. There is way to much stock put
      into ranking applicants with college degrees on positions that do
      not require a degree.

1823. Staff trained to do computer related tasks.

1824. training for field staff is too insular, need more varied training
      opportunities, staff need opportunities to keep current on
      research and application

1825. Leadership, communications, public relations, computer/new
      technologies, emerging issues (energy, carbon sequestration,
      etc.), partnership

1826. Marketing and human capital management. Unfortunately, most of the
      training I have seen on this does not address the appropriate
      issues, not does it provide much value. The trainers need more
      input from the

1827. There is a severe need for additional GIS skills at all levels,
      but particularly the field office and area office levels. This
      agency has bitten off a big chunk of technology using Toolkit and
      Arc Gis the way we are. However, the potential power of GIS in
      everyday usage is a small fraction of what is possible. Using GIS
      as an enterprise wide business tool is an abitious task, but we
      are only scratching the surface.

1828. More technical training

1829. How to

1830. More people in the field - field office employees(not mid
      management nor area or state staff)

1831. Technical, engineering and experience.

1832. Better managers, maintenance of skills we already have to keep up
      with new technology better.

1833. More people skilled in field office work and less skilled in state
      office work.

1834. The skills may be there to solve problems, but in the field office
      level they are obscured by programs top heavy in documentation.
      Personnell becomes weary of all the documentation and it takes the
      punch out of our fron-line impact\...e.g. if encouraging a
      landowner to go to the RMS level triples the paperwork and
      reprimands, I\'ve seen more seasoned employees become lacluster
      about our goals, and perform at a level that may not even require
      the skills we have.

1835. We have become an application taking agency, merely doing signups
      and payments for differnt programs. Our tecnical skills don\'t
      seem to be used as much now. We need the people with skills to
      apply sound conservation to the land that is accepted into these
      programs.

1836. Need to have more specialized personnel who cover a larger area
      instead of each employee having to know a little bit about a lot
      of programs and specialties.

1837. Technical-computer competence.

1838. Logic and common sense in planning.

1839. Employees need to be better equiped to handle all the computer
      programs that are in the job today. The software programs need to
      have the glitches solved instead of the same things happening over
      and over.

1840. we need more 5-7-9 conservationist to promote into GS-11
      positions, we have no one to fill the void and are taking people
      off the street with no program/technical knowledge to fill
      openings just to have a body in that place

1841. An increase in the amount of Geographical Information System (GIS)
      support. Workload analysis skills on a field office level rather
      than a state level.

1842. We need more people to accomplish the workload. The skills needed
      are the experience that is lacking because its was lost through
      retirement and the decline in experienced employees.

1843. More computer specialists More engineering specialists

1844. Because the workforce is aging, many lack the computer skills
      needed in today\'s environment.

1845. To me there is lack of dedication among current employees. I
      believe either higher pay or stronger perfomance appraisal system
      is needed to push employees.

1846. There is no substitution of working with experienced employees. I
      am seeing so many brand new employees being promoted and put in
      charge of high level conservation planning, but lack a lot of time
      with real experienced field personell. Promotions and grade levels
      are based solely on college completion.

1847. Not hiring people in Higher positions that have no idea what the
      agency is about or have never heard nor worked for the agency
      before.

1848. Employees competent in working with the citizens in a knowledgable
      way. Many new people are

1849. Need people with computer skills but are losing the skills that
      count in the field. (So you can report in a computer but do not
      know what the best practice is in the field does not work.)

1850. Need more familiarity with farming operations. New employees need
      more OJT\...currently moving up too fast. Get uper level managers
      more

1851. the agency lacks leadership,direction, and uniformity. Brown
      nosing shouldn\'t be rewarded. Good work should be.

1852. The agency needs better training for their employees and make sure
      the employees is ready before promoting them.

1853. People who are specialized in one area instead of peop\[le who you
      try to train in all areas.

1854. There is a need for personel with education in environmental
      biology, in general the knowledge of ecology, plant ID, land
      management, wildlife management, soil management, and fire
      ecology.

1855. We need to assist the field office staff with ArcGIS training and
      managers with leadership training

1856. More OTJ ability. There are too many who theorize and don\'t
      actually know what needs to be done on the land.

1857. Train our supervisors

1858. Managers who know how to manage people instead of paper and
      spreadsheets. Engineers with a practical sense of how to achieve
      workload goals.

1859. More people who help train on computer programs and makes a
      program that works efficiently. Managers who can get motivate and
      figure out ways to get things done efficiently.

1860. Need to have more qualified Management Staff not by hiring people
      off of the street who have not worked through the ranks.

1861. More prescribed burn training at higher levels\... need state
      prescribed burn specialists in certain geographical areas

1862. Better management skills and leaders. Most are there to get for
      themselves and care little about the underdogs!

1863. We just need more people with the skills to complete the
      objectives. We have to do too much to do and can\'t develop all
      the skills that we need to be the best at what we are supposed to
      be doing

1864. Computer and technology skills, mostly in terms of adapting to
      recently adopted hardware and software. Also wildlife management
      skills are becoming more important.

1865. It is experience in all aspects that is needed. Our workforce is
      facing a large retirement group.

1866. I don\'t know if we need more skills, but we definitely need more
      people.

1867. Better management and training skills. Better technical and
      engineering skills in Animal Feed Operation planning and design.
      Better biological and wetland identification and management
      skills. Better legal skills for easements and wetland conservation
      skills.

1868. The agency is in need of quality technical skills that are applied
      on the land. Our agency is quickly becoming an office agency. Most
      work is done from the office and no time is allowed for QUALITY
      technical assistance on the land.

1869. Improvement of salesmanship skills. NRCS needs to beable to sell
      the concept of conservation to those that are non or not on fire
      believers of helping the land.

1870. We need to adequately train the employees we have. Put the brakes
      on, we are so caught up in the world wind that we tend to skip
      over basic training. Not just our very new employees but employees
      that have 10-12 years experience.

1871. Lawyers, to get us out of the mess that is being created when the
      poor management decisions hit the fan

1872. The agency needs more people in leadership positions who have the
      technical background to know what is really needed, in terms of
      time, human resources, training, etc\... to make this agency
      successful in improving America\'s natural resources on private
      lands. We have too many people in leadership positions who count
      numbers and do not have a real concept of what kind of investment
      it takes to deliver a legitimate product. Does it look good on
      paper or on the land?

1873. We are not always as advanced as we should be. We need to keep in
      touch with technology but not forget to be down to earth with our
      customers.

1874. Personnel management skills.

1875. Technical skills. This is what our agency has always been known
      and respected for, and we are getting away from it. Adequate
      training has not been provided in all cases to help employees keep
      up with the changes in workload, technology, and increased
      complexity of planning and designing of practices.

1876. common sense

1877. maybe some actual work with private sector to keep current with
      technology. Somewhat of a work exchange program. Attend training
      courses with private sector

1878. engineering

1879. Less state office personnel, more field office personnel

1880. More training

1881. More engineering expertise, better transfer of new technology

1882. Geomorphologists

1883. More technical employees who can assist the landowners in the
      field. Also employees working more in the field instead of from
      the computers.

1884. The agency is losing highly skilled soil conservation and
      engineering technicians to retirement. We are not making an effort
      to hire individuals prior to the retirement of skilled employees
      so that the incumbant can be trained by those skilled employees.

1885. EXPERIENCE!!!! We have over - Educated individuals with no
      experience. Education is sometimes over-rated!!

1886. field experience

1887. Construction inspection

1888. Computer skills

1889. Engineering skills in fluvial geomorphology, soil mechanics,
      hydrology. Biology skills in fluvial geomorphology. Serious need
      for geologists, especially in groundwater hydrology, fluvial
      geomorpholoogy.

1890. More GIS/ArcView computer type skills for employees with technical
      skills. More Field experince for new employees that are long on
      above computer/GIS skills.

1891. Technology that is current with the private sector.

1892. Agency is engineering based yet we are currently short on
      engineers, engineering technicans, and such engineering support
      staff as geologists. The current mindset is to

1893. Computer software and technology and skilled, knowledgeable people

1894. We really need to focus in training new employees. They are often
      hired and training is OJT - or more realisticly trial by fire.
      Employees need training in NRCS goals and mission, Farm Bill
      program rules and regulations, basic engineering/layout, GIS,
      ArcView. These aren\'t really additional skills, but skills that
      need to be inssured are given to all new employees.

1895. technical expertise

1896. agricultural business, agronomy and soils

1897. The agency needs more conservationists. Based on my experience our
      new conservationist hires spend all of their time working on a
      computer doing Toolkit, Protracts, ArcMap, etc. because they are
      very proficient with computers while our older conservationists go
      out to the field and do all practice layouts etc. This does not
      allow our newer employees the opportunity to learn how to layout
      terraces, waterways, etc or build relationships with the producers
      and when the older employees leave a whole

1898. People need managerial, technical, and programs training to
      function effectively.

1899. Technology / Computer Literacy

1900. More field level technical specialists

1901. Better communication to all employees from NHQ down the line to
      work more as a team and in turn this would help everyone and make
      our customers more understanding of the process.

1902. We are agriculturally based, and we seem to be hiring a lot of
      people that have no ag. back ground. It is hard enough talking
      with producers when we are straight out of college, because we are
      so young. We have to work hard to gain the respect of the producer
      to help the process of getting conservation on the ground. If that
      person doesn\'t have an ag. back ground then they will run the
      producer off because he doesn\'t have the confidence in our agency
      to help him make sound decisions. Therefore the employee will not
      be happy with his job, and we lost another producer.

1903. Better trainers. (and more of them)

1904. More on the job training for newer employees under the direction
      of employees reaching the end of their career.

1905. Mid-level management is woefully unprepared to deal with both
      technical and personnel issues.

1906. More computer and GIS training.

1907. Feed back- we need our questions answered in a timely manner

1908. Need better and more accurate job descriptions so that applicants
      can be hired based on their KSA\'s, talents and strength for
      specific roles, then that role should be designed to grow and
      develop with the employee - basically, hire the right person for
      the job and then develop their talents and strengths so that they
      are productive and have a high level of job satisfaction.

1909. Rather than additional skills, we need to increase the numbers of
      individuals with certain skills.

1910. True Leader

1911. We need more people in all of the sciences that can support all of
      the conservation practice planning and implementation for farm
      bill related work and all of the other work that we do not related
      to the farm bill.

1912. More people with engineering skills. For example aprroximately 75
      to 80 % of the applied EQIP workload is engineering practices and
      maybe 20% of our workforce has engneering or technical background
      to design and install these practices.

1913. Program management

1914. Less people to do parerwork and more technical people.

1915. People to do the paper work and leave the field employees free to
      go to the field and work with customers. Right now we spend about
      one day on the computer for each hour we are in the field, not to
      help the producer/external customer but to stuff paper work in the
      folder so someone from the area/starte office can \'look at it

1916. Better use of vidos and DVD. Most often we get training and then
      its six months or more before we need to use it. Need a dedicated
      web site where we can go to get the information needed to put
      conservation on the ground instead of having to go through all the
      propaganda and junk (MY. NRCS.splash) to find what we need to do
      our work. Take a look at all the web sites we have to deal with
      and all of the junk that they are loaded with that we don\'t need.

1917. The agency needs people with more leadership and management
      skills.

1918. I feel the agency needs more people to do the work. Many of the
      workers have the skill, but just not the TIME or RESOURCES
      (computers that are fast enough, or which don\'t lock up enough to
      impede work).

1919. More technical/ag skills. I\'ve been suprised at the lack of
      understanding of basic math at some of the trainings I\'ve been
      to. Do we as an agency know what it\'s like to walk a day in the
      life of a farmer\'s shoes?

1920. Employees need the broad understanding of NRCS policies and
      procedures. ALL employees need the

1921. Support staff to suupport the field offices better

1922. soil and resource conservationist\'s that are more experienced in
      planning and programs, more technicians and engineering
      technicians to get application of the tremendous workload eqip has
      created. Local landowners are not hiring tsp\'s they are just
      patiently waiting for our services.

1923. It is not so much the skills, as it is having a suffient work
      force.

1924. The agency needs leadership instead of management. A leader can
      show a person under them how to do a job if asked. A manager will
      only criticize if a job is not completed.

1925. We need more technical expertise. To perform in our agency,
      employees need computer skills more than technical knowledge. New
      employees in the last 15 years have developed their primary skills
      by sitting in front of a computer, rather than getting daily hands
      on technical experience in the field.

1926. Managers are trained as conservationists not managers. We are
      excellent conservationists and terrible managers

1927. need more employees of all levels to begin training

1928. More good working people.

1929. Managers with a hands on approach capable of working with
      technical staff to formulate consistent rules and processes to
      train staff and handle program delivery to clients in a timely
      manner. We need to return to a line and staff responsibility where
      \'the buck stops here.\' Government has too many layers of jobs
      where no one is accountable for job performance, no one is
      responsible for answers or policy decisions.

1930. More OJT is needed by qualified personnel.

1931. Veteran employees need the necessary time to develop their
      computer skills. Computer programs change frequently, training is
      inadequate, and workload does not allow for adequate time to
      become proficient with the ever-changing computer programs.

1932. Poeple Skills - ability and time to work one on one with
      customers.

1933. Technical skills are fundamental, people skills and information
      management skills are critical to this agency and it\'s chance of
      success in its mission.

1934. More employees, can\'t get everything done with all the new
      programs out.

1935. To train supervisors to be Employee and Job focused, and not just
      to promote people who can\'t do any other job

1936. Better ways to staff offices according to workload.

1937. We have not provided OJT & formal training throughout the careers
      of our employees. The lack of time/employees avaliable in FOs &
      SOs has resulted in all phases of skills suffering tremendously in
      all employees - one exception maybe computer skills. Knowledge,
      assessment and planning skills to understand how a resource will
      respond to man\'s activities and impacts. Skill in conversing and
      working with landusers and other agency people. Effective and
      sincere written and oral communication. Skill in being able to
      forget what you just learned yesterday in order to learn today\'s
      new way of doing things. Organizational skills to try to keep up
      with daily, monthly and yearly changes. Skill to assist employees
      who are not accomplishing goals set from the top down. Skill in
      identifying the real problems and obstacles, and how to overcome
      them. Skill in setting priorities. Technical skill to layout,
      design, and inspect practice installation.

1938. We need more people to give local training for local problems. We
      need people to give better on the job training.

1939. Computer skills need to improve

1940. The agency needs a emphasize servant leadership. The field office
      employees are obviously doing their jobs to help the landowner, so
      let the field offices do their job. The upper managerial staff
      should be concentrating on what they need to do to help their
      employees so they can do their job better. The agency need to not
      focus so much on numbers and worry more about quality and customer
      satisfaction.

1941. More of a technical background. This could be acheived by being
      less program driven.

1942. EVERYTHING. We do not hire technical people to do the job and our
      managers are non technical intraverts that cannot do their job.
      How can you manage something that you do not know anything about?

1943. Technical

1944. Many people are being hired on the street and going to GS-9 or
      GS-11\'s. WE need to get people in the lower GS scales and train
      them and have them move around to get the proper training.

1945. What is really needed is one good computer person in each office.
      This way the technical and planning people could spend their time
      getting conservation on the ground which is what NRCS is all
      about.

1946. Alot more computer skills for the older employee\'s. The younger
      employee\'s may have this, but they are lacking the people skills
      and the technical skills. There needs to be more emphasis put on
      field work and less on computer entries and congress needs to
      understand this.

1947. Competent persons who can do the complete 9 steps of planning.
      Complete with designs, computer skills and reporting.

1948. MOST NEWER PEOPLE ARE CATCHING ON TO THE NEWER COMPUTER PROGRAMS,
      BUT SOME OF THE OLDER ONES STILL NEED SOME VERY BASIC TRAINING
      AUGMENTATION.

1949. Many offices have older employees that do not understand modern
      technology and do not embrace it. By the time they learn new
      programs, they are updated to something else. The learning process
      starts all over. This is very inefficient.

1950. Technical skills - we have gotten very good using computer
      technology - but sem to have forget the technical skills needed to
      put the practices on the ground

1951. There appears to be too many people that are not technically sound
      in the conservation field and it shows in some of the decisions
      being made by field office people.

1952. The buyout in the 90\'s eroded many expirenced field people

1953. The agency needs to formulate & organize its knowledge and skills
      regarding more complex practices such as complete nutrient
      management systems (CNMP), certified wetland determinations, etc.
      Then it needs to get its employees up to speed in these areas

1954. Better Communication between the national office and the state
      offices and the field offices.

1955. ecological sciences and interpretation of land use effects of
      conservation practices

1956. Ag waste, wetland restoration

1957. Need better new employee training.

1958. Further coputer exposure and training for employees older than 50
      yrs.

1959. Our younger employees, while very proficient at computer programs,
      are lacking the

1960. There is a push for more planners and administrative staff. We
      have enough planners right now to get more work planned than we
      have engineers and technicians to design projects and follow
      through with inspections and certifications. And the TSP program
      has been a disaster. We need more technical assistance on the
      ground. That\'s what our customers want. We don\'t need more admin
      people either. They slow our field work down by making us do
      stupid schedules that are at best, a guess. What this agency needs
      are more trained people to give quality technical advice to our
      customers.

1961. We need to get back to basics, some of our newer folks don\'t know
      how to compute soil erosion, our tools (WEQ) needs work and
      updated. Timeliness is important. The Bootcamp may help but I
      would split up the session into 2 parts, two different years. More
      specialist in the field.

1962. Soil cons and range cons need more engineering skills before
      becoming DCs. We have planners writing contracts for practices
      they have never seen or implemented.

1963. how to manage difficult staff and employees that are looking to
      create and win a civil rights lawsuit against the Agency; stop
      hiring soil con techs off the street and expect ojt to make them a
      productive field staffer in a short time frame

1964. In some areas more Technicians/engineers to get jobs done. The TSP
      is a good idea, but is it really cost prohibitive?

1965. We do agriculture; we are getting too many kids that don\'t know
      squat and have little practical experience.

1966. There is a need for people in field offices to have agriculutral
      experience or at least be familiar with agriculutre

1967. field biologists are needed if the agency is going to have active
      programs in WHIP and WRP.

1968. Technical skills in engineering.

1969. The Agency needs to accept NEW TECKNOWLEDG

1970. Additional skills are not necessary. We need people that are
      committed to getting conservation on the ground and not just self
      promotion.

