Natural Resources Conservation Service

FY 2006 Accomplishments
   2006 Accomplishments Report
2006 Accomplishments Report  

Contents

4/ INTRODUCTION

5/ ABOUT THE AGENCY

 5/ OUR VISION: PRODUCTIVE LANDS – HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

 5/ OUR MISSION: HELPING PEOPLE HELP THE LAND

6/ MISSION GOALS

 6/ GOAL: HIGH QUALITY, PRODUCTIVE SOILS 

 6/ GOAL: CLEAN AND ABUNDANT WATER

 7/ GOAL: HEALTHY PLANT AND ANIMAL COMMUNITIES 

 7/ GOAL: CLEAN AIR 

 7/ GOAL: AN ADEQUATE ENERGY SUPPLY

 7/ GOAL: WORKING FARM AND RANCH LANDS 

9/ NRCS ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS 

10/ BUSINESS LINES 

12/ OVERARCHING STRATEGIES 

 12/ Cooperative Conservation 

 13/ Watershed Approach 

 13/ Market-Based Approach 

14/ PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW 

 14/ CONSERVATION PLANNING AND TECHNICAL CONSULTATION 

 17/ CONSERVATION IMPLEMENTATION 

 35/ NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT 

 41/ NATURAL RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 

 46/ FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 

 53/ MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES 

 54/ Ensuring Civil Rights 

 56/ Improving Internal Management 

61/ APPENDICES 
   2006 Accomplishments Report

T

his document summarizes the agency’s performance in relation to 

conservation goals in the NRCS Strategic Plan for 2005-2010 and 

annual performance goals for 2006. Most annual performance targets 

were achieved or exceeded. The progress that has been made is the 

result of the stewardship efforts of agricultural producers and other land 

managers, with the assistance of NRCS field staff working with conservation 

partners such as local Conservation Districts, State Conservation Agencies, 

Resource Conservation and Development Councils, Tribal governments, and 

volunteers. 

The charts, graphs, and maps in this report are based on performance 

reported in the NRCS Performance Results System (PRS) from October 1, 

2005, to September 30, 2006.

In the following pages, “About the Agency” summarizes our mission, goals 

and strategies, and programs and activities. The “Performance Overview” 

summarizes performance on the annual measures that are indicators of 

progress toward the long-term goals in our strategic plan. Performance 

is reported by business line and strategic objective. The “Management 

Strategies” section summarizes actions the agency took in FY 2006 to 

increase the efficiency of activities and improve customer service. 

If you have questions or want to know more about the agency’s 

performance, please contact us at: 

• http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/spa/accountabilityindex.html

• Mail - Natural Resources Conservation Service

 Attn: Strategic and Performance Planning Division

 P.O. Box 2890

 Washington, DC 20013

• Phone – (202) 690-0467

• You may also contact the NRCS office closest to you for more 

information. That office can be found in the phone book white pages 

under U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Introduction
2006 Accomplishments Report  

About the Agency

T

he Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a technical 

agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). NRCS 

combines the authorities formerly assigned to the Soil Conservation 

Service (SCS) and additional programs that provide financial assistance for 

natural resource conservation. SCS was established in 1935 to carry out a 

continuing program of soil and water conservation in partnership with local 

conservation districts. In 1994, the Secretary of Agriculture reorganized SCS 

with a new name and broader responsibilities, using the authority provided 

in the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture 

Reorganization Act of 1994. 

Most of the nearly 12,000 NRCS employees work in nearly 2,900 field offices 

across the Nation, providing services directly to our customers. Field office 

employees provide the technical expertise that enables land managers to 

balance their economic goals with the needs of the natural environment, 

creating sustainable systems that not only produce abundant crops and 

livestock, but also a quality environment. Field office staff work side-by-side 

with employees of the local conservation district and State conservation 

agency. 

The landscape that Americans want provides both a productive agricultural 

sector and a high quality environment. Productive use of privately owned 

cropland, rangeland, pastureland and forest land is essential to the Nation’s 

security and the health and well-being of its citizens. These lands form the 

foundation of a substantial and vibrant agricultural economy that provides 

food, fiber, forest products, and energy for the Nation. They also produce 

environmental benefits that people need--clean and abundant water, clean 

air and healthy ecosystems.

We provide products and services that enable people to be good stewards 

of the Nation’s soil, water, and related natural resources on private land. 

As a result of our assistance, land managers and communities take a 

comprehensive approach to the use and protection of natural resources 

in rural, suburban, urban and developing areas. Using a comprehensive 

approach, the people we help are able to help the land function as a living, 

sustainable system that provides a high standard of living and quality of life 

today and for future generations. 

Our Vision: 	 Productive Lands

	 – Healthy Environment

Our Mission:

	 Helping People

	 Help the Land
 2006 Accomplishments Report

Mission Goals:

Goal: High Quality,

Productive Soils

Our activities and programs are 

designed to help people ensure 

that the quality of intensively used 

soils is maintained or enhanced 

to enable sustained production 

of a safe, healthy and abundant 

food supply. Soil quality refers to 

the capacity of a soil to sustain 

plant and animal productivity, 

maintain or enhance water and 

air quality, and support human 

health and habitation. High 

quality soils are the foundation of 

productive croplands, forest lands, 

and grasslands, and a vibrant and 

productive agriculture.

Goal: Clean and Abundant

Water

Our activities and programs are 

designed to help people ensure 

that:

• The quality of surface 

waters and groundwater 

is improved and maintained 

to protect human health, 

support a healthy 

environment, and encourage 

a productive landscape. 

• Water is conserved and 

protected to ensure an 

abundant and reliable supply 

for the Nation. 

The Nation’s freshwater 

resources provide drinking water, 

food, energy, and recreation. 

Agricultural and forest lands are 

the dominant land uses in the 

Nation’s watersheds. Well-caredfor watersheds are fundamental to 

ensuring clean and abundant water 

resources to meet the Nation’s 

needs. 

 

Our strategic plan 

identifies six mission goals 

that articulate in broad 

terms the benefits the 

Nation expects from the 

Agency’s activities and 

programs. Three goals are 

“Foundation” goals that 

relate to natural resource 

concerns that have been 

the focus of the agency 

throughout its existence. 

Three goals are “Venture” 

goals related to natural 

resource issues that are 

growing in importance as 

a result of economic and 

demographic trends.
2006 Accomplishments Report  

Goal: Healthy Plant and

Animal Communities

Our activities and programs are 

designed to help people ensure 

that:

• Grassland, rangeland,

and forest ecosystems 

are productive, diverse, and 

resilient. 

• Working lands and waters 

provide habitat for diverse 

and healthy wildlife, 

aquatic species, and plant 

communities.

• Wetlands provide quality 

habitat for migratory birds 

and other wildlife, protect 

water quality, and reduce 

flood damages. 

Healthy plant and animal 

communities provide economic 

and aesthetic benefits and are 

essential to people’s quality of 

life. Sustaining plant and animal 

communities cannot be achieved 

by focusing on individual species 

or isolated areas. Rather, the 

web of interacting relationships 

between plant and animal species 

within a given ecosystem, and their 

relationship to the physical features 

and processes of their environment 

must be sustained to maintain the 

health and vigor of the system. 

Goal: Clean Air

We anticipate the need for greatly 

expanded activity to help people 

achieve a landscape in which 

agriculture makes a positive 

contribution to local air quality and 

the Nation’s efforts to sequester 

carbon. The quality of the air 

affects every component of the 

natural system: soil, water, plants, 

animals and people. The impacts of 

agriculture on air quality are smallscale and local in nature, but may 

be significant in certain locales, 

and in those areas public pressure 

on producers to take action is 

increasing. 

Goal: An Adequate

Energy Supply

We anticipate the need for greatly 

expanded activity to help people 

achieve a landscape in which 

agricultural activities conserve 

energy, and agricultural lands 

are a source of environmentally 

sustainable biofuels. Improving 

energy management on farms 

and ranches could improve the 

environment, lower farm and ranch 

production costs, and decrease 

consumption of fossil fuels. 

Goal: Working Farm and

Ranch Lands

We anticipate the need for greatly 

expanded activity to help people 

achieve a landscape in which 

connected landscapes sustain 

a viable agricultural sector and 

natural resource quality. The 

amenities and quality of life 

possible in less-developed areas 

are magnets for new residents. 

With good planning, communities 

can enjoy a high quality of life and 

quality of the environment while 

maintaining a viable agricultural 

presence and making room for 

needed development and other 

economic uses of the resource 

base.
   2006 Accomplishments Report
2006 Accomplishments Report  

NRCS Activities and Programs
 10  2006 Accomplishments Report

Business Lines

T

o fulfill its mission, NRCS 

provides technical and 

financial assistance to 

land owners and managers. This 

technical and financial assistance 

is delivered through five business 

lines. Business lines are groups 

of similar products and services 

that Agency employees deliver to 

external customers. 