1971. More Training on how to use the tools in the field.

1972. more diversified training in how to assist non traditional ag.

1973. less program mangers more technical

1974. Field experience - we have many people coming directly from
      college with little field experience.

1975. We have raised a generation that has never planned and has little
      hands on field experience. The boot camp training is a start.
      Field office staff need as much hands on training as they can get.

1976. Basic skills as reflected in the NRCS Boot Camp training. We have
      too many people who came to work during the 1980\'s in farm bill
      work who are only computer planners and technicians who don\'t
      know how to get anything on the ground.

1977. Skills of existing employees who may be retiring soon should be
      passed on to newer individuals in a more concentrated manner, so
      that we don\'t lose their intuition and history. Training on a
      solely computerized or course basis does not give you these
      advantages.

1978. None

1979. To many of the newer employees do not have the skills or knowledge
      to talk about farming or ranching. As long as they are behind a
      computer most of them feel good about what they are doing.

1980. some managers need better training on how to be effective. need
      better tools & understanding for dealing with urban, suburban,
      development, & rural interface issues. most of our technical
      employees lack office management skills & it is kind of poor
      business practice to pay managers & technical folks professional
      wages to do clerical duties. it would seem that in offices with
      multiple agencies, something could be arranged to share an office
      assistant/secretary?

1981. Technical and engineering skills for field people.

1982. Engineering

1983. Competent employees willing to do the job necessary without making
      excuses such as

1984. People that have pratical knowledge instead of just book
      knowledge.

1985. Development of the people & technical skills needed for work on
      the ground with landusers, and recognition of its importance.

1986. We need to get back to our technical roots. We have put almost too
      much emphasis on managerial skills and not enough on the technical
      expertise required to be respected by our customers. For example,
      every

1987. Agency needs people who understand Agriculture as well as the
      natural resources that go w/ agriculture and they must have some
      understanding of how the govt programs are intended to work to
      encourage the wise use and management of these associated
      resources. I also believe that they must posess the skills to
      stand behind what the government has to offer

1988. We need people that are well rounded that can plan, survey, and
      design, We don\'t need people that sit behind a desk and direct.
      Everyone needs to roll up thier sleeves and lend a hand.

1989. more range managment specialist GIS probably finiacial people as
      we are now responsible for making contract payments.

1990. allow people to become experts in one thing, quit changing things
      unnecessarily.

1991. Technical Knowledge of wildlife, plants and human needs.

1992. More technical people at the field level to get conservation on
      the land.

1993. At the State level we do not have the watershed expertice needed
      to look at infra structure needs.

1994. We need to get back to the basics. We need managers and
      supervisors with real FIELD EXPERIENCE that have worked hands on
      with landowners. Managers and supervisors are too removed from
      what goes on in the field to really understand. They\'re too busy
      chasing numbers and trying to make themselves look good. Need to
      remember why the agency was created in the first place.

1995. supervisory, leadership, ability to say

1996. Precision ag specialist at NHQ and in every state. Organic ag
      specialists in those states that are building this type of
      activity. Computer data number crunchers at the field office
      level.

1997. More technical applicators such as engineers and technicians

1998. Develop true leadership skills in management.

1999. Technical experience at the DC and higher leasdership positions.

2000. Proficient Computer Skills

2001. the new employees coming up thru the ranks need to have much
      better conservation experience, rather than the program driven
      direction we have gone

2002. Technical.

2003. It is not a matter of skills - the field offices are overwhelm
      with programs, deadlines, constant changes, and it is very
      difficult to focus!!!

2004. Unsure

2005. More employees with ag background.

2006. Less emphasis on computer skills with more emphasis on specialty
      knowledge and field applications.

2007. The D.c\'s are just administrators these days and more of our time
      is spent doing administrative and computer work. We need more
      professional planners for the field.

2008. Trained employees that can actually do field work out of the
      office.

2009. We have moved away from our reputation as a technical agency to
      one that is more program oriented. Our new employees are computer
      literate. We not spending the necessary time to train our new
      employees in the technical aspects of the job. We have employees
      who can navigate through Protracts, Toolkit, and ARCGIS without a
      problem but they can not identify the local forage species or
      tillage implements.

2010. The need to give make every effort to hire people with actual
      agriculture background, not just agriculuture education.

2011. highly trained, experienced people

2012. We need to continue on the track of improving the ADP/GIS skills
      of the average Field Technical person. This is accomplished thru
      training existing staff and hiring folks per-postioned for this
      role.

2013. More technical skills,

2014. Field experience employees who have a working knowledge of
      agriculture

2015. technical KSA\'s in air and water quality, phytoremediation,
      nutrient uptake, global warming (C sequestration), biofuels,
      pollinators, invasive species

2016. customer service skills (lacking at NHQ level) and training in
      their field to be able to guide their customers. Idea thinkers to
      make jobs easier not more complicated.

2017. Good people skills for good working relations

2018. More people at field level with GIS experience

2019. Computer skills, ability to keep up with the newest technologies
      in resoruces

2020. Don\'t know

2021. Highly qualified public information specialists.

2022. Better on the job training for new employees, timely training- I
      just attended a training session that was on my training schedule
      for 14 years, I really didn\'t need it at this point in my career
      but had to attend since it was a NEDC training.

2023. Help with putting together the mountain of paper justifications
      for outside contracts

2024. Well qualified applicants for positions.

2025. What I am seeing is that we have a lot of non-agricultural people
      working here that they don\'t know what we are about drawing a
      paycheck. We need to get

2026. technical skills

2027. Communication Skills

2028. Back to the basics\-- many new employees don\'t get the training
      the older employees received when they started. Programs are being
      shoved down our throats and no time is set aside for good, sound
      training.

2029. too many to mention

2030. This agency has a huge gap between employees getting ready to
      retire, and those that are stepping up the ladder to take their
      places. I feel that new employees don\'t have the experience or
      training required before they are making that step, but are taking
      the step because of the pressure to move up due to the lack of
      experienced persons in the gap.

2031. Engineers. To many Coaches and not enough Players! While we cut
      back in Administration in the early 90\'s we have steadily been
      building it back and it now feels as though the tail is waging the
      dog again. Field People! That means, Techs and Engineers, and
      Planners. We do not need another Assist. State Con. for whatever
      or another Wash DC bureaucrat.

2032. How to work with a more diverse public than private agriculture
      producers.

2033. Computer training for the older generation and field training for
      the younger. The way it works now is new employees come and they
      are seated at the computer to do what their DC can\'t. They
      aren\'t getting the proper field training that they need to one
      day run the field office.

2034. Don\'t know

2035. Get back to more basic field technical skills and knowledge
      without relying on the computer to generate all this information.

2036. It doesn\'t need additional skills. It needs to specialize those
      skills it has. It needs to have those with computer skills to do
      computer work, while those with field skills do field work. Things
      have become too complex and esoteric for people to possess all the
      skills needed to perform all aspects of many or our jobs (i.e.:
      soil conservationists)

2037. More job training. Lower GS level jobs are all fairly young and
      need to be fully functional before older staff retires.

2038. Technical abiltities in all disciplines are lacking.

2039. no additional skills needed, just more people needed to cover all
      the demands for help.

2040. We need more time to spend with people who are technically sound.
      mangaing people isn\'t as difficult as figuring how much water can
      flow through a pipe.

2041. Increased training and knowledge of on the ground conservation
      practices. This is more important then entering numbers into a
      computer. Knowledge of computer software is a major tool in
      fullfilling our goals.

2042. More on-the-job training and the time to do that

2043. Human capital skills - but you\'re working on that.

2044. Engineering Technicians who have the knowledge and understanding
      and training to perform engineer duties. More time to perform on
      the job training.

2045. This agency needs people with skills in developing practical
      technical methods that do not rely on excessive paperwork or
      overly complex technical procedures.

2046. Less upper management and more field personel.

2047. Well in my situation, i spend my time training higher grade
      engineers in doing their job. The people hired dont have the
      skills needed to do their job and i dont mind training them, but
      not being recognized for it bothers me.

2048. More technically adept individuals to help the conservation
      practices actually get

2049. Better training at all levels more interaction among sates.

2050. The younger generations are great at the computer work and lack in
      field experience and the older generation is the oppisite. I think
      there needs to be a balance between the two.

2051. Don\'t chain career DC\'s and Soil Cons to the computer doing
      accounting and I.T. Don\'t you want me out in the field getting
      that kind of work done (you know GS 9,11,12) pay GS 5 for the
      computer crap. You have taken people who worked here for the FIELD
      and the RESOURCE and sentenced them to a live or at least the
      remainders of their careers in the office chained to the computer,
      and wishing that you guys would WAKE UP!

2052. Competent software programers.

2053. more technically capable persons; irrigation and stream work are
      two areas that are obvious to me as understaffed.

2054. More engineering assistance and more training in the field for new
      or newer employees.

2055. We are becoming great at computers, accounting, eligibility
      determinations, administration, etc\...but our technical expertise
      is on a downward trend. This needs to turn around.

2056. The agency needs to invest in replacing the

2057. \*Leadership \*Have NHQ staff and others detached from agriculture
      spend more time involved with Area Offices or Field Offices so
      they have a better understanding of how their decisions far away
      affect NRCS employees and producers \*Some seasoned employees need
      more technology training

2058. People are spending too much time in front of a computer and not
      enough time in the field (especially new employees). COmputer
      skills seem more important than experience in the field
      (competancy).

2059. as it becomes a more technical world, need folks that can deal
      with computers AND know how to work in the field.

2060. Public Relations, contracting, management.

2061. We are at least two years behind in engineering designs. We need
      more engineers.

2062. management skills for employees who advance from technical to
      managerial positions

2063. We need management and program staff in state offices to have past
      and on-going experience in the field.

2064. Leaders who are competent and who can manage workload to meet
      deadlines, treat people with respect and dignity and who aren\'t
      ego centric in what they want to accomplish but do things for the
      good of the agency and the employees.

2065. The agency needs to go back to its roots of providing sound
      technical assistance and not just writing contracts to spend
      money. NRCS has lagged behind technically because we have spent
      way too much time writing and administering contracts for one cost
      share program or another. People don\'t look to us for help like
      they used to, but what cost share program am I eligible for!

2066. As we have evolved into a program driven and program delivering
      agency our technical competency at the field level has declined.
      Our new employees spend more of their time learning program
      requirements and computer programs than they do learning how to
      solve resource problems. Technical service delivery and competancy
      has not appeared to be a priority from a management perspective
      for many years.

2067. Computer skills and training

2068. In some states, NRCS relies heavily on personell with no formal
      engineering training to complete fairly complex engineering design
      projects. As more and more engineering positions are cut from our
      staffs, there is inadequate oversight and opportunities for one on
      one training. If this is the direction for the agency, centralized
      engineering training curriculum should be developed by the NEDC
      rather than leaving that task to already overworked engineering
      staff\'s within the states.

2069. Engineering

2070. Computer administration.

2071. More emphasis on technical skills in field offices and SS offices

2072. More emphasis on ArcGIS and integration in to all aspects of
      conservation planning.

2073. many field offices are lacking job skills in interdisciplinary
      areas and existing employees are expected to fill the roll in a
      technical area they are not skilled in. field offices need skills
      matched to the workload. many in Montana are short handed in
      rangeland, wildlife or engineering skills.

2074. Planners proficient in computer technology and can motivate
      producers to raise the bar.

2075. The agency needs more engineering skills available at the field
      office level. Senior Engineers are spread too thin.

2076. More labor less management

2077. Technical people providing leadership

2078. We not only need people with technical competency but we also need
      to be able to relate to and with the issues and problems our
      customers are facing and having to deal with.

2079. The agency needs to make sure everybody is on the same page when
      it comes to policy implementation. Some state areas are operating
      by the book, while others are shooting from the hip. Our clientele
      for the most part is confused by different guidelines provided to
      them by different field offices. Our computer programs need to be
      better tailored to agency needs, not a program developed outside
      of our agency that needs to be adapted and modified constantly. We
      need far better training of our personnel to better serve our
      clientele.

2080. I think we\'re slipping and giving up technical capabilities in
      order to fulfill the requirements of programs and money. This
      could eventually catch up with us and cost us the agency, because
      we won\'t be the leaders. I think there are alot of employees who
      came on in 1990 or later who were never trained in the field and
      now don\'t ask questions because they\'ve been with the agency too
      long. Alot of them were also quickly promoted without
      understanding field operations.

2081. There is a over-reliance on technology in planning with less time
      spent

2082. There is a technological gap between generations. Older folks tend
      to be less inclined to use updated equiptment and software. The
      agency would benefit from ensuring all employing are comfortable
      using computer and electronic software. The agency would benefit
      from advertising it\'s programs in other ways (other than in news
      releases)to let the public know about our programs and how we can
      help.

2083. communications, actually communicating, not fulfilling the mandate
      by holding a generic training session and calling that
      communication

2084. DCs need training in supervision and management

2085. Experienced Technical Personnel

2086. more people

2087. People who understand agriculural issues and have some common
      sense to deal with producers on the ground. Outside technical
      knowledge. Engineers and technicians need to be able to access
      outside technical data and keep up on new developements. By the
      time this agencies engineering and technical people at higher
      levels get the information out to the field or make it accessible
      it is 5-10 years outdated. We are still running old dos programs
      to do engineering design. This issue was brought up with the
      national site meetings (visits) last year as one of the number one
      problems and I still see no changes made. If you send people all
      the way to Montana on taxpayers dollars to ask us what can be
      done, maybe someone should listen.

2088. Sociologists/conservationists.In Montana we need to increase the
      number of soil conservationist planners. Conservation planning is
      the bulk of our mission in delivering assistance, yet in Montana
      we have fewer than 50 soil cons. We have 150 managers and
      engineers. Engineering is easily contracted to private sources.
      Middle management is bloated - Area Offices should stick to
      management service to field operations and not house uneffective
      conservaion specialists.

2089. More engineering types who aren\'t anal, fussy, & paralyzing.

2090. Provide employees with the tools needed to do their jobs. Up to
      date computers, prompt computer access to the software needed to
      do the job. Clear and concise training opportunites and materials
      available to employees at all times.

2091. More technical training for new employees.

2092. sales - need to be able to sell operators conservation that they
      don\'t initially realize they want

2093. Technical and practical field staff.

2094. Contracting skills. The Field Offices can not effectively handle
      contracting with legal sufficiency while maintaining technical
      expertise.

2095. Need agronomists who have experience in the growing trend of
      precision agriculture relating to GPS, nutrient plans, AFO/CAFO
      plans and designs for them.

2096. More on the job technical training.

2097. Time management.

2098. Technical training.

2099. New employess are highly trained when it comes to computer skills.
      They however, a good portion of them appear to have a weak
      understanding of resources. Maybe they do have resource skills,
      but they seem to give the land owner what ever they ask for. One
      of our biggest challenges as an agency is trying to get the land
      owner to change the way they have been operating. That\'s a tough
      sell. It appears to be easier to give them what they want versus
      working to improve resource conditions.

2100. More training with the computer programs.

2101. The agency needs skills in technical guidance to get caught up
      with the program output that is being pushed onto field offices.

2102. More Range technitians for the western states. More admin support
      to take pressure off of technical personnel.

2103. For the Western states, more Range personnel.

2104. the agency needs more qualified and experienced personnel in the
      field working with on the ground practices, and the ability to
      work closely with the producer. Staff is currently so stretched
      for time that it is often difficult to follow up with producers on
      implemented and planned practices. We are contracting many good
      conervation measures, but due to the high workload, the staff is
      too busy putting out fires to be highly effective in our job.

2105. In Montana our engineering staff is way behind in our training. We
      have a few good engineers left that haven\'t retired yet, however
      they do not have the time to train our new employees. Once the few
      older engineers leave (most within 5 years) we (NRCS) will be too
      far behind in our engineering skills. Also, because our Area
      Office is located in the wrong town we never keep staff in this
      office which gives us vertually no training in Agronomy & Range.
      Which up to date training is always good within an area to keep
      our skill levels at an adequate level.

2106. Better engineering tech support from area office, more practicle
      and field wise engineers.

2107. An actual understanding of agricultures needs. Not just able to
      manage computer paperwork. Some common sense would be nice!

2108. With practically everything we do being computer and web-based, we
      do not have at least 1 computer

2109. More technical skills with better organized training plans. Use
      stricter screening when promoting technical folks into management.
      Not all who aspire are

2110. It would be beneficial for employees to have out of agency job
      experiences\--i.e. job shadowing or actual experience in the
      installation of jobs\--be out there actually physically involved
      in installing practices\--hands on learning, not just observation.

2111. Biology and wild life

2112. I feel that we are expected to know too much about too many thigs
      and consequently, there are a lot of employees that don\'t know
      much about much of anything except the basics. It seems that if
      people were given more opportunity to be specialists instead of
      generalists, there would more highly technically skilled people,
      and less frustrated people, throughout the agency.

2113. People skills, interaction with other agencies - in the end we are
      working for the same goals, and interaction with personnal on a
      higher level ie. field offices meeting with state offices - not
      just the DC\'s but the technician\'s and planners and
      administrative.

2114. more leadership training for managers and we need to bring the
      overall technical skills, especially related to computer skills to
      a higher level. In the future, employees will be expected to
      accomplish more work with much greater efficiency.

2115. A lot more computer specialists to keep our system going plus
      training for all employees. This is so important to efficiency
      especially with our dependence on computers.

2116. hiring skills, to find good quaality empoyees.

2117. We are spending all of our time doing data entry. We need to get
      back to technical skills

2118. A lot more formal classes/trainings for GIS arcMap is needed.
      Maybe set up a way to have an internal boot camp within each
      state. You don\'t have to send them outside their state. But make
      the bootcamp geared to refreshing course, keep all employees up to
      date, and make it where Soil Cons have to go to one once every
      five years. We need more trainers for different computer programs.
      There is not a sufficient amount trainers for the state of
      montana. As of right now, we are lucky to get a trainer out to the
      eastern part of the state with in 1 year after a new program and
      new ArcMap has been set up for us to use.

2119. Need to do background check on personal before hiring.

2120. I think field experience is forgotten about when people get
      promoted and common sense is diminished the longer a person is
      away from working with producers. There seems to be a

2121. Need to keep up better with developing technology. We are always
      behind, and not able to utilize all the tools at our disposal.

2122. Skills in developing long term relationships with land
      owners/managers to enable cooperative land evaluation and
      monitoring.

2123. The agency doesn\'t necessarily need more job skills it just needs
      to stay focused on solid on the ground conservation practices and
      working with all landowners.

2124. Flexibility, small land resource training

2125. There is a lack of younger engineers and technicians. NRCS is not
      advertising for GS-7/9 engineers plus engineers graduating from
      college feel they can make more money working in the private
      sector.

2126. I believe that the agency has the skills, but not the man power to
      complete the tasks at hand, (we seem to get further behind
      everyday). Having one exceptionally skilled person on hand to
      complete the workload of 5 is no longer cutting it.

2127. on the job ground training. I feel like we spend so much time at
      technical class room trainings that could be spent outside with
      our mentors learning from them before they retire.

2128. More simplified computer programs. Programs like Protracts and Arc
      Gis and Toolkit are cumbersome and user unfriendly. We do not need
      programs with hundreds of choices at the field level. We need just
      enough choices to get the job done fast and efficiently.

2129. More technical expertise along with employees to handle the
      workload.

2130. Precision agriculture and more field office staff

2131. new tools are coming up with little or no trainnig they are just
      dumped on you to work with

2132. Good training plan options for each work catagory.

2133. Computer software proficiency.

2134. hands-on, on-the-ground knowledge such as reading maps without
      electronic technology

2135. Leadership with grass roots experience and technical experience to
      understand agency mission and culture.

2136. The agency has employees that have the job skill to do the job in
      the field. What\'s lacking is the desire to complete the task at
      the computer.

2137. Need to keep up with the private sector in terms of technical
      competency at the local or area level

2138. We really do not need to reinvent the wheel as to the types of
      speciallist. We just need more and more at the local/field office
      level.

2139. Engineering, both field and office.

2140. More technical and computer skills

2141. Leadership skills. Also, for the new employees, a total run down
      on what is expected on the job. Some skills have been lost through
      the years and will completely be lost when employees retire.

2142. Use of current up to date technology and revive out in the field
      conservation

2143. More of the techical stuff: Engineering and Range Plant Id.

2144. I feel the work ethic that we were taught 25-30 years ago does not
      exist with today\'s new employees. They wait for work to walk in
      the door, instead of going out to the field and pushing/selling
      conservation the old way.

2145. It needs people who have been out on the land, worked the land,
      understand farming and ranching. Not people who just learned it in
      school.

2146. More training with GPS-satellite technology and hiring people with
      an actual Ag background not just with an Agriculture degree.

2147. Hands on field experience.

2148. All skills need to be developed by an employee over time and force
      individuals that are not ready for positions because of lack of
      applicants. Technical training in the field takes time due to the
      amount of skills necessary, the amount of new employees in entry
      level positions will not fulfill future agency needs.

2149. More engineers, archeologists, engineering technicans and planners

2150. More technical skills. More time in the field. Recognize the
      benefit of Technicians.

2151. The need to keep current or, better yet, develop new and
      innovative ways to conserve natural resources for the private
      sector and our customers.

2152. Technical competancy, managerial competancy

2153. In the technical area (specifically engineering) need to pursue
      technically competent, highly motivated people \-- who would
      survive in the private sector. People who are willing to

2154. More techincal knowledge. Field office people are supposed to be
      experts in many fields (plants, wildlife, fish, farming) and they
      don\'t have the expertise.

2155. At this point, it\'s hard to determine where the agency is headed,
      so it is unknown what skills will be needed. I say this because
      there\'s an increase in use of TSPs and vendors so it is unknown
      whether technical skills or just paper pushing is needed.

2156. I think the agency has changed from a technically oriented service
      agency assisting landowners in making decisions to improve
      sustainability on their farms, to running programs. Seems like the
      skills required for the agency are computers and financial with
      some natural resources.

2157. Individuals make up the agency and from my experience, many don\'t
      have adequate computer skills; this even includes some recent
      college graduates. Additional skills related to design of
      engineering practices. In the not too distant past, the local DC
      did many engineering designs. Now it seems that we can\'t even
      build a simple farm pond without needing regional approval from an
      agency engineer.

2158. If we expected to perform at the skill level of a professional
      engineer, then we need specialized training to do this

2159. More field training. New employees are not given the time to get
      training in the field on how to inventory, conduct analysis, and
      develop possible alternative solutions. Some employees are
      promoted into positions with only 2-3 years experience. This is
      not enough time to become competent in mutiple landuses.

2160. Not to lose the

2161. The agency use to develop technical positions, by having them
      placed under a more experienced person. This is not done any more
      with the technical professional positions.

2162. More technical specialists in the field, soil scientists, range
      cons, IT computer specialists, resource soil scientists,
      geologists,engineers and most of all TECHNICIANS!

2163. Sound technical and people skills

2164. Basic knowlege/skills in the conservation programs.

2165. leadership

2166. People that know agriculture. We have a bunch of people driven by
      forms and formalities that really don\'t have the faintest idea of
      what is really involved in agriculture and can\'t recognize the
      intracacies involved in the day to day operation of a farm or
      ranch. Many of our people have the notion that we can micromanage
      a farm by a few requirements printed on a sheet of paper when in
      reality there are a hundred factors that an experienced farm or
      ranch manager must consider. We need to allow the producer to run
      his business while gaining the environmental benefits that we as
      an agency need.

2167. Attention to detail, retention of material, better training

2168. Not so much additonal skills but in my opinion additonal human
      resources to accomplish agency mission.

2169. After teaching at bootcamp, I saw many new employees with very
      poor interpersonal/communication skills. I don\'t know that the
      electronic generation can communicate with our clientele.

2170. administrative assistants to do accounting practices that GS 11,
      step 9\'s are now doing very, very slowly.

2171. People skills. By that I mean a workforce that understands the
      folks that we work with and the problems that they face in their
      day to day work in agriculture. We have personnel that thinks they
      can answer every question there is, but do not have the background
      to make such answers.

2172. More technical competency or positions that provide that. I feel
      more engineers and/or technicans are needed in the field. The
      ground work is very important and is a serious setback.

2173. The agency needs to decide if it wants to stay a competent
      technical service agency, or become a money moving agency with no
      technical services.

2174. better outreach to partnering agencies, especially colleagues at
      field level, not just one state office person. improve
      communication skills, especially with audiences other than

2175. people with good management and decision making skills

2176. contracting law skills at the administrative field office level.

2177. Biologists. We have not only wildlife specific programs (WRP,
      WHIP, CREP) as well as wildlife components to many of our other
      programs (CSP, CRP, EQIP, etc\...) and yet we do not require the
      have enough biologists on staff to plan or provide input within
      those programs. It appears to be lip service to accomplishing
      wildlife goals with no intention of having qualified biologists to
      actually provide input on activities to ensure that it is truly
      accomplishing them. Additionally, NRCS tends to want people to be
      generalists or has them work outside their area of expertise, or
      is willing to bestow a title that people are not necessarily
      qualified for - this is especially true of biologists
      specifically - many \'biologists\' are employees that were
      displaced during some period of restructuring and since they
      displayed some level of interest, not to be confused with
      competency, in biology they were thus given the title of
      biologist.

2178. More on the job training for a variety of different practices. We
      need more engineers to help with the design of several of our
      practices.

2179. I think that the agency needs better comminucation between
      leadership and field staff to enable a more productive, efficient,
      and quality product for customers.

2180. more biologist positions, more agronomy positions

2181. If the agency is going in the administrative direction, we need
      specialists to do that work. We are conservationists, technical
      people with environmental degrees. We are not good accountants or
      administrators of contracts. Many hours and mistakes here.

2182. More technical skill

2183. certified public accounting

2184. Computing and software development and contracting.

2185. Those promoted into a job should be trained in the job before they
      are promotted.

2186. Employees competent in soils, engineering, conservation planning
      and application to provide the best possible service to our
      customers. Management employees need to spend at least 3 months in
      a field office learning what the field and agency does.

2187. Field office contracting people, better qualified specialists and
      local specialists in/near field offices.

2188. Figure out what the mission truley is. Are we only justifing our
      paycheck or are we trying to get something done?

2189. We need to have the skills that FSA has, the ones they took
      decades to develop to manage the financial portions of some of our
      programs. We have the technical ability to complete our mission
      but not the time since we spend most of it in the field juggling
      payments and doing eligibility forms and providing the
      administration fo the program.

2190. More technical skills in comprehesive crop and pest management and
      precision ag techology

2191. ArcGIS training, GPS training, computer training, ability to
      attend trainings (workload limits this)

2192. I am not sure, I am new to the agency

2193. More technicians and more training to keep up with changes.

2194. The agency needs to get rid of employees that don\'t perform

2195. More people making decisions that have actual expereince in the
      field and some idea of reality.

2196. Computer illiteracy is still quite common. The agency needs to
      keep one foot in the field - always. Ground truthing and field
      work are very necessary for the most effective conservation and
      for building strong customer relationships.

2197. The agency needs people who can think on their feet and make
      dessions without needing to get approval of someone else all the
      time.

2198. IT! Need people with current programming skills to replace our
      antiquated SNOTEL data collection system and maintain our
      menagerie of computers and peripherals.

2199. More engineers - less management

2200. To upgrade the tecnical material that we use to where it should be
      and then train employees on how to use this information.

2201. A lot of the new tasks are accounting and payment related. THe
      technical staff could use some training on the payment processes
      and the responsibilities that they are taking on.

2202. More people in the workforce so we stay ahead of the workload
      instead of being behind and playing

2203. Real leaders that are responsible for their own actions.

2204. 1\. Better communciation between all levels of management to
      better explain and understand changes to employees and provide the
      necessary training to implement. Emails, teleconferences and other
      electronic forms of communication are not sufficient to replace
      face to face training opportunities where employees can better ask
      and receive answers to questions. Frequently changes are occuring
      in programs so rapidly that even the messenger/trainer is unable
      to clarify or respond to questions appropriately. 2. Accounting
      skills for all employees involved with administering contracts and
      payments. 3. Better ways to assess and schedule training for
      employees. Frequently training needs identified in training plans
      go for several years before being scheduled and received.

2205. More focused technical training for young employees

2206. People need to become more computer literate

2207. Technical, salesmanship, abilities to work with diverse clientel.
      Writing skills are terrible in most employees.

2208. The agency need to re-think the traditional positions that we
      employee and seek those that will assist with our technology
      transfer.

2209. Effective Management at the field office level so that planners
      can use their expertice in planning and managment can run the
      offices effectivly. I see way too much waste of materials and
      time.

2210. personnel need to be tested for proficiency in basic computer
      skills (especially ms office products) and those that fail
      required to take coursework to rectify their deficiencies.

2211. Technical skills are lacking\...

2212. Increase level of modern computing skills

2213. I have seen a lack in quality of the skills ofour people. WE are
      looked at as a technical agency but the skills of our people are
      not at the level I would expect.

2214. More depth in the technical areas. Too many people come into NRCS
      without enough agricultural experience to relate to farmers.

2215. Our mission has become fuzzy in the past few years. We\'re
      supposed to be a planning and technical expertiese agency, yet our
      priorities demand that we manage financial contracts. Our newer
      employees need to learn planning if that is what we\'re going to
      do, and our older employees need to be more proficient at
      financial contracting and data base managment.

2216. Administrative personel in additional to technical experts at the
      field office level.

2217. computer competence, people-skills, ability to integrate technical
      information

2218. College graduates with backgrounds (either from experience or
      school) in agricultural production, conservation and management.

2219. administrative at the field level; contracting;

2220. We have always prided ourselves on our technical abilities. We
      have moved many of those technical specialists into managerial
      positions for which they are not necessarily suited. This has left
      gaps in the technical areas. The fact that we do not do

2221. Well educated and informed decisionmakers

2222. Wow, what a question. You have to be specific to answer that
      question. Continual technical and leadership training, along with
      NRCS policy knowledge are all very important.

2223. Technical, leadership, and inter-personal.

2224. With the projected loss of technical positions in the next five
      years, it will be difficult to maintain skills that we currently
      have or need. New employees will not have the knowledge base or
      opportunities to develop required knowledge for their job. We will
      lose our most experienced personnel through retirements and will
      lose the mentoring opportunity they can provide. We need managers
      that understand from experience what the responsibilities of
      technical and field positions are. Just as we are using Boot Camp
      to train new employees, we should be training policy/managerial
      personnel by providing field training, so they understand
      first-hand what the mission of the field offices are.

2225. With the emphasis on Technical Service Providers and competitive
      sourcing, our technical and program personnel need formal project
      management/administrative training to deal effectively with
      vendors and partners

2226. agency needs more training in working with cutomers. Technical
      competency is limited in some areas. Computer training is very
      poor.

2227. technical

2228. We are lacking in IT skills compared to private industry.

2229. Better managers.

2230. Internet and network-based professional service delivery.

2231. Technical skills in the field dealing with Resource Management is
      really limited and most employees now have no idea how to complete
      the planning process.

2232. Needs to recover communication skills for the field, and stress
      conservation planning skills to new and existing employees.

2233. Empoyees are losing technical competency to carry out conservation
      planning.

2234. People with knowledge/skills in physical hydrology, i.e.,
      knowledge of physical processes, not just engineering procedures
      and models

2235. People skills

2236. Agency is short on skills to meet administrative suppport -
      inordinate amounts of time is spent by highly paid employees in
      administrative tasks caused by downsizing and incorretly suposing
      that computer automating of previous administrative tasks could be
      fully met by professional staff in an efficeint manner.

2237. We unable to attract and keep new technical specialists in fields
      like engineering, biology, geology, agronomy, range, hydrology,
      etc.

2238. Information and Promotions

2239. Significant amounts of leadership training, especially in making
      hard decisions that will put competent people in jobs, especially
      at NHQ, instead of just rolling over and putting unqualified
      people in positions of responsibility.

2240. Given the direction we are moving, increased business-related
      skills (i.e., contracting, public relations, communication); with
      fewer employees, the need is greater for these other

2241. More focused to the electronically type but still need to maintain
      the science and engineering skills.

2242. just more people with the right skills

2243. We need addtional specialists (especially BIOLOGISTS) instead of
      generalists - and more people to do the work at the field level

2244. kEEP CONNECTED AT THE FIELD LEVEL, AND STAY ABREAST OF
      DEVELOPEMENTS IN THE HI TEC COMMUNICATION FIELD

2245. Additional technical expertise

2246. State Offices need senior people with newer ones in the same
      discipline, not just one of each discipline, especially before
      retirement. Better organization and better coordination.

2247. The agency needs more expertise in restoration of disturbed lands
      to functioning systems. They need to know about alternative
      farming practices that work and have less impact on the land. They
      need more assistance in how to go about improving plant and
      wildlife habitat working with private landowners that in turn
      improves soil retention, water quality and our quality of life.
      They need skills to be able to work with producers as well as the
      urban landowner (an increasing customer) to accomplish this. They
      need more funding to encourage landowners to have less impact on
      the land and allow landowners to set land aside for wildlife
      habitat.

2248. The agaency needs to promote the people that can manage the
      resources and not make people managers of them

2249. People in managment would do better if they had education in
      managment, this would have a positive affect on system.

2250. Managers who know how to manage

2251. It varies from location to location. I\'d say it\'s top heavy on
      agronomist types and range people, and needs more natural
      resources, planners, and restoration experts. Especially in
      urbanizing areas.

2252. Additional enginnering staff and dependable technology that is not
      changing every 5 minutes.

2253. We need more Engineers and Adminastrative help\>

2254. I do not know enough about the agency to say.

2255. water resources

2256. The agency is under staffed in just about every position. With the
      increase in funding and additional programs we are not prepared in
      engineering, planning, and administration

2257. For management to see what they are doing to the people in the
      field and their moral.

2258. We have good skills, but we can\'t use them because were sitting
      in front of a computer.

2259. I believe that we are losing our technical expertise especially
      with so many of the employees with experience and knowledge
      retiring

2260. I think that the agency needs less leadership, and more technical
      people. There are technical jobs, but sometimes it seems
      management is the emphasis. Less managers and more technical
      experts would be nice. Paying technical experts the money they
      deserve, instead of promotion being for managerial roles instead
      of highly technical ones, would benifit the agency.

2261. Technical skill has decreased over the last few years.

2262. payment processing skills at all levels technical skills at entry
      and journeyman levels understanding of policy and procedures

2263. Managerial skills. Most of the people promoted to management to
      not receive formal training in that area.

2264. We are losing the technical and planning skills that come from
      working with landowners on a one on one basis because of the large
      work load and fewer numbers.

2265. Contracting and financial skills.

2266. Management and people skills

2267. communication skills between different levels of the agency

2268. More computer skills, more technical skills for the field. A basic
      knowledge of farming (in many parts of the country).

2269. We need to have people with good people interaction skills and
      people who are dedicated to making the agency better instead of
      promoting their careers.

2270. More Technicians out in the field. Dump program managment back to
      FSA and let us get conservation ON THE GROUND. Otherwise we\'re
      just another shell agency using up taspayer dollars. Rebalance the
      disparity between State and Area Office positions and Field Office
      positions. We are way too top heavy. More field folks are needed.
      Just like this mess in Iraq, you can\'t fight a war with too few
      troops and too many generals.

2271. engineering, technician positions, need to replace those folks who
      are retiring just to maintain our current skill set

2272. The agency is losing technical staff as the workforce ages and not
      replacing the technical staff with enough of a lead time to train
      the new employees.

2273. People really need to work on time management and logical
      thinking. Sometimes, we need to see outside the box instead of
      blindly following procedure.

2274. Many of our technical people are tied up with administration
      related to the farm bill programs. Hiring administrative
      assistance at a lower GS level would save money and restore our
      technical staffs ability to provide the service they were hired
      for and are best qualified for.

2275. More administrative, data entry personnel in the field. Technical
      staff needs more training in conservation marketing skills.

2276. Agency personnel, especially field personnel, need to have more
      time to do field work in a routine manner and not get bogged down
      with Farm Bill programs. Lack of routinely doing the normal job
      functions that employees are trained for will eventually dull them
      in their skills.

2277. Technical excellence in all disciplines, social skills, baby
      sitting skills to help us nurture new spoiled employees

2278. on the job field level training

2279. more tools to do the job, train on how to use them, take advantage
      of existing talent in employees and develop it. flexibilty to use
      staff to fill voids.

2280. We have shifted from technical agency to contract administration.
      Many of us are not trained for this. We may, or may not have the
      personality for this new major job thrust. Our office went from a
      few contracts to having several hundred.