• Conservation planning and 

technical consultation 

NRCS provides data, 

information, and technical 

expertise that helps

people collect and analyze 

information to identify

natural resource problems 

and opportunities, clarify 

their objectives, and 

formulate and evaluate 

alternatives.

• Conservation implementation

NRCS helps people install

conservation practices

and systems that meet

established technical standards

and specifications.

• Natural resource inventory 

and assessment

NRCS assesses, acquires, 

develops, interprets, 

analyzes, and delivers natural 

resource data and information 

to enable knowledge-based 

natural resource planning

and decision making at all

landscape scales.

• Natural resource technology

transfer

NRCS develops, documents, 

and distributes a wide array of 

technology pertaining to

resource assessment,

conservation planning, and

installation and evaluation of

conservation systems.

• Financial assistance

NRCS provides financial 

assistance to encourage the 

adoption of conservation

practices that have been

proven to provide significant

public benefits. Financial

assistance is provided

to participants who voluntarily

enter into contracts, easements,

and agreements to conserve

natural resources.

Figure 1 shows the NRCS staff 

time spent in each of the 

five business lines. Time for 

each business line includes 

necessary administrative 

and management activities 

to support the front line 

employees as well as time 

spent directly in producing and 

delivering the products and 

services included in the line.
2006 Accomplishments Report  11

Table 1. NRCS employee time in FY 2006, by program and business line.

Source: NRCS CIS report 1.3 NRCS programs are grouped by: Conservation Operations, Water Resources, RC&D, Cost 

share & Incentives, Easements, and Stewardship Payments. Note: Time for each business line includes administrative and 

management activities to support the front line employees as well as time spent directly in producing and delivering the 

products and services included in the line. 

Figure 1. NRCS staff time in FY 2006, by business line.

Source: NRCS Total Cost Accounting 

System, Conservation Information 

System report 1-3. (Note: The 

natural resource technology 

transfer business line includes all 

time devoted to developing and 

receiving technical training by NRCS 

employees, as well as time providing 

technology transfer directly to 

external customers.)
 12 2006 Accomplishments Report

Overarching Strategies

To achieve our strategic goals, 

we have begun to implement 

three broad strategies, which 

are consistent with our guiding 

principles of Service, Partnership, 

and Technical Excellence. The 

strategies are complementary; 

actions taken to implement each 

strategy are consistent with and 

supportive of the other two.

Cooperative Conservation

We are using our experience and 

existing network of partnerships 

to bring additional people into 

the conservation partnership and 

improve communication among 

stakeholders. The cooperative 

conservation strategy includes two 

themes: improving cooperation 

among agencies at the Federal 

level and continuing partnership 

with State and local entities to 

address local natural resource 

concerns. 

Among actions we took in 2006 

to improve cooperation and 

coordination at the Federal level, 

we: 

• Cooperated with other

Federal agencies and the

Council on Environmental

Quality to develop an action

plan for advancing cooperative

conservation. NRCS is a

member of two working

groups to implement

components of the action plan.

• Signed a Partnership

Agreement with EPA to

coordinate programs and

activities related to water

quality trading, establish a

Standards Team to develop

mutually agreed measurement

protocols for water quality

credits, and develop a pilot

project in a sub-watershed of

the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

• Provided information to

Mexico as the government of

Mexico reorganizes its

approach to assisting its

agricultural producers. We are

also helping Mexico identify

sites for plant materials centers.

Our existing network of 

partnerships includes about 8,000 

State agency and conservation 

district personnel with whom NRCS 

field staff work cooperatively to 

assist customers with conservation 

planning and implementation. 

Non-Federal partners contributed 

an estimated $512 million to 

fund joint conservation efforts in 

FY 2006. Cooperative action is 

made possible through mutual 

agreements that establish a 

conservation partnership between 

NRCS, State governments, local 

conservation districts, and 

other conservation interests. 

To strengthen State and local 

partnerships, NRCS awarded 

nearly $5 million in competitive 

grants through the Cooperative 
2006 Accomplishments Report  13

Conservation Partnership Initiative. 

The grants to State and local 

governments, Tribes and nongovernmental organizations are 

for projects to foster conservation 

partnerships.

Watershed Approach

We are enhancing our ability to 

provide information and assistance 

to enable local communities to plan 

protection and development of 

their watersheds. In 2006, we:

• Developed interim guidance

on processes and procedures

to conduct rapid watershed

assessments and awarded

$3 million of Cooperative

Initiative funds to carry out

rapid watershed assessment

projects with a broad array of

partners.

• Developed the concept

for restructuring current

watershed programs for

greater effectiveness.

• Continued efforts to develop

methods and systems for

reporting data by important

basins or watersheds, such