2281. Computer operation

2282. NRCS must recruit sharp agraian based individuals. The agency is
      bound by loads of paperwork that keeps the planners deskbound.
      Ithought I was hired to help in the field and learn in the field
      as much as the office. I understand the need for the office work
      but a 50/50 balance would be nice it is more like 95/5 office to
      field time. I strongly beleve this will affect retention of
      quality employees.

2283. people skills

2284. Better human resource base that has an opportunity to gain
      technical expertice, experince and training befor being trust into
      production demands of limited field office positions.

2285. we need engineers that are willing to work in the field and be
      team players.

2286. technical skills in particular engineers that want to work and do
      field work, as well as technicians.

2287. Need more technicians with engineering and technical (surveying,
      drafting, construction inspection,etc) skills that work in the
      field instead of just filling out paperwork.

2288. Experience

2289. More specialized training. In all diciplines.

2290. The agency needs more people at the field level actually getting
      the conservation on the ground

2291. More people with Job Approval Authority. A few engineers in the
      entire state with one or two with Job Approval Authority does not
      get things done. We have people that have been waiting for
      structures for going on two years now. This is not helping the
      environment; when the plan can not be implemented.

2292. The ability to remove unproductive employee\'s

2293. Administrative assistants and contract specialists in the field
      offices.

2294. As a mistake I feel, our agency has shifted into the program
      eligibility determination, contracting, and payment arena at the
      field level. Requiring technical oriented personnel to develope
      contracts and make payments. It\'s a disaster just waiting to
      happen, expecting untrained technical employees to conduct
      contracting duties. Hire contract administrators at the Field
      level if this is where NRCS is headed, or better yet; give it back
      to, and pay, FSA to complete these duties.

2295. managers with field experence to understand what is happening in
      the real world, not the beltway world

2296. Contract Mgmt, Business skills, Management

2297. Experience! As the older employees retire they are being replaced
      by new hirees with little or no experience. And as we go from
      in-the-field, hand-on planning to behind-the-desk, computer
      planning how will new employees ever get the experience? A
      re-emphasis on soils information. I served as a Soil Scientist in
      three states. In all three states only a few of the 01 staff have
      understood how to read and use a soil survey! I found many of the
      01 staff to question why they even need soil information. It is
      just something that gets in the way of applying programs

2298. Not additional skills, but more people with the skills to do the
      job.

2299. unsure

2300. market survey analyst to serve local areas

2301. We need specialists in biological systems and engineers. Our
      projects are limited by staff, not by funding.

2302. More focus on training in technical skills beyond soils: ecology,
      biology, etc.

2303. More Social Scientists

2304. More technical less progromatic - as the technical is always
      washed out by politics.

2305. I think we need more people who can think critically and use all
      sources of data to analyse situations. Too many people think if
      they see it on their computer or written in a manual, it must be
      infallable.

2306. skills/knowledge to address requirements imposed by regulatory
      agencies

2307. We have the current skills needed, what we do not have are
      employees with adequate

2308. NRCS has neglected the administrative staffing needs since before
      the USDA/NRCS reorganization 1994-95. Administrative staffs were
      frozen then, for a variety of reasons, inlcuding repercussions
      from the aborted Support Service Bureau consolidation (which is
      not a sound concept, in my opinion). The number of administrative
      trainees that were recruited in 2002 was never adequate (maximum
      target was 2 each in ADS, HR, FNM, IT). The recruitment process
      did NOT locate the highest level of candidate in most cases. All
      the positions were not staffed; most left NRCS. Several of the
      applicants selected were in the same age group, or older, than the
      staffs providing training and will be elegible for retirement as
      the bulge begins to hit. This is not to say that we should
      discriminate based on age; rather, we should consider other
      recruitment sources, such as recruiting high potential college
      business students (SCEP) and high potential

2309. Planning and GIS and computer modelling

2310. More contract expertise. Better marketing leadership.

2311. Contracting (i.e., development and administration). Workload
      management. Time management. Team building and motivation.
      Supervision. Engineering, especially in streams.

2312. To remain the technical agency that we were noted for we have to
      get experienced conservationist and technicians in the field
      working one-on-one with the cooperators. Hire young people so we
      can provide them the training to develop these technical skills.

2313. clerks to write checks, database managers

2314. contract specialists

2315. computer expertise and management.

2316. WE CAME OF AGE AS A TECHNICAL RESOURCE AGENCY BUT MORE AND MORE WE
      ARE BEING PUSHED INTO CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION WITHOUT BEING TAUGHT
      (OR NOT ENFORCED) WHAT WE ARE CONTRACTUALLY LIABLE FOR. DECISIONS
      ARE MADE THAT MAY BE TECHNICALLY CORRECT BUT VIOLATE EXISTING
      CONTRACT LAWS AND PROCEDURES. THERE IS MORE INTEREST IN COMMITTING
      AND SPENDING THE VARIOUS MONIES RATHER THAN PAYING ATTENTION AS TO
      HOW & WHAT THOSE MONIES ARE ACTUALLY SPENT FOR.

2317. Need new and intermediate employees that will be trained by the
      upcoming retirees. Once the experience is gone you cannot continue
      the same quality of work.

2318. NRCS is hiring folks who did not come from an agricultural
      background, thus, have difficulty dealing with cropland farmers vs
      tree farmers vs cattlemen vs urban/rural folks. Our folks need
      those communication skills (and technical knowledge of all
      disciplines) that will allow them to gain a rapport with clients.
      Putting them in a classroom and trying to teach them salesmanship
      isn\'t the answer. One on one with the client is; maybe even
      getting their hands dirty working along side the producer.

2319. more technical people and people who know about the culture of the
      clients

2320. More engineering capabilty

2321. More people actually working in the field gaining \'real world\'
      experience, rather than sitting at a computer.

2322. Training for fluvial geomorphology (or support to acquire training
      from established private sector). Become active in the fields of
      energy conservation and renewable energy technologies (expand
      beyond soil, water, air, plants, and animals). Effectively recruit
      qualified new employees who are willing and interested in natural
      resources conservation as a career. Stress conservation by
      enforcing in-house energy reduction. Three examples: 1) turn off
      unnecessary lighting, 2) regulate office temperatures
      automatically during non-work hours, 3) purchase higher
      fuel-economy vehicles and only some four-wheel drive rigs.
      Effectively spread the word about conservation to schools, the
      general public, and even friendly nations that would benefit from
      their own conservation efforts

2323. New employee training.

2324. More of an understanding of on the ground, real life applications.
      Lack of understanding of funcitioning agriculture systems seems to
      be something that is a problem for some NRCS employees (being more
      realistic in planning)

2325. new employees need people skills and need to recognize that we are
      a service agency our clients are ag. producers

2326. More field staff to handle increased workload; more admin staff to
      handle contract issues and payments,

2327. Getting the specialists into the field setting so the can give
      information directly on time.

2328. We have some very incompetant employees in management positions
      that would be better in other areas.

2329. Better communication skills between the levels of our agency.
      Sometimes the story changes and what we have told our producers
      has completely changed. This is a PR nightmare. I am starting to
      have to put disclaimers on everything I tell producers because it
      may change tomorrow.

2330. Acumen in community/cultural assessement to understand local
      conditions and develop comprehensive conservation plans
      accordingly.

2331. Business Management

2332. Specific training for field offices, technical skills that are
      being lost with retirement.

2333. Best leadership choices and less who you know.

2334. Balance the workload\--Motivate mediocre employees, reward those
      who work hard for their efforts

2335. Contracting skills and/or clerical/record keeping skills at the
      field level.

2336. Not enough people to do the jobs

2337. The agency needs to focus back on the technical side of
      conservation. We should not be administraters

2338. Start hiring an adequate number of admin asssistants in order to
      free up field staffs for planning and application.

2339. Legal and Contracting:

2340. The agency needs to move from viewing the tools being developed as
      the end product back to serving the client as the end product.

2341. Field level federal contracting specialists.

2342. Skills in writing and administering contracts

2343. The agency has very few employees coming up thru the pike. Most
      jobs are filled with employees that require large amounts of
      training before the can perform adequately.

2344. More technical training of newer employees in basic field
      inventory & identification of resource concerns & practical
      solutions to resource concerns. More training on the practices in
      section 4 of the EFOTG

2345. We need high quality very field savy leaders who are customer
      focused and who are personally engaged in the process and if not
      willing to go to where the rubber meets the road to find out what
      needs to happen and engage folks at the field level if that is
      what is needed to make the best decision.

2346. New hires will have to focus so much time on understanding
      toolkit, protracts, etc. that training and experience with
      on-the-ground conservation will suffer. It will also suffer if
      work continues to be outsourced because the primary way we learn
      and maintain our technical skills is to use them.

2347. Technical skills to develop specifications per site for nutrient
      management, pasture management/prescribed grazing, and basic
      engineering designs. Program training for EQIP and contracting
      processes.

2348. Updated technical expertise. Staff have been so busy trying to
      keep up with the programs our technical skills have suffered.

2349. 1\. Up-to-date engineering knowledge 2. Ability to think
      creatively

2350. We need to make more technical skills available at the field
      level. I suggest a stronger focus on TSP vs more civil-service
      staff.

2351. More fish and wildlife biology expertise.

2352. Formal training on IAS. Give us programs that work from the start.
      Don\'t expect us to work out the flaws. That takes a great deal of
      our time.

2353. 1\) More field office experience of Area, State, and National
      level leadership, 2) More Technical skills, such as learned in
      private sector, and 3) Clerical skilled positions to aid technical
      positions.

2354. Administrative support for the field offices, so that technical
      knowledge and skills are developed among soil and range
      conservationists

2355. We are all just contracting officers now and we don\'t have the
      training.

2356. Software interface development (make programs more user friendly)
      Human Resource Management (so personnel problems are dealt with
      rather than swept under the rug)

2357. strong on-farm or lands knowledge,

2358. Some disciplines need more of a science-based foundation, while
      others need training and experience in public relations and
      marketing, to successly educate the public about conservation and
      planning.

2359. The Total Cost Accounting System is disastrous as far as budget
      planning is concerned. I worked for the IRS for 10 years and they
      had the problem of program accounting to a science in the 70\'s.
      When the budget is screwed up and you have people charging program
      work that they didn\'t do just so they don\'t run out of money you
      are doctoring the books. Hiring some accountants to fix it might
      help. If we ran our budgets that way at home we would go bankrupt.
      Also, OCIO is a disaster!!! Hire some real computer people to work
      in NRCS not someone who is marginal at best; OCIO has no interest
      in NRCS beyond getting their help desk tickets done. Getting
      computer equipment and/or repairs is a paperwork nightmare. Boise
      Officemax was great before all the restricted items appeared.
      Either get the items unrestricted or drop the BPA with Officemax.

2360. People skills to interact with growers as well as the agricultural
      background to be comfortable in exchanging ideas with farmers in
      the field.

2361. More science-based training

2362. The

2363. More IT specialists focussed on our conservation tools,
      Administrative specialists to help with conservation contracts

2364. Computer, technical, and people. Some employees are not up to
      current technology for the amount of computer work NRCS requires.
      I thins someof the younger staff lacks understanding of ag and ag
      technology, newer staff has a hard time relating to rural
      agriculture people and culture.

2365. Computer and contract specialists with backgrounds in agriculture
      and NRCS operations.

2366. Better training for NRCS Policy and Procedures.

2367. We need focus. Employees are asked to cover widely divergent
      disciplines. Technical staff become overwhelmed in administrtaive
      and computer related tasks. Structure the workforce to reflect the
      workload.

2368. New hires don\'t have enough OJT to do a good job with our
      clients. It takes more mentoring of the young new hires to get
      them where they need to be.

2369. CNMP planners

2370. With lack of field staff and area/state discipline staff, existing
      employees need more resources devoted to cross training (formal,
      OJT, internal workshops, one-on-one, etc.)

2371. Managing and technical skills.

2372. 1)Communication skills 2) Keeping up to date on regulatory issues
      effected by Farm Bill practices. 3) Computer skills

2373. Most of the new employees have little to no practical ag
      backgrounds and therefore cannot relate as well as they should to
      be able to provide meaningful technical assistance. Furthermore,
      they don\'t relate well to their rural clientele. So, the agency
      needs more practical ag skill (or knowledge) and better people
      skills.

2374. We need the knowledge and skills that the older employees have.
      The newer empoyees will never have these skills. The agency is
      putting to much emphisis on computers, not enough on common sense
      and people skills.

2375. Common sense, people skills, knowledge that comes from years in
      the field.

2376. more technical people with time in the service

2377. Managers need management skills. Technical people should be doing
      technical work, not paperwork to satisfy quotas of work that

2378. It\'s not neccessarily the skills. I think it is more the need for
      motivation. I am especially disatisfied with some people in
      postions of comfortabile wages and retire 5 to 10 years before
      their adctually retire.

2379. Leadership at the top, someone who truly understands the culture
      and mission of the agency

2380. To be able to release employee from the job, if not performing to
      the demands of the agency, after training.

2381. Conservation Planning should be supported at the field level. Too
      often the field staff is the last to receive training, and yet
      they are the first to be put in a situation where they need to
      know and be current about planning. An increasing number of NRCS
      employees need initial training, and older employees may need
      refresher or support. Mentoring is very important, and so are
      Supervisory skills to support employees and the NRCS Mission.

2382. Managing contracts and associated formalities

2383. Very few of us studied business in school and therefore did not
      study contracts. Our work is turning into contract management and
      away from resource conservation. Previous generations spent
      probably 80% of their time in the field, currently we spend maybe
      more than 80% of our time in the office. I liked working with FSA
      to make payments for conservation cost-share assistance. They were
      equipped to make the payments and we did not have to fit that into
      our already full schedule.

2384. separate the technical and administrative tasks don\'t expect
      science people to be contract agents

2385. leadership

2386. No comment

2387. Leadership. The so called

2388. More contract support at the Area Office level.

2389. Internal workshops on FOTG practices

2390. The agricultural customers are asking for engineering, way out of
      proportion to lectures on sacred frogs and organic (manure)
      farming. Yet engineers are quitting. Non-engineers are making
      unrealistic promises about engineering, then trying to do
      engineering without a clue of the knowledge required. And we
      engineers have no control over decisions of scoping, needs, or
      even feasibility!

2391. Contracting and IT needs. That\'s sad for a conservation
      agency\...but a reality.

2392. Human relations skills, people are really what matter

2393. More assistance with biological concerns, more training for field
      staff in biological concerns and permitting. Interdisciplinary
      training. There used to be a premium put on indispensability.
      Interdisciplinary training is essential for this the versatility
      needed in most field positions if you want employees to be most
      effective and efficient for landowners.

2394. It seems like we have many highly technical people. I can\'t say
      what else is needed. However, I think we need better trained
      managers. Just because someone is a technical expert, it does not
      make him or her a good manager. I think in our agency we promote
      to managerial positions based on technical expertise rather than
      managerial skills. We need

2395. Administrative and computer - Our technical people are spending
      way too much time stuck behind computer screens and buried under
      forms and paperwork!

2396. contracting skills more than ever with field employees responsible
      for millions of dollars in farm bill contracts. Communication and
      marketing skills as we continue to reach out to new and more
      diverse customers and finding new ways of doing business.

2397. Engineering

2398. Contract Management

2399. engineering, engineering, engineering.

2400. Comprehensive planning skills (holistic planning skills vs. our
      current conventional specialist skills) to be able to
      simultaneously address land, people, AND money issues facing
      private sector and all organizations. We are weak in many
      disciplines and have exceptional strength in others\--all of which
      are critical to building a lasting success.

2401. focus less on reporting and inventorying work done, and quit
      changing software every year so that more time can be spent on the
      actual mission and work with producers

2402. To allow to stay more technical and give back the eligibility
      requirements to FSA ie: payment limitations (502\'s), AGI-526,
      1026\'s.

2403. I don\'t know

2404. technical skills

2405. Need better training of employees

2406. I believe we need more hours more people with those skills to
      finish the work

2407. more technicians

2408. Boot Camp is essential. Managers are essential. Engineers and
      Planners are also essential.

2409. In our state we need more people who are gualified to do things,
      people who are not qualified we need to get them qualified fast
      and not drag feet. Also we need decision makers who know what is
      actually happening in the field and in the field offices.

2410. Sociologists, diversely-educated biologist (not just the
      hunting/fishing crowd), ecologists, and archeologists.

2411. soil techs for inputting soils data in to NASIS

2412. better managerial skils by imediate supervisors and their
      supervisors. Time management skills come to mind.

2413. More field personel - less management

2414. We need to decide if we want to hire technical specialists to work
      in the field or computer specialists to work on contracts. It\'s
      hard to be experts in both fields.

2415. We are losing our engineering capacity - As an conservationist
      with over twenty five years - We\'ve gone from 12 in the
      Engineering arena to six. Also we need more businees oriented
      types with the administering of all the Farm Bill Contracts - We
      never learned about Vendor numbers in Furry Brown eyed critter
      management 101.

2416. Political and legal skills, people mgt skills, public relation
      skills.

2417. Engineering, watershed, economists - we should be evaluating the
      cost-benefit of conservation practices before contracting.

2418. more technicians

2419. Train the managers so they know what their job consists of, do not
      promote our staff to manager positions without the proper
      training. We need additional engineering staff, as we cannot keep
      up with the preogram work without shortcutting the engineering
      process. Our agency will be braindead by 2010 if we do not acquire
      more engineering staff soon.

2420. engineering expertise

2421. On the job training.

2422. organic and sustainable agriculture acceptance

2423. Contract personel to write contracts

2424. There are poeple who are responsible for too much. It can be
      frustrating.

2425. More real IT staff not just moving someone into an IT position.
      More engineering and programming.

2426. Newer employees need people skills as well as understanding of
      industry they are providing a service to.

2427. More technical training.

2428. We have lost technical skilled personel and replaced with general
      skills.

2429. The people with the skills are going to be gone in the next few
      years and there are few people comming up that have a full
      understanding.

2430. Is not the lacking of the skills but the training.

2431. Employees need to have acquired skills outside the agency to
      better serve the agency. Narrow experience = narrow mind = limited
      ability.

2432. Communication skills, many NRCS employees (especially new
      employees) are hired because of their education and not because
      they are the right applicant for a position. NRCS has moved away
      from hiring based on agriculture background and it is difficult
      for new employees without that background to communicate with
      producers.

2433. People Skill, Most managers do not have good people skills and do
      not offer directions for tasks for employees. I work in the soils
      section, NASIS.

2434. The agency from what I have seen of it in my little corner, often
      fails to recognize and take advantage of skills many of us have.
      We are defined too narrowly in our job descriptions and are not
      allowed to stray beyond them. I actually went back to school to
      obtain a master\'s degree in another disclipine, feeling it would
      enhance my knowledge in the natural resources job I have here at
      the agency. However, I have received only negative feedback at my
      expectation of being able to use this additional knowledge, as
      this is not within the parameters of my job description. The
      agency needs better recognition of the many talents of its
      employees; a loosening of the job descriptions in many cases so
      that if we are so inclined we may take on additional duties that
      are within our skill levels, but is not necessarily within our
      specific job descriptions.

2435. Leadership skills and Quality control and quality assurance. There
      is a QC/QA position, but no QC/QA is being implimented at the
      state level.

2436. Managerial Skills Project Leader Skills

2437. More on hands experiance in the field. Less Computers.

2438. Common sense and Farm & Ranch Background

2439. The agency is pushing new employees too fast. New employees want
      raises, which I understand. They think that since they have all
      the training required that they deserve the promotions. They are
      missing the time it takes spending with customers and seeing how
      intricate everything is. So mainly the skill missing is time with
      good planners getting a solid background.

2440. more technical expertise

2441. More focus on the technical practices that we implement. We spend
      a lot of time focusing on paperwork and trainings that will
      probably not help us much in our daily work activities.

2442. We have a lot of young employees that are being promoted and
      don\'t have the proper training for the next level. Training
      skills

2443. We need more technical skills training.

2444. Employee and management focus on our mission, rather than
      protecting personal position.

2445. Agronomy, range, forestry, ecological sciences, conservation
      planning, technical vs. programatic

2446. People who are technically proficient and work well with
      producers, not necessarily computer wizards.

2447. Basic technical competence. The pool of experienced young people
      is getting smaller. As an agency we need to do a better job of
      providing learning experiences.

2448. So much emphasis is being placed on software programs like RUSLE2,
      and all of the voluminous paperwork requirements of all the
      programs, that folks are losing on-the-ground field skills.

2449. They have the skills but they are few and located at wrong
      geographic areas

2450. Engineers

2451. On the ground with landowners.

2452. More people need managerial/supervisory skills.

2453. Must find a way to pass-down the

2454. Planning skills

2455. Less computers. More training in technical fields in the field. We
      have sold our souls to

2456. Better high end management so that the field has consistant tools
      available to do our job. ie Toolkit was fine as it was before the
      confusing changes.

2457. More technically trained and experienced field staff

2458. We do not enough qualified people in management level positions.
      Some have been advanced so fast that they do not know what is
      going on in the field.

      1.  People who can go to the field and put conservation on the
          ground and not stay in office on a computer. People who can go
          to the field and know what they are doing

2459. We need more of the people with skills.

2460. More on the ground conservation. Too many new hires have no
      training or experience in actual conservation.

2461. Agency needs to make a decision on how much field time will be
      spend versus loading computers with data. Either we have trained
      field people or we have computer data entry clerks.

2462. One to one!

2463. more and better training in the field

2464. Professionalism, integrety, wisdom, managers that will listen to
      field office personnel \-- not managers that will only listen to
      what they want to hear.

2465. True technical experts. One\'s that actually work for the agence.
      Not just TSP\'s who do only fair work.

2466. Employees with agricultural/natural resource educational
      background - too many non qualified individuals being hired. New
      employees being brought on that do not have the basic knowledge,
      skills, or interest in the technical aspects to function at the
      field level. Coupled with the lack of technical and communication
      skills training, our young employees are unable to work
      efficiently.

2467. How to properly identify and properly address immediate needs.

2468. More real computer expertise and less good old boy

2469. OJT on field work for the new employees and OJT on new
      technologies for the older employees.

2470. technical

2471. when computers are higher priority than conservation, put more
      computer operators in the field

2472. Improve technical quality on employees, especially the younger
      professionals. Better managers with skills and knowledge to handle
      positions of responsiblity better.

2473. Technical training for new employees. Don\'t just train a hand
      full of new employees train all of them.

2474. Personal communication skills and conservation planning.

2475. More personal skills for working with the public.

2476. Speaking, writing, communication, current agriculture knowledge
      and skills, etc.

2477. The agency needs people at the field office level. If you really
      look at the numbers, you will see how top heavy the agency is.

2478. Additional time or additional employees to do the job right.

2479. Some people don\'t have any idea what they are seeing out in the
      field, nor do they care.

2480. Hire people from the farm and ranch. Without knowing what people
      endure in the country, our people just become beauracrats who can
      only read the book and not able to use common sense to solve
      problems dealing with mother nature.

2481. I think the agency is losing more technical skills that it was
      founded on in the past as older employees retire and newer ones
      are hired.

2482. More time is needed training new employees in the field. Boot camp
      is a start but much more needs to be done at the field level to
      ensure technical expertise.

2483. The agency needs to hire computer people to do computer work and
      thus allow field personnel to do their job they were hired to do.

2484. The older employees need basic computer training. They are at a
      disadvantage compared to the younger employees.

2485. Ability to train and develop new employees. Older employees are
      either unwilling or unable to share/trasfer knowledge to new
      generation of employees.

2486. compentant new employees (hire on ability not status)

2487. Intensified training of new employees at the field office level
      instead of too much group training (one-on-one training by
      Specialist with new employees at their headquarters).

2488. Need more individuals with agricultural background.

2489. Programs need to be developed FULLY before they are put out to the
      field offices.

2490. computer skills

2491. Need to spend more time on training new employees to do the job.
      Once the older employees retire you lose too much experience.
      Reduce computer work load so employees can spend more time in the
      field with producers.

2492. Basic ecological principles and adherance to technical standards
      and conservation practice requirements.

2493. The agency, has those job skills now. Maybe not 5 years from now.
      There is a big knowledge gap. To achieve higher levels of skills,
      we need more on the job training by the old guard. And actual,
      organized group trainings, within Zones.

2494. More on the ground agricultural experience. Only possible through
      actual farm and ranch work or details.

2495. Experience in the field.

2496. More Civil Engineers with structural design backgroud

2497. With all the computer related jobs, we are losing our field
      skills.

2498. Ability to communicate what NRCS does and improve training and
      expectations of th TSPs. Additionally, recruiting and flexibility
      to keep individuals satisfied with their job.

2499. There is a big gap in technical skills between older employees and
      newer employee. I fear that the older employees will retire before
      the necessary expertise from the older employees is transferred.

2500. GIS specialists and training for all in GIS arenas

2501. more technical abilities and few bosses that think they know it
      all\.... cause most of them are dumb

2502. More technical people at FO level.

2503. leadership

2504. I am not in a position to know that except to see that many open
      positions are not being filled as they should be

2505. Better guidance, manuals and procedures to implement agriculture
      programs in a timely manner.

2506. More supervisory/managerial skills, program management skills,
      analytical skills, leadership skills

2507. More technical people, Soils ,Range ,Agornomist, We need people
      with common sense not computer smarts.

2508. Leadership effort in conservation planning at the field level, as
      well as technical expertise.

2509. Soil scientists are in short supply. We need to promote the
      positions, but also raise the pay scale. Civil Service has always
      been known to expect someone with a 4-year degree to start out as
      a GS-5/7. If you want qualified people to work for you, you need
      to pay them a wage they can live on. A wage survey would identify
      the discrepancy in pay (that private industry is paying these same
      individuals), then correct the problem, by raising the grades of
      the positions.

2510. Employees need more training in the latest computer based
      technologies such Geographical Information Systems(GIS and models.
      In addition in knowing how to run basic commercial programs, we
      need skills in how to modify, reprogram, and tailor the software
      to our specific needs. NRCS needs more employees with NRCS related
      techincal skills also trained in the use of such software.

2511. Technical expertise of staff (in general) on agriculture,
      conservation, and soils subject matter has deteriorated.

2512. Technical experience in the field\....Reliance on
      computers\...needs to be a balance\....use computer knowledge to
      after in field experience.

2513. Employees need background in agriculture not just book knowledge.

2514. Technical competency. Better communication skills.

2515. More technical training. Too much training on

2516. Many, many more engineering technicians. Increase GS-9 planners.
      One technician and one planner in each office. Quit expecting them
      to be interchangeable, the qualifications are nothing alike.
      Mentor the planners to become GS-11s and GS-12s.

2517. Need to develop the skills to operate with different types of
      clientele such as small plot owners and backyard conservers. Also
      wildlife habitat development and management are becoming more and
      more important and not everyone has the skills to assist with this
      type of service need. Also need to offer more Field Office skill
      refresher training for things like range inventory, wildlife
      habitat inventory etc.

2518. Focus attention more on getting conservation on the ground and try
      to minimize paperwork.

2519. The agency is severely lacking in the technical area to design and
      carry out engineering practices.

2520. Agency needs to be more selective when promoting supervisors and
      specialists. Needs to promote on knowledge and ability first and
      good old boy last.

2521. training to keep up with technology. Develop software that is user
      friendly

2522. Managerial and leadership skills-too many supervisors are lacking
      in this area; they do not understand the team concept and often
      are there to better themselves with no thought to their employees
      and therefore the agency as a whole suffers.

2523. no response

2524. We are a technical agency, we need technical skills, not computer
      skills.

2525. Older employees need more computer skills while younger employees
      need more skills in the field.

2526. EQIP and other cost share program training.

2527. The skills we have are very adaquate to get the job done; we need
      to put these skills in the hands of our employees, turn them loose
      to get the job done, and help those employees who need guidance
      getting the job done.

2528. We need more Techical work out of State & zone office team members

2529. more people period

2530. The agency is currently hiring and promoting unqualified
      applicants. Thus, attention needs to be paid during the hiring
      process.

2531. people skills

2532. Workers we are very short on the amount of workers compared to
      work.

2533. Go back to hiring emploies with a agricultrue back ground rather
      than someone that just run a computer.

2534. Need to find employees with basic agricultural skills.

2535. Intestinal Fortitude and Personal, Personnel Involvement. More
      concern for the land than for

2536. The ability to tell Congress that we do not have the employees to
      carry out their desires.

2537. Employees with a farm or ranch background and able to meet 1 on 1
      in the field and not rely so heavily on computers.

2538. Needs to go back to grassroots training. Needs to slow down. The
      electronic technology needs to quit coming because we don\'t learn
      it fast enough. To many unrealistic deadlines.

2539. The agengy is being let by accountability. Skill in managment is
      needed where accouhntability works for and supports the field.
      Today, the field works for and supports accountability. Such
      action is counter productive in the overall mission and actual
      accomplishment of the agency. The tail wagging the dog creates
      unnecessary layers of bureaucracy that complexes and slows
      accomplishments.

2540. Technical skills to do good field work with public.

2541. More technical training.

2542. new hires with a concept of who and what our clientele are.

2543. More technicaly trained employees not just computer operators

2544. I guess techical skils,because the way this organization is
      structureed you do not use or have technical skill especially the
      newer employees. Because everything finite to what you can and can
      not do.

      1.  computer skills to operated the cumberson planning, protracts,
          prs, payment system, 2) management decisions that streamline
          the field office procedures. 3) interpersonal skills with our
          clients

2545. skills to overcome the day to day burden of administering
      contracts

2546. computer

2547. Stronger political and public relation skills

2548. Newer employees have not been trained as well as previous workers.
      Skeleton staffs require get the job done and we\'ll discuss it
      later.

2549. Hire persons who posess the knowledge required to provide
      assistance to clients. Many of our new hires are very weak in a
      technical aspect. They seem to lack initiative and experience. The
      experience can be provided through time, however if the initiative
      is lacking, the clients do not receive full service.

2550. Technical and leadership training

2551. Employees that have competent computer skills,

2552. computer

2553. How to manage people fairly is training more managers need.

2554. Not so much additional skills. We need time to learn the skills
      that are available.

2555. technical skills

2556. I never received any management classes or training until I became
      a DC. There are no management classes on being a RC&D Coordinator
      and Assistant for Field Operations.

2557. Quality of new hires recently have been very questionable.
      Background and prior experiences should be looked at more closely.

2558. I have worked on the technology growth of the NRCS since 1999. I
      have yet to see an employees performance be measured by how well
      they endorse the technology age. It is mandatory that our
      employees have the technological skills required to do the job.

2559. Technical training for all employees, especally new employees

2560. Better interpersonal skills for managers/supervisors.

2561. More biologists, engineers, agronomists.

2562. They need to invest more in field personnel to get conservation on
      the ground.

2563. managerial; private sector/nonprofit management

2564. I think some areas of management need additional skills due to the
      large turnover of administrative employees. The agency needs to do
      a better job of allowing employees to work with other highly
      trained employees to learn some of the skills that will be lost
      when these people retire. This is true in all areas of the agency.

2565. Not necessarily skill related rather related to budget to keep or
      hire those with the skills. Soil survey needs soil scientists with
      advanced GIS expertise.

2566. More technically competent scientists, and engineers to support
      our field staff and more technically proficient filed staff. This
      agency was built on a foundation of helping farmers and ranchers
      get conservation on the ground. Today, we have a surplus of

2567. More GIS

2568. Communications/Public Relations/Marketing

2569. The agency must upgrade the technical skills in many areas. The
      need for more research level and research trained people will keep
      the agency first class.

2570. better management training

2571. Competent computer program writers that can design a procurement
      program that is easier to query and understand. IAS is a total
      pain!!!

2572. People with computer skills

2573. People

2574. Technical and managerial skills.

2575. Integrity

2576. Needs to look at the persons that are under the supervisors as far
      as good working skills, good people skills and make sure thay are
      on the job not just here.

2577. Need to listen to the people they supervise. Need for better pay
      and not just getting the upper grades new jobs or creating new
      jobs for 10 and above. Get the lower people training so they can
      fit into the upper grades.

2578. hydrology, pedology, chemistry, physics, statisticians, etc.

2579. Scientific and technical competence

2580. Replace experienced workers who retire.

2581. More technical skills. Too many people hired without a techncial
      background.

2582. some technical specialty skills in core sciences and technologies;
      much better skills in long-term project managment

2583. Technical competence has substantially eroded both in depth and
      variety. As a technically-based agency, maintaining a critical
      mass of technical expertise in core subjects is essential.
      Embracing new skills won\'t succeed if not balanced by maintain
      core discipline expertise.

2584. Managers who are competent.

2585. Rebuild technical specialists in agronomy and engineering.

2586. More strongly technical employees

2587. Unknown\.... I do not have enough information to give a critical
      answer\....

2588. More computer skills

2589. Present skills need to be more widely distributed. There are a few
      technically highly competent folks, but many need training to a
      higher level of competency.

2590. more consistency

2591. Agency employees need skills to keep up with the new computer
      technology they are expected to use.

2592. Better management and leadership programs and enhancement of those
      skills. Maybe implement some Upward Mobility positions within the
      leadership community (outside Career Intern Program)

2593. More biologists and ecologists, more natural resource managers,
      more GIS Specialists, more contracting and agreements specialists

2594. Shorten time spent in meetings

2595. The technical skills within the agency have been diminishing for a
      number of years.

2596. Tolerance and diversity training; openness to new and differing
      concepts

2597. Watershed/Area wide planning - to be able to look at a bigger
      picture and evaluate how treatments affect that area and the
      people who call the area home.

2598. We need skills in GIS, cartography, energy technology and social
      change.

2599. The agency needs to have additional higly skilled employes in all
      arenas of work\... The loss of these employes is creating high
      stres levels and low moral within the agency

2600. Highly-skilled professionalism in management.

2601. A cooperative understanding, with other agencies. Developing
      partnerships with conservation entities to meet work demands.

2602. lower level management/supervisory development

2603. Technically competent employees. Modify hiring practices to
      attract these type individuals.

2604. Basic technical competency of new-hires.

2605. The agency needs desperately employees with math and science
      skills and english language skills, both in verbal and written
      communication.

2606. Honesty and integrity, not being afraid to say

2607. competent managers, competent technical new employees

2608. Competent technical management

2609. Technical

2610. We have new employees who have great computer skills, but no field
      skills and no people skills.

2611. Just getting internet service connection to the Field Office is a
      challenge in the Pacific Basin. We\'re moving more and more toward
      Computer base program that are always accessable to the
      communities that we servies. Training take time which most is
      mostly used to do the jobs at hand (selling programs).
      Understanding culture of the Pacific Peoples is lacking, programs
      (Farm Bill) are set for main stream USA farmers. One size fit all,
      agency need to look closer at ground or grass root approch to
      conservation.

2612. Skills relating to confronting non- or poorly-performing workers.
      I\'ve seen too many supervisors who find it easier just to ignore
      their problem employees. There needs to be a combination of
      training in assertiveness and some real tools made available to
      push non-performers out, so they can be replaced by people who
      actually care.

2613. Better internal communications; better leaders.

2614. natural resource specialists with people and problem solving
      skills

2615. Additional Engineers/Engineering Technicians

2616. Mainly program related. Contracting, financial, real estate, IT.

2617. Hire individuals with business management education and skills to
      fill managerial positions. Hire technical people to fill technical
      positions. Expand technical positions and pay so that technically
      competent individuals can continue to work in the technical realm.
      Technical positions in my agency are often dead end jobs and often
      force technically competent individuals to become incompetent
      managers.

2618. people skills. relationships with one-another should be key and
      should come first, additional skills need to come afterward.

2619. Technical skills based on hands-on experience rather than short
      courses or workshops

2620. better knowledge and understanding of diverse resource management
      areas and issues vs. those found in iowa. more flexibility and
      innovation in resource managment.

2621. Basic agricultural skills & knowledge & a desire to do a good job
      which can not be taught.

2622. The ability to staff the offices as needed to handle the work
      load.

2623. Our agency needs to be the leaders in technical skills including
      Engineering, Soil Science and in conservation on the land.

2624. Technical expertise in engineering and resource management.

2625. More engineers and geologists. Way to many conservationists and
      soil scientists who really don\'t know anything about engineering,
      but think they do. If a project calls for some type of engineering
      analysis you have to have the necessary and experienced engineers
      to do it.

2626. Technical expertise at all levels

2627. More technical expertice.

2628. Managing people skills; serving customers better, and better
      accountability

2629. supervisory, leadership, managerial, technical skills at field
      level

2630. I am not sure anymore what our mission is! If our mission is to
      provide techncial assistance to private landowners, then we are
      short of techncal professional to do that job. If our mission is
      to pass public money into private hands then we are overqualified.

2631. No correct answer to select in number 5

2632. It appears that the agency is leaning towards phasing out the
      technician positions, remember that some one will have take up the
      slack,most likely not the professional staff.

2633. younger employees in most job series

2634. Good leadership, more knowledgeable IT persons within agency,
      instructional design specialist, provide accessible senior
      mentors, available of project managers

2635. Selection and placement of qualified individuals that possess the
      necessary skills both in management and technical in key
      leadership administrative positions.

2636. It depends on whether the agency mission is technical assistance
      to producers, program administration assistance to producers, or
      support of TSPs who will provide technical assistance to
      producers(customers). I would say we need more economists,
      engineers, biologists, and soil scientists. agronomists. eng

2637. I think we have what we need to do an excellent job

2638. People skill - Nobody talks to anyone any more

2639. People skills are not emphasized enough in this agency. We are in
      the business of working with people to achieve conservation, and
      often, we look only at the technical skills needed to achieve the
      conservation goals\...not the people goals.

2640. Better skills in reading the land..the Big Picture instead of
      single, program-based components.

2641. The ability to recognize knowledge, intelligent, talented
      individuals.

2642. Not sure!

2643. It doesn\'t need additional skills. It needs to concentrate on the
      basic skills that made the agency effective for many decades.

2644. We are supposed to be a technical agency. That is the main thing
      that has historically made SCS/NRCS unique among other USDA
      agencies. We have drifted away from that role and become

2645. Need more people who are skilled at planning.

2646. Additional plant scientists at PMCs

2647. More technical skills

2648. Additional skills could be identified and improved on if training
      didn\'t get cut every year.

2649. People skills.

2650. Too numerous for this survey.

2651. In part, computer skills and all engineering skills

2652. Increased GIS information specialists.

2653. Geologists

2654. Technical people: soil scientists, foresters, computer people,

2655. I am not sure.

2656. do not know

2657. Technical (engineering related to water resources, Waste Storage
      Facility

2658. The agency has over-qualified individuals inputting data. Need
      additional support staff for district conservationist. Also, need
      programmers that work at state level to solve problems of field
      office staff utilizing Excel and Access.

2659. Employees hired since the 1985 Farm Bill lack sound technical and
      conservation planning expertise. Agency infrastructure needs to be
      changed to match workforce.

2660. The agency will require

2661. More economic expertise. We stop providing field office economics
      for conservation planning as states lost their economists. We have
      six state economists in the Western 13 States, and 13 economist in
      the Eastern 25 states.

2662. cross training all disciplines

2663. actual leadership

2664. Strategic thinking

2665. Technology Integrators - Business Analysts that understands the
      technology

2666. The skill to recognize that we are a people and that we the
      people, by the people should be treated justly when it comes to
      higher education vs high school diploma and inhouse training and
      pay us accordingly and stop using the lower grades to keep the
      doors open so that the higher educated can continue to get paid
      for having gone to college and not for having experience and on
      the job training that acctually has something to do with the job
      and the workplace.

2667. It goes back to hiring people who have the skills and know the
      ropes that are dedicated to the agency that want to move up.
      Instead they hire someone in from the outside who doesnt have a
      clue they are brought in at a higher salary and that other person
      has to train them. We wonder why morale is bad!

2668. Managerial skills. Too many have been promoted on their technical
      skills/abilities, but they have few managerial skills. Selectees
      should attend instruction on being great managers.

2669. better human resources, better budget folks and technically
      knowledgeable manager

2670. The agency needs skills the full range of activities including
      marketing, IT, and business development.

2671. More people trained to do the work

2672. GIS, Remote Sensing and Geospatial technology skills

2673. more high tech skills, cutting edge technology skills

2674. technical conservation and GIS development

2675. Leadership/Management, Information Technology

2676. Technical leaders who devlop, coordinate, and integrate new
      technologies that enable NRCS to provide high quality products and
      services to more customers.

2677. Don\'t know

2678. Greater technical competency

2679. We need to stop promoting programs so much and return to a more
      technical research and development approach.

2680. The younger employees need to have basic plant identification and
      personal communication skills to successfully work with
      landowners.

2681. Hiring good employees with a degree in a natural resouces
      discipline

2682. The mission is no longer clear. Downsizing, TSP mandates, IAS,
      reorganization and Farm Bill contracts have turned many of the
      employees into accountants and bean counters. The paperwork
      associated with Farm Bill Prgrams is burdensome. Employees need
      field level skills to properly evaluate conservation need and
      recommend adequate BMPs. The agency needs to structure programs so
      that they are regionally more adaptive and insure that people
      aren\'t simply signing up everyone that comes through the door to
      get the numbers up on Farm Bill in order to justify their
      existance. If TSPs are to be brought on board then a system to
      insure their competance must be installed that is on par with NRCS
      employee job approval authorities and cerification. The agency
      needs to complete local GIS based Resource Inventories in order to
      properly organize and prioritize resource management issues and
      really direct employees and funds where they are needed.

2683. Increased technical skills using mapping software

2684. Most agency personnel have no grasp of real world economics or the
      factors that are preventing American agricultural producers from
      being able to compete in the market place (both international and
      national). Government regulation (while beneficial to ensuring a
      healthy food supply) also drives up the cost of production making
      it impossible to compete against cheaper foreign products.
      Recognize that there is a difference between regulation and
      over-regulation that makes it impossible to compete against low
      quality foreign goods. Basic economic training at ALL LEVELS!

2685. One large shortfall of NRCS is the quality of its training,
      particularly on-line. We are very strong in the area of on-line
      administrative capabilities, but poor in the area of on-line
      training. Certainly compared to other agencies.

2686. technical and computer

2687. The ability to train new employees better without placing a burder
      on the older employees especially district conservationist to give
      all the training to the new individual. It is tough trying to do
      the job as a district conservationist and making sure everybody in
      the office is technically sound. It is a never ending job for
      which we get little financial compensation.

2688. none

2689. More expertise at headquarters level.

2690. We need to improve management skills.

2691. Management skills,

2692. More technical people, employess are overloaded of work due to
      inability to hire new employess as a result of reducing budget
      every year. More administrative people to assist technicians with
      the paper/computer work (data entry, secretary, etc.).

2693. computer skills, ability to handle multiple jobs and congressional
      mandates at one time, skills in managing pressure from internal
      and external customers.

2694. Both technical and managerial.

2695. Strong identification with the work, client and environmental
      issues.

2696. technical

2697. Consistency throughout the agency.

2698. contract specialist trainees

2699. younger, educated and skilled

2700. more technical skill

2701. Not sure.

2702. Management

2703. It will depend on what the stategic plan has laid out for our
      future. It depends on what our customers want from us. It depends
      on where we are going in the next 50 years.

2704. The manner in which our mission gets accomplished is very
      different than the founding principles. Technological advances has
      dictated the need for strong computer skills, higher educational
      knowledge of ag principles, and an analytical mindset to achieve
      funds in a competitive financial process. However, I have noticed
      a disconnect in the manner in which employees relate to the
      landowner and in particular the rural sector of our client base.
      This is frustrating for landowners, who strive for personal
      interaction and explanantion of our services, rather than web
      based applications and forums.

2705. It seems the Management Officials are not paying attention to what
      is really going on that needs to be corrected. Some are afraid to
      make changes because they don\'t want to make anyone mad. Some
      don\'t see the issues because they are not thinking about the
      overall good of the agency, but more about what can I do to
      promote myself.

2706. QUALIFIED MANAGERS

2707. Communciation skills

2708. Need more technical competence. The agency has had to develop
      technical tools to allow less than competent employees deliver
      acceptable products.

2709. The agency needs skills in interacting with other employees and
      the private sector, etc.

2710. cross training

2711. technical skills

2712. Administrators and managers. The finance and personnel staff
      don\'t know their jobs.

2713. Administrative. Compentent HR and contracting staff would make the
      job of field staff much easier

2714. technical skills

2715. ecological, specialists in biology field

2716. Technical expertise development has been neglected in favor of
      program driven managerial skill development.

2717. Technical training, motivation and the ability to manage people

2718. Better managers and more technical skills, especially engineering.

2719. GIS and Remote Sensing trained and qualified Soil Scientists

2720. I have just received basic GIS training to begin on-screen
      digitizing for predelineation of 2006 acre goal photos and the
      backlog of polygon lines for draft initial Soil Survey work. As a
      soil scientist, we have some catching up to do with the private
      sector. We know it, and are moving in the right direction.

2721. We need to hire people that are qualified to do the job not
      satisfy hiring quotas

2722. How to deal with conflict; management needs more training on how
      to resolve conflict at all levels; internal and external customers

2723. It needs new blood, new ideas, new commitments to excellence. I am
      so tired of hearing

2724. The agency needs to allow employees to do a good job teaching
      farmers/ ranches about conservation and not promote money
      compensation programs as much

2725. More agronomists and more experienced technical staff of all types

2726. I\'m really not sure.

2727. People Skills that treat each others with diginity and respect
      turthfully without discrimination.

2728. Get the flow of information from the leadership team down to the
      field.

2729. Farm Background knowledge.

2730. People skills!! Not just computer skills.

2731. In the offices I have been in I have seen the immense need for
      skills in doing quality work. Again, the overwhelming theme I see
      is that we are so focused on getting as many EQIP contracts signed
      as we possibly can without regard to whether a client is really
      serious and we spend so much time fussing with Protracts, Toolkit
      and PRS that we don\'t have time, energy or commitment to do
      quality conservation.

2732. I think the current skills of our employees were adequate a few
      years ago. Current employees need to have OJT and opportunities to
      increase their skills with increases in technology. Job duties are
      sometimes assigned to the wrong people, such as expecting field
      office employees, who have a technical background, to become
      administrative people.

2733. Computer skills

2734. Better computers with top of the line, current software.

2735. Technican skills are not being developed in newer employees. This
      function well in front of a computer but struggle one on one
      explaining conservation.

2736. It needs to gain and use the technical cabability it had once.

2737. The skilled positions are in place, the skills of the employees
      hired are not.

2738. We need to make sure as we replace this retiring population of our
      agency, that we replace them with people that not only have the
      office skills, but also have the backgrounds to continue to offer
      the same great service to farmers and ranchers that has given this
      agency the great reputation as a full service technical agency,
      that prides itself on serving the communties that we live and work
      in.

2739. Most field office empoyees have become nothing more than
      contracting clerks. Technical conservation skills have severely
      eroded.

2740. Real world experience IN THE FIELD

2741. managerial, public relations

2742. More technical GPS personnel

2743. More people prepared in other fields as GIS and remote sensing.

2744. Finantial, Contracts legals etc

2745. Managers increasingly don\'t have management degrees and it shows.

2746. Better management! People who listen and address the issues
      instead of taking notes and doing no follow-up with the concerned
      individual or groups. People that will take a hardcore look of the
      true inadequacies of our agency.

2747. need to learn to make good decisions that affect the working
      environment of the agency ie: field opreations and how upper
      management decisions are criticle for the field personnel to
      coduct their job efficiently.

2748. The agency needs to make sure everyone knows his/her job
      description and make sure he/she has the knowledge to do those
      tasks. Making people accountable for what needs to be done.

2749. Administrative, management and technical

2750. I guess my primary concern is who will replace the retirees? Where
      is the funding and/or plan to start building up the people for the
      positions that will need to be filled?

2751. Better computer and data management skills and conservation
      planning skills.

2752. Technical skills in the field, not just computer skills

2753. Employees with morals and integrity.

2754. Creative thinking, flexibilty, interpersonal skills,
      integrity-honesty, technical application

2755. More well-rounded natural resource management and planning skills

2756. Directors

2757. Greater scientific training of ecological issues

2758. More technical staff and time (agronomy, forestry, engineers,
      biology, range, energy, air quality). People in the field office
      are forced more and more to be

2759. State Technical Specialist\'s need to improve

2760. Technical advances in many fields point to a need for training
      updates. Some of the employees are not as well trained on new
      technology.

2761. The agency is not hiring enough people with the technical
      background needed in the field. Agronomists, engineers, soil
      scientists etc. Our clients are loosing faith in our ability to
      assist them at the field level.

2762. District conservationists, soil conservationists, techs, need the
      technical skills for developing, designing, and implementing
      conservation plans. It seems that right now, these people are just

2763. People have become way too generalized and specialists are hard to
      find. Additionally, we have increased the number of non ag
      background employees in the name of diversity.

2764. Better communications.

2765. Furthering technical skills would allow us to gain more respect
      from both customers and partners. We often buy nice equipment to
      be used but dont have the proper training to use them.

2766. Air quality experts. Experienced Ag engineers. Technical people
      with computer skills or apptitude. Our computer trainers don\'t
      relate very well to the technical side of what we do. They are
      useally

2767. NRCS has trouble getting word out to the public about their
      programs. It seems that only those who are accustomed to our
      programs use our programs. We need to be able to service a larger
      client base and provide better leadership and outreach in our
      communities.

2768. It is not necessarily the specific skills, but there is a lack of
      people with all the skill. I my location there is a lack of CADD
      skills.

2769. NOT SURE

2770. I am administrative, and in my area, I would say you need to
      straighten out the HR and Budget assistance provided to the
      field-the states. We are treated as if we know little and blamed
      when problems occur. An example is the way Pamela Boyland talks to
      seasoned, senior HR Managers. Also, we should have some input
      before these new systems are put in place, such as QuikHire, which
      other Federal agencies that have used it and the pilot states say
      is a piece of crap!!

2771. Specific skills relating to NRCS and our policies.

2772. Common sense and a farm work background.

2773. More detailed training in natural resource management. Most
      employees lack hands on experience in managing land and habitats.
      Giving producers advice without the knowledge and experience to
      fill in the blanks for new and developing land issues is a half
      measure for what could and should be provided.

2774. More computer skills and technical knowledge.

2775. Many employees need more training/experience with farming/ranching
      operations in order to better understand and assist clients.

2776. Technical

2777. A good understanding of what is needed for conservation ona farm.
      Way too much time is being spent in offices due to the requirments
      of the job. The day is near when NRCS will no longer be the leader
      in the ability to provided good direct assistance to Land Users
      due to lack of knowing what is needed to solve the problems on the
      land.

2778. The agency needs people with agriculture backgrounds, most of our
      employees do not have any agriculture background.

2779. The agency is slowly losing all of it experianced people, and we
      are replacing them with young people that need 15 yrs or more
      experiance for the position.

2780. We have yet to receive training on a number of the existing
      compuetr software systems and instruments used on a routine basis.
      Many times our training amounts to

2781. We are top heavy we need to have more people putting conservation
      on the ground.

2782. Managers who can manage.

2783. need to start hiring people with at least some farming background,
      more of an emphasis is placed on hiring minorities and such
      without regard to there farming or agricultural background

2784. The agency needs to focus on the technical skiils of there
      employees, and I believe desires to do so. Delivery of the
      conservation programs is the main focus with short deadlines,
      because of this the art of conservation planning is slowly being
      lost. The younger employees have to jump into the workload to help
      the FO deliver the programs. They are good on computers, but will
      not have the chance to develop natural resource skills and the art
      of conservation planning, untill this becomes a priority.
      Fortunately the SCS employee had that opportunity. We still need
      to focus our hireing of new employees the core technical
      professional disciplines agronomist, foresters, wildlife
      biologist, range, soil scientist,engineers.

2785. Training on computer programs that we need to use and are
      available on our machines.

2786. I don\'t know that they need additional skills but they are losing
      many of the skills once possessed by the agency such as
      engineering construction, design and planning.

2787. on the ground experience in the technical aspects of the
      conservation work that is being required. Often times staff is
      given minimal training and pushed the door to go forth and do good

2788. unknown

2789. Additional administrative support staff need to be hired to free
      up field staff to do the work that they are most skilled at i.e.
      developing partnerships; working with farmers; conservation
      planning.

2790. More people with biology/wildlife/botany backgrounds since most of
      the Farm Bill Programs deal with these.

2791. Computer skills. Geographic Information System software skills.

2792. Time Management and GIS competence

2793. To hire employees based on there experience. When hiring from
      outside the agency look at staff in the state which is hiring
      first, for an employee. If hire outside agency don\'t hire some at
      a grade higher than what that position had previously.

2794. The agency is turning away from needind technical skills and needs
      contracting specialists and paper pushers.

2795. we need skilled ecologists, biologists, fisheries scientists,
      coastal ecologists, coastal soil scientists, to meet the demand of
      a nation that is more and more living within 50 miles of the us
      shoreline.

2796. Need more technical people to apply conservation to the land.
      There seems to be a lot more planning personnel than technical.
      The agency seems to pay better for planners than technicians.

2797. Improved management and leadership at the national level

2798. Middle and top managers need further training in and access to
      competent Employee Relations staff

2799. Leadership at the national level needs to better communicate
      across all disciplines to make sure all disciplines are working
      toward the same strategic goals, and within the same framework.

2800. This agency needs more IT skills. Since EQIP admin roles have been
      passed onto us, we also need more financial staff and the field
      and state office levels!

2801. Better technical capability in stream restoration besides just the
      basics. There should be specialists available to states to do this
      type of work instead of all the states having to figure out
      something individually. It may be done by our engineers who are
      not comfortable with this or there may be agreeements with outside
      parties. We are becoming coordinators with not a lot of technical
      skills because we are managing so many programs and need to know a
      little about so many different disciplines. We need Tech centers
      that actually can work with us on projects. We need better
      leadership in regards to wildlife management as well. We need to
      have more foresters who can assist landowners. Many states have
      much more forest land than ag land and there are a lot of resource
      concerns here\...this is an area that gets ignored in many cases
      cause we don\'t have the skills. Many forest of the east are not
      managed and are overstocked and underproductive. We need to help
      manage this resource.

2802. We need more soil scientists

2803. More training of new programs

2804. when i started here i recieved plenty of training. this has been
      cut and now i really need soom special training and can\'t take it

2805. The agency needs to enter the 21st century. Currently, methods and
      models developed decades ago are preferably used instead of the
      most up-to-date methods and technology.

2806. Leadership that is more professionally and technically astute and
      less politically sensitive. Many professional and technical
      positions have been vacant for some time. Those positions should
      be filled by the best people the agency can attract.

2807. Stronger technical skills. Time management skills.

2808. First line officers (District Cons) need training in management,
      collaboration, air quality and how to train or mentor.

2809. Working with people to complete an overall conservation plan for
      the client and train their client to follow their conservation
      plans.

2810. Stay on the cutting edge of ideas and technology as developed by
      other progressive groups, agencies, disciplines, researchers,
      etc., so that we don\'t remain in our little NRCS

2811. More foresters, wildlife biologists, wetland biologists, range
      conservationists, plant materials specialists, botanists,
      ecologists, and resource soil scientists.

2812. Back to basics for many employees, due at least in part, to hiring
      people off of the street for mid-level and higher positions with
      little to no background in the NRCS mission

2813. Communication and leadership skills

2814. Comprehensive spatial data collection/analysis.

2815. Provide technican skills that were lost due to employyes retiring
      and not replaced in the field office

2816. Experience technical personnel to replace those who have retired
      or going to retire.

2817. All staff need to have a clear understanding of what our mission
      is and how their role in their job helps us achieve that mission.
      Then they need to receive the technical training to perform their
      job. New field staff need to be mentored for the first few years
      as they grow in their understanding of the job. Leadership could
      improve in their communication and listening skills.

2818. i don\'t know

2819. technical expertise in forestry and agroforestry

2820. More people that can go to the field and relate with the clients.
      Not just computer/office skills

2821. Open their minds to other environmental educated people - we are
      still stuck in the STATE AGRONOMY mode - hey things are changing -
      get involved with the future.

2822. good managers

2823. Management must have a true understanding of what field employee,s
      are required to do and dead lines need to be realistic. The agency
      has a lot goin on and few people doing the work.

2824. Leadership, team builders, more business minded managers

2825. Need more, qualified Soil Conservation Technicians and
      non-supervisory Resource Conservationists at the local level.

2826. Conservation technical related skills and a sense of the
      importance of conservtion instead of clerk typists. Leadership
      that is based on competence in conservation and not politics.

2827. GIS applications, surveying, GPS, farmland preservation
      leadership.

2828. We have are quickly losing our technical skills as a agency. We
      must be able to complete technical work instead of just being able
      to recognize it!

2829. Better management, it is hard for a person to be in technical
      positions and convert to managerial postions with out proper
      training.

2830. Automation skills.

2831. corporate knowledge is lost by the hiring of contract staff in
      developing software programs. Agency should develop and foster
      these skills in agency personnel. Technical expertise is lost in
      upper management - where the focus is not on conservation but on
      bean counting.

2832. Geotechnology needs to be set up as a discipline and staffed like
      we have for economists, agromomists, etc. This new discipline
      would work jointly with our other disciplines to incorporate GIS
      and other geotechnology into the fabric of our technology.

2833. Vision to integrate what is being done with keeping U.S.
      agriculture competitive.

2834. innovators

2835. Office management skills as well as the basic technical skills
      that are not there because the agency does not have a workforce
      from a traditional farming background as it did in the past and
      colleges and universities are not meeting those training needs as
      far as I can tell.

2836. More and better ArcGIS training for more employees.

2837. Fill vacancies - hire those with technical degrees necessary to
      fulfill our mission - quit hiring those without specific technical
      degrees - you are diluting the quality of our work force.

2838. Greater technical expertise, and presentation and people skills

2839. I don\'t know

2840. Better communication with other agencies and potential partners,
      better leadership at the State level.

2841. Applied psychology and human interpersonal relationship. We work
      with people who manage the resources. Resources don\'t vote or
      make decisions.

2842. good trainers, qualified trainers

2843. More GIS, remote-sensing, and other technological skills to assist
      with all conservation programs.

2844. If we intend to maintain stringent adherence to the engineering
      requirements associated with conservation practices we need more
      engineers to handle the work load.

2845. specialized

2846. Listening skills.

2847. Managers that can think instead of react and/or try to guess what
      upper management wants to hear.

2848. Technical expertise to recognize and recommend treatments for all
      kinds of resource problems on the ground.

2849. We have a number of older (50+) employees with Agency knowledge
      and wisdom that is not recorded anywhere. We need an Agency

2850. People skills

2851. high level technical

2852. Better understanding of the agency culture and working with the
      public and being more confident in communicating with landowners.
      Need more direct skills in conservation planning.

2853. we lack critcial thinking skills, basic agronimic knowledge,
      decission making skills

2854. Maintain existing basic sciences and technologies while adding new
      information technologies such as geographic information systems
      skills.

2855. State and National Management need to eliminate their paperwork
      fetish and find more effective ways to measure progress.

2856. We need to get some of us older guys better trained in this
      computer skills area, then give us the time to learn the IT
      technology and use it w/o all the preessure to

2857. GIS postions in Area office

2858. new employees need to be technically sound in agriculture and
      natural resources when they are hired, and they need to work and
      receive training in field offices for longer periods of time. The
      FO work they perform should be more oriented to one on one
      technical assistance with landowners and operators and NOT so much
      time at the computer.

2859. Employees that are capable to access and understand computer
      programs that we are now supposed to use.

2860. The agency needs to strengthen technical expertise in field work
      rather than attempt to

2861. Scientists who can adapt current scientific findings to government
      programs and translate across various disciplines.

2862. The organization as a whole needs to work more closely with the
      management functions, and strive to work as a team, rather than
      the current norm of working at cross-purposes because of
      significant differences in priorities.

2863. The agency needs to provide supervisors with more
      employee/personell training. I am very concerned this new grading
      system for job performance will be very unfair.

2864. The agency has the job skill postions needede to fulfill the
      mission, but some of these positions do not have the personnel
      with the necessary skills.

2865. Technical and managerial competency in science.

2866. sales experts

2867. Better and more experienced managers

2868. More manpower, especially more administrative assistance in
      support of programs.

2869. Need to accelerate tranmission of institutional knowledge to young
      professional employees. We are lacking the old, wise conservation
      technician position that were so valuable in training soil
      conservationists when I came into the Agency thirty something
      years ago.

2870. Better quality staff that want to work.

2871. Strengthen technical competancy.

2872. Knowledge management; data quality.

2873. managerial skills, more training on managing government employees

2874. Improve management capacity at the national level. This deviates
      from the traditional æpromote through the fieldÆ mentality,
      however, it affords the agency an increased managerial skill set
      where it is needed.

2875. Not in a position to say

2876. IT systems development Process management/Efficiency analysis Risk
      analysis

2877. not sure

2878. Has many of them. Need better administrative, Web, and public
      affairs assistance so the rest can do the conservation related
      jobs.

2879. The agency workforce hasn\'t kept up with the changes Congress has
      made to our budgets and programs. We need to recognize that soil
      science is important but it isn\'t the only discipline that we
      need. Engineers, accountants, etc. are important as well.

2880. Give managers more authority to develop their employees from
      within and hire from within instead to the field or outside the
      agency.

2881. Stronger Leadership at the senior and middle-mgt level

2882. all technical disciplines, experience in managing issues and
      people

2883. Managerial skills. Business skills (we are in business).
      Responsibility skills (be responsible for what you are paid to do)

2884. Cadditional contracting, appraisal and land management skills
      especially for WRP and GRP easements

2885. Current Leadership Skills

2886. competent contracting officers, competent contracting officer
      technical representatives

2887. Leadership in Top Staff

2888. Need better computer skills in the Field (and less changes) and
      more competent leaders with field experience in NHQ.

2889. More skilled workers with people skills, mentoring skills and
      those really dedicated to building a USDA team and not a personal
      emprior.

2890. leadership skills to give those in mgmt positions tools to lead

2891. With many employees retiring in the next few years the agency will
      need to hire a wide variety of techincal staff.

2892. Competency in science and technology

2893. Higher emphasis on leadership/managerial skills.

2894. Contracting, competent leaders and managers, problem solvers,
      supervisors with a backbone, vision and a passion.

2895. technical field experience

2896. National Photographer, Editorial staff

2897. Trained soil conservationists who can actually do conservation
      planning and not just qualify producers for available program
      dollars/participation. Also trained technical experts in
      environmental sciences: freshwater ecology, ground water and
      surface water interactions, environmental engineering beyond just
      animal manure management, stream restoration.

2898. Additional social scientists who are fully trained and experienced
      in addressing community-based environmental issues such as
      environmental justice, and are experienced in and understand how
      to interact with a full range of cultural and community groups.

2899. mentors

2900. Technical not program

2901. More field level staff; adequate funding for technology
      development

2902. As we acquire more programs to administer that utlize contracts,
      additional contracting skills will be needed (contracting capacity
      has been declining) so that workloads remain (or return to)
      reasonable; better understanding of agriculture and agricultural
      operations; rehone planning skills - bootcamp is a step in the
      right direction; engineering skills related to watershed
      structures - these are dwindling and a workload remains.

2903. Many managers are running on personality, not ability. Need
      management skills improved.

2904. Increasing the quality of interpersonal skills among current
      employees and future employees that the agency hires.

2905. This agency is fairly new to grants and agreements. I have been
      working on agreements for the past 4 years in CSREES. NRCS has a
      long way to go in properly processing all agreements.

2906. The Agency needs to requrie employees with skills such as Human
      Resources to go back to school and brush up on techniques to
      solving issues. Sometimes employees will have a specific situation
      to deal with that requires extensive research, and our current HRM
      personnel staff lack the skills to adequately address human
      management issues. In addition, we need more soil scientists, and
      Government computer experts (not necesarily contractors). We need
      to train our own employees in areas where we are contracting out.

2907. More engineering skills

2908. Stronger, more visionary leadership at middle management levels at
      NHQ.

2909. The agency needs emplooyees with the ability (skill) to relate
      effectly with our clients, which are predominantly farmers and
      ranchers.

2910. We need to increase the specialists in the range, soils,
      engineering, biology and related natural resources sciences.

2911. Management of people skills - managers that lead not just direct
      and demand. Interpersonal skills seem to be lacking these days. We
      all have to work extra hard - no question of that, but lack of
      respect towards staff and their families and personal life seems
      to be increasing.

2912. Classes on how to be a compasionate family-oriented supervisor who
      will say

2913. Agency is lacking people with technical skills such as
      engineering, range science, and natural resources planning. Agency
      is filling positions with people without farming background and no
      technical skills resulting in backlog of contracts implementation
      and project design.

2914. The agency needs to focus on broadening the skill base of its
      managers as well as in the discipline in which they work.

2915. More workforce folks are eligible to retire. Need to train current
      staff to handle the workload.

2916. Technical and administrative support

2917. There is a perceived lack of communicative skills with the
      computer generation and some others, which can cause them to fire
      off unsensitive emails to their targeted audience. This can lead
      to workplace hostilities which leads to decreased efficiency and
      eventually lawsuits. Unlike the soon to retire generation, most
      employees were removed from the family farm by at least one
      generation which can cause a strain in dealing with farmers and
      ranchers. Most of these individuals have strong points in
      analytical and computer skills. If this is going to be a strength,
      we need these individuals developing the tools which the agency
      will need to work with in the future and not buy it from sources
      who neither care or know what we do.

2918. Landscape ecologists; climate change specialists; fire ecologists

2919. customer service, accountability, teamwork, interpersonal,
      managerial

2920. The agency has no program or meetings put together to help the
      administrative employees keep their skills updated and aware of
      new procedures that we are handling for the agency.

2921. conservation planning, basic understanding of agriculture and farm
      business

2922. N/A

2923. Managerial

2924. I don\'t know. If the agency ever chooses to invest in proper
      software to track these skills, you would not have to ask this
      question.

2925. Overall, I believe employees need more training to efficiently and
      effectively perform their jobs.

2926. Technical Specialists for specific discipline, Managers, Systems
      Analysis Specialist

2927. More people orientation

2928. Communication skills

2929. We need a Union. Orginization that will help implement our rights
      as employees without a hidden agenda.

2930. We have many new managers that have no leadership, and proggram
      skills. We seem to promote people that can be control and that do
      not use innovation, creativity, and people skills.

2931. Understand that we can achieve so much more if we worked together
      and helped each other - bring everyone to the table and help them
      develop the skills and knowledge for the next level.

2932. New strategic plan emphasizes air, landuse, and energy. We
      propably need to have more scientists in NHQ and Centers with a
      background in those areas, as well as technical experts across the
      countryside.

2933. NRCS is a 21st Century agency that still has about 50% of people
      locked in a 1990\'s mind set. This is even true of the National
      leaders, especially the die hard S&T people who have not bought
      into new ideas, being enablers of conservation and producing new
      products. They are old school and are actually hurting the agency
      by not helping shape the evolution we are going through.

2934. Additional technical skills (conservation and computer), soft
      skills (working with people, listening, service orientation),
      leadership skills (remove the what\'s in it for me first approach)

2935. Watershed/areawide planning

2936. energy management, air quality management, understanding group
      dynamics to facilitate change

2937. I don\'t know exactly but I think for many positions we need to
      require more formal education.

2938. Allow opportunity for apprentice programs, so people can move up
      through the organization. Set expectations and hold people
      accountable across the board.

2939. With our shift to TSPs and consultants delivering our technical
      services, NRCS needs oversight specialists, contracting
      specialists, QA & QC specialists and business law specialists.

2940. Manages with good people skills and business sesnse\--not just
      technical expertise. Strong and visionary HR professionals at the
      state and NHQ level.

2941. Replace agency management with staff who have a desire to undo the
      current

2942. Good Technical Skills are evident. Given the projected eligible
      retirees in the next 5 years additional focus on skills in the
      discipline area and people management skills would help with the
      challenges now and in the future.

2943. I haven\'t worked here long enough to make this determination

2944. Entrepreneuralism Facilitation

2945. Management 101 for a start

2946. Technical and Leadership skills

2947. Human relations skills.

2948. real estate appraisal

2949. Agency Editor - so all written materials are in a common voice.
      Fewer online applications that do more things - the climate is
      schitzofrenic and not as well coordinated as it should be. Have
      writers write content - not technical types or applications
      developers.

2950. Multi-lingual skills, knowledge of computer software that
      can/should be used to carry out one\'s job, speed-reading skills
      to help wade through the volume of reading required to maintain
      one\'s knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform one\'s duties
      and continue to expand one\'s knowledge, skills, and abilities.

2951. More technically qualified workers with an actual background in
      rural areas and/or agriculture

2952. NRCS needs additional administrative/IT skills so that its
      technical/resource employees can focus on conservation needs.

2953. Contracting Personnel / Economists / Management Analysts

2954. More skillsets are needed in the area of GIS.

2955. managerial and interpersonal

2956. I am speaking to the administrative or management side of the
      agency only\--employees in the Deputy Chief for Management
      Divisions (MSD, FMD, HRD, etc.) must develop skills (skills
      include understanding the culture and organization at the field
      level) in those disciplines that are obtained in the field (state
      office) before being placed on NHQ positions. NHQ is becoming more
      vulnerable because most new employees in the areas described above
      do not come to NHQ positions with the necessary skills.

2957. Appropriate field staff to get on the land conservation work done.
      Sufficient marketing personnel that understand the field work to
      tout NRCS accomplishments. Streamlined management just enough for
      oversight that the top two are completed and given the resources
      to get the job done.

2958. leadership

2959. Additional on hadn training for old and new employees.

2960. The agency does not have job skills. People have job skills.
      Depends on the nature of the work and the interrelationship they
      have on the nature of skills needed. Political savvy is needed,
      global awareness and people with foresight.

2961. Much better managerial skills.

2962. It is not that we do not have most of the skills that we need - it
      is just that we do not have enough of them. We are spread thin and
      have been very short sighted in maintaining and replacing our
      technical staffs. We are constantly reorganizing and creating
      artifical criteria on what we should look like (political
      correctness to the extreme). We may look good on paper but our
      technical expertise is rapidly dwindling. I see no efforts to go
      after the best and brightest as our staffs are being ravaged by
      retirement. We are fixated more on who people are than what they
      know and bring to the agency. It has resulted in a gradual ever
      increasing weakness in our technical and managerial ranks. We are
      a technical agency and when we can no longer offer the expertise
      in the natural resource arena that people expect - who needs us.

2963. There are a few of the sciences that we need more of. Example are
      animal scientists.

2964. Depends on where the agency is going!

2965. MORE FIELD STAFF

2966. Leadership training, interpersonal skills and decision making
      skills training.

2967. Career development and promotion potential positions.

2968. Managers who truly know how to manage people well. Support staff
      who really support the staff

2969. The one area I\'m very familiar with is IT. We need a CIO and ITD
      Director that have formal education and proven experience in the
      IRM/IT world. This agency has been lead by not IRM/IT experienced
      people in the past and it shows\...\...terribly!

2970. Program/technical staffs need training in Government in-house cost
      estimating and contractor proposal evaluations.

2971. I don\'t know.

2972. 1\. Internal-customer-service and work-ethic skills (especially
      motivation to respond promptly to all internal communications and
      motivation to see how much, not how little, one can achieve in a
      day\'s work) 2. Take-the-time-to-do-it-right skill (how to check
      the printed work before you e-mail it \-- so you don\'t have to
      retract it or send a correction). 3. Use-the-power-of-the-computer
      skills (use the power of spreadsheets, etc. to improve
      efficiency) 4. Skill in not micromanaging (especially budget
      allocations)

2973. At the state level employees appear to have better technical and
      people skills - My characterization of NHQ is a lot of talking
      heads with a few good workers the good workers do most of the work
      and the poor perfromers are not held accountable. The agency also
      does not have a salary base theat is attractive to encourage
      diversity either at the state level or at NHQ.

2974. We need to be much better connected to the research community so
      that our services represent state of the art knowledge. At the
      headquarters level, partnering with research agencies is critical.
      We need to be on the cutting edge of applying technology, and need
      staff with cutting edge technical transfer capabilities.

2975. data and program analyists familiar with agency programs

2976. Training HQ and States Managers on interpersoanl communication
      skills regarding employees.

2977. more technical ability

2978. Innovative manegerial/supervisor models; Negotiation; Developing
      out-of-the-box partnerships; Applicable diversity paradigms;

2979. a more worldly view

2980. Our programs need to reflect more on local needs.

2981. 1\. More engineering on a local level-there are more work load
      than there is engineering. 2. Clerical/accounting assistant. As a
      planner, more efficiency will be enhanced by focusing on the
      technical aspect, not filing folders and accounting-reimbursement.
      With the amount of work load, clients become upset because they
      cannot get paid in a timely fashion.

2982. From my experience the agency is lacking technical expertise,
      mostly in computer and engineering skills.

2983. Technical skills for practice/ engineering designs & construction.

2984. trained supervisors that have experience.

2985. pc

2986. People skills. Knowing the computer and making

2987. Not sure

2988. New technological skills in GIS and other computer related
      technology. We are forced to use CST which requires GIS use. Most
      of us who are reaching retirement age did not have GIS as a course
      to take. We also need training on how to capture every last
      progress item that we can obtain. This is our main goal, to
      report. Conservation is secondary.

2989. management and training

2990. Practicing Physical Scientists who are listened to by management
      prior to determining job priorities.

2991. Some folks that have done the work in the field at its most
      complex given the afility to

2992. computer skills, GIS,

2993. Although the agency has 1 or 2 cultural resource specialists (CRS)
      per state (for the majority), 1 or 2 people cannot effectively
      manage a program that operates in support of almost every program
      and most field staff. Non-CRS staff who take the CR training are
      not favorably viewed by State Historic Preservation Officers
      (SHPOs), the Cultural Resource Management (contractors) community
      nor the academic community. Those field staff may have an interest
      in cultural resources and will try to do the right thing, but
      their primary function and directed goals are natural resources
      conservation and helping landowners. Agency leadership needs to
      provide the motivating force for hiring additional CRS personnel.

2994. don\'t know

2995. NRCS trained Technical skills covering local resource concerns

2996. More guidance and training in the computerized conservation
      planning tracking system.

2997. More Program Analysts to assist those in higher graded levels in
      the various program areas.

2998. Experienced training for newer employees sooner. Computer
      literacy.

2999. We are losing valuable on-the-job experience - something that
      can\'t be learned on-line. Our young staff is very mobile and they
      are not concerned with staying with one employer. I\'m not sure
      how that can be fixed. People skills are needed in order for the
      employees to get along with each other as well as being able to
      work with landowners, and others like District employees and other
      federal employees. We are also lacking managerial skills -
      District Conservationists are not making field staff personally
      responsible for their work and perhaps delegating enough
      responsibility or too much responsibility. It is really hard to
      pin-point the skills we are lacking.

3000. leadership, commnication, and technical skills

3001. compitent information technology staff that can keep the field up
      and running with the latest technologies.

3002. need more: Forestry, range management/plant ecology and urban
      interface planners/sociology

3003. Pesticide specialist for EQIP

3004. agricultural background, realistic thinking

3005. people who can deal with ag and urban issues

3006. Decisive leadership. On the job Training certifications prior to
      performance of duties. A system in place prior to implementing any
      new farm programs.

3007. More/Better Training: Interpersonal communications; Contracting;
      Computer; Program Policy.

3008. Recognizing defunct supervisors and ways to address those
      problems.

3009. The agency needs more employees with the skills to do their jobs.

3010. Too many newer employees are not receiving adequate conservation
      basics training (to the same depth that prior employees received
      fifteen or more years ago).

3011. More GIS skills. More and more we are dependent on maps and
      digital reource information. We do not have the skills to take
      advantageof it. No real training on GIS, some employees pick it up
      on their own through trial and error. Not efficient.

3012. Cultivating and nurtuting the field office staff\'s skill as
      conservation planners who use our 9-step process, instead of
      focusing them on program delivery.

3013. The categories for the skills needed are reasonably good, but the
      flimsy degrees the employees bring into these positions really
      restrict the employees potential. Ask for real college degrees
      with a basis in math, biology, and physical sciences. Be prepared
      to pay these people competitive salaries. Have readily available
      skilled people to train in computer applications that we use.

3014. People with more computer skills.

3015. computer competency- understanding of software programs

3016. Greater technical skills to interact with landowners. Greater
      skills in the practical use of automation with a real result of
      creating more time for the field.

3017. More field level employees.

3018. We need to be able to recruit and hire students. We can recruit
      them but the budgets are so bad we can\'t hire as many as we
      should. We need young people with new ideas. We need to do this
      quickly because of the large number of retirements that is
      anticipated. Those who are getting ready to retire should be
      training the new people. Training is badly needed in almost every
      area, i.e., program, technical, and administration. More emphasis
      in training on interpersonal skills.

3019. Conflict Resolution Skills

3020. Communication and sensitivity for all employees.

3021. technical skills to acquire/develop new science-based technologies
      addressing water and air quality; erosion abatement; manure
      management.

3022. We are hiring people off the street instead of promoting our own
      employees. We were always told that you had to work your way up,
      ie: GS 5\-\--to whatever level you desired to stop. Now we hire
      folks who don\'t even have related degrees to fill GS-11 DC
      positions. They don\'t have a clue how USDA/NRCS works. Whenever
      we talk about this, we get reprimanded saying that it\'s not
      proper to say these things. I\'m fed up with having to train GS-11
      in things that a GS 5 should be learning. That is a real morale
      buster and it happens quite often here.

3023. computer training, technical training

3024. modernization of technical skills of people in the field

3025. We are low in field expertise, on the ground implementation of the
      book knowledge that is coming into the agency. It is there but
      spread very thin in most states.

3026. The field office staff are quickly becoming contract
      administrators and full time computer jockies. The training they
      get is on protracts, toolkit etc. As the older employees leave we
      will have a loss of planning and application know how that we
      cannot make up. Unless we ease the administrative burden on our
      field staff and allow them to plan, engineer and apply
      conservation practices we had better just plan on having all this
      type of work done by TSP\'s and give up our leadership in planning
      and application.

3027. Become less political

3028. more technical skills in science series, more management skills

3029. The agency needs skills to provide technical assistance in the
      field instead of just entering progress items on the website.

3030. Our expanded mission and change in focus from techincal assistance
      to program implementation requires field staff to

3031. Better leader training. Better honesty values and skills employed
      by leaders. Better integrity values and skills employed by
      leaders.

3032. Do not know

3033. More computer skills, better leadership skills at the national
      level. The ability to listen and not just dream.

3034. Water Quality and Specialists who are more technical rather than
      philosophical.

3035. Blended skills (i.e., basic financial knowledge for field
      personnel, overview of personnel actions, program to allow field
      personnel to assist in state office and vice versa to get better
      feel of how each operates.

3036. Advanced Technical Skills

3037. More technical skills.

3038. Coontract specialists athe field level.

3039. We will need a lot more well trained Soil Con Techs and Soil
      Conservationists in the VERY near future.

3040. Leadership, communications, presentations and how to use agency
      software programs.

3041. Strong Leadership being developed at all levels.

3042. More people at the field level who know how to put conservation on
      the ground. Most field people are now just entering stuff in the
      computer. We are relying too much on TSP\'s and A&E\'s to do our
      core work.

3043. Recruiting

3044. Not Applicable to me

3045. Budgeting Contracting

3046. More managerial and program management training if NRCS is heading
      in the direction that it\'s heading right now. NRCS is doing less
      and less technical work and is becoming more of a managerial
      agency.

3047. The problem is that we are required to do a growing number of
      technical tasks. More people are required to specialize and stay
      current so less time is spent training and relearning and more
      time is spent producing.

3048. I don\'t know

3049. More technical expertise in the field offices.

3050. I\'ve only worked here for a short time, but in that time I have
      seen a vast difference in managerial skills as well as program
      leadership skills. There still seems to be a lack of communication
      or understanding between the leadership offices and the field
      offices.

3051. Surveying & survey equpment operation skills (i.e. GIS).

3052. Soil scientists are needed. They are retiring and not being
      replaced. I\'m sure there are other disciplines, but this one is
      critical (at least in my state).

3053. strategic planning (non-political), communications, and government
      management.

3054. The abilty to make realistic goals, and set realistic deadlines.
      Most of all we need to use the ones we have better.

3055. communication skills, community planning, sociology, stronger
      agronomic

3056. Technical and merit based promotions- coming up through the ranks.
      Knowing what we do at all levels and not just wearing a suit.

3057. The younger employees lack the skills and confidence in working
      with the landowners. They are technology wizards behind the
      computer but are very intimidated to work one on one with our
      customers. Meet staffing needs by skill level not with a displaced
      employee to fill in the hole.

3058. The agency needs for financial managers who can process payments
      and trouble shoot payment problems. Also the competent technical
      field person is becoming extinct. We are losing are technical
      expertise and becoming more financial administrators.

3059. Explained earlier.

3060. computer programmers & employees with specific skills in
      processing program payments.

3061. I don\'t know

3062. It takes no skill to just hand out reward money it needs dirty
      shoe bmp design and implementation staff.

3063. Need to train managers and supervisors to be better at supervising
      and managing employees.

3064. better management

3065. Budgeting skills! It is very difficult to make time charges when I
      don\'t know how much time I can charge.

3066. Engineering technicians at the field level, Recreation specialists
      at a state levelCultural resource trainers and staff,Biologists,
      more active public affairs specialist keeping the programs and
      success stories out in the public eye ie publicity and immage
      consultant for the agency.

3067. NRCS needs to concentrate on hiring more new employees with a
      farming or ranching background. We are losing the ability to
      relate to the plight of the American on the farm trying to make a
      living and hold on to the life they like.

3068. Back to the basics of each employee being able to do the design,
      layout, and check-out of every conservation practice in their
      field office. Field training, with more ag-engineers on the staff
      to provide technical expertise and in the field training.

3069. We must do what we claim to do. We claim to be a technical agency.
      In reality we accept the money to do technical on the land jobs,
      but never leave the office!

3070. Need the time to learn and apply traditional technical skills, ie.
      planning. Currently the agency management pays lip service to
      quality but quantity, getting the funds obligated is the priority.

3071. We have the skills, but we are not teaching our new employees
      those skills. Complete training of an individual in lacking.
      Formal train is high quality but the follow-up competency and
      on-the-job skill development is poor.

3072. Why do we want to move away from techical expertise? Pamphlets
      should be handed out by park rangers, not people who have the
      knowledge and training to put conservation on the land. Bring back
      people who hold degrees in science and not political science.

3073. I beleive the agency is lacking biologists and archaeologists.

3074. As I can see the agency needs to work on communications with the
      different areas within the agency.

3075. Personal skills

3076. A large percentage of Field and Area Offices stall are sorely
      lacking in engineering skills. A large percentage of all personnel
      do not understand the implications of ignoring POLICY.

3077. A true understanding of fairness for all.

3078. Thepeople in the field need technical skills. They, for the most
      part are no longer using their degree, but have become contract
      administrators and are following a national

3079. Better management skills

3080. Agency needs to address cultural issues which often lead to
      unreasonalbe favoritism for ag producers over the program rules.

3081. Be willing to hear what all employees need and would like not only
      management concerns.

3082. interpersonal skills- how to deal with coworkers

3083. Better tools.

3084. The ability to work with people. This is a social skill that in
      the past 30 years has changed.

3085. More technical experienced employees and more formal training for
      those who really go out of there way to do the best job they can
      but without the on-the-job training or formal training it makes it
      impossible in some instances to succeed as fast as you should,
      leaving the agency with slower response times and more delays.

3086. Supervisors at the field office level are frequently busy with the
      outdoor field or customer support assignments, it appears to be
      difficult for them to have to finish administrative tasks or
      computer related assignments. The newer generation most often are
      computer saavy. Training in operating computer related assignment.
      Training in supervision related issues.

3087. There is a a shortage of good Engineers and CET\'s

3088. Improved management skills

3089. administrative and supervisory above the field office level

3090. It is not additional skills needed. It is putting younger staff
      with the older staff about to retire and giving them opportunity
      to pass on the nuances and field savy that make us special.

3091. Provide training in the key programs and keep highly trained
      experienced people at all times.

3092. Agency need to be flexible with their employees and be able to
      wrork withe their employees.

3093. more people that went to school and are trained to be
      conservationists and have that stwardship ethic, not technical
      service providers who lack stewardshic as well as high ethics
      backgrounds in natural resource conservation.

3094. More skills related to modern technology.

3095. Good people management skills. Our people are very technical
      oriented, but many in upper management do not have good \'people\'
      skills. Also lacking in competency in human resources management
      and personnel.

3096. They need people with people skills and they need to start in the
      field before moving up to State Office jobs.

3097. Need greater skills with IT and geospatial technology. Also need
      much better tools to help us be more efficient.

3098. more agronomy and biology folks

3099. Employees need to be able to develop detailed knowledge and skills
      about the conservation practices we plan and promote.

3100. Technical expertise needs to improve and the HIRING process needs
      to become cleaner and fair

3101. I think it would be beneficial for the agency when hiring new
      employees to hire ones with some farm background if possible. Many
      new employees do not even know basic equipment and animals and
      have a very hard time relating to and talking to producers
      effectively. The producers know real quick if they know what they
      are talking about or not.

3102. First a clear defined directiona nd goal must be identified. If we
      are going to administer programs and give money away we are
      overhiring and our employees are working below there
      capabilitiews. If we are going to provide technical assistance to
      private landownerrs, we must hire the best technical people we can
      find and allow them to work with private landowners. IF we are
      going to develop technical information and pass it on to private
      consultants we will fail, regardless of the people we have. We
      cannot develop techniocal information and standards if we are not
      working in the field on the conservation problems with the people
      that manage the land!

3103. Technical skills eroding, IT skills have improved with new
      employees, but lack basic soil, agronomy, engineering and
      conservation planning skills.

3104. More technical skills in speciality fields to cover for the
      extensive retirements that will occur over the next 10 years.

3105. Clerical. We have technical people at GS11 and 12 doing payment
      applications that FSA used to do.

3106. We are losing our field experience at an alarming rate. Somehow we
      need to keep the agency competent in the field.

3107. The agency needs to make sure that the information received at the
      ground level is communicated to the upper management. There are a
      variety of issues that get distorted when they get communicated up
      the chain of command and this needs to stop. The entire mission of
      the agency is adversely affected when negative performance is
      downplayed because no one wants to admit that goals weren\'t met
      or objectives weren\'t satisfied. The

3108. SALESMANSHIP,COMPUTER, TIME MANAGEMENT. REDUCE DOCUMENTATION TIME.

3109. Good trainers and training time for computer programs.

3110. Management training, both administrative and people skills. Many
      managers don\'t want to do a good job of interacting with
      employees on performance ratings.

3111. People skills. Communication and teaching skills and abilities.
      Listening to greivences , investigating using non-biased outside
      parties, then ACTING. Paying lipservice does not work for long.
      This agency could become Great. Allow employees to move out of the
      field offices where they are isolated,ignored,and held back by
      supervisors and others who are insecure. Provide more movement
      flexability.

3112. Computer/technology.

3113. Geospatial skills in remote sensing, geographic information
      systems, and global positioning systems.

3114. hire more technically knowledgeable and/or experienced field work
      staff - preferring field experience over those that have a only a
      4 year college degree.

3115. The agency needs good leaders, that listens\--to the needs of
      their staff and not label them as trouble employees

3116. There is a large imbalance between the amount of employees in the
      field with the needed technical capabilities to get conservation
      on the ground the those employees that carry programs out. We are
      too program driven.

3117. If we are going to provide a high level of environmental science
      to clients then our employees need to be trained to meet the
      position level of expectancy.

3118. up-to-date, current technical field skills that can only be
      achieved with on-the-job training in the field - with the main
      focus being \'programs\' and \'progress reporting\' now, we (field
      personnel) are so tied down to the computer in the office we do
      not get the amount of field time in order to develop and improved
      technical field skills and experiences.

3119. Many of the newer/younger employees have the skills, but there are
      few career tracks specifically designed to capture and further
      develop those skills, e.g. a multi-disciplinary GIS track. In
      addition, farming out technical work to contract staffs reduces
      incentive to further develop technical skills. These two factors,
      combined with pay scale, encourage employess to migrate to the
      private sector.

3120. We need folks that have a working understanding of the land.
      Important to work up the ranks of the agency. They are the best
      employees.

3121. More training in all areas and more personnel to meet the demand

3122. When hiring new employees our agency needs to select employees who
      have the best back ground and education needed to do the job.

3123. Leadership skills

3124. There is no structured program to recruit, train and keep
      technical people, e.g. no intern/training programs

3125. enhanced scientific knowledge base in the areas of ecology and
      biology; improved linkage of internal databases and greater access
      by NRCS employees at all levels of organization

3126. Plant identification, soil taxonomy, public relations.

3127. more peoples skilled in the technical sciences. Better
      leadership/managerial qualities

3128. We need the proper training in areas where we have not been
      involved before. Just because we are an agricultural agency
      doesn\'t mean we are experts in every aspect of agriculture. It
      seems like alot of times we get into something we know nothing
      about.

3129. The agency needs to develop our leadership. Our leadership needs
      to be more sensitive to our employees and our agency mission. The
      leadership doesn\'t convey a sense of hope and future. There seems
      to be a lack of belief in our agency and its mission.

3130. The ability to work with both rural and urban residents. Ability
      to engage citizens and NGOs who are interested in environmental
      issues.

3131. People and technical skills

3132. Training farms to give technical hands-on experience or private
      folks willing to train

3133. basic civil enginering

3134. people skills

3135. Stronger communications and personnel management skills for
      supervisors, better computer skills for all employees.

3136. You need technically competant employees. After training, they
      should be expected to successfully produce a product and interact
      with our clientel

3137. don\'t know

3138. It is not as much the skills, as the as the agricultrual programs
      that we implement that don\'t exercise these skills. Seems we are
      asked to manage contracts and program dollars more than acutally
      protect soil, water, and other natural resources.

3139. Additional technical training in conservation planning
      (inventorying, reading the landscape, basic engineering design,
      etc.). From what I\'ve heard, the boot camp is a step in the right
      direction.

3140. We need more people at all levels and skills.

3141. We need to turn much of our engineering services over to private
      sector. Our high level engineering tasks take so long that it is
      undermining the credibility of the agency. Private sector
      engineers would not take nearly so long to complete their work,
      nor require nearly as much paperwork to back up what they do. We
      need to get away from being so entirely driven by paperwork and
      docuemntation. Let the Private sector do much of the engineering,
      and have them take the liability upon themselves. Have them
      certify their jobs, and let NRCS pay accordingly. If something is
      amiss with the design or the engineering, then it is on the
      private engineer to get it right or pay damages.

3142. NRCS needs to address issues related to, alliances, customers,
      customer needs, goals, developing marketing plans, and evaluation
      of progress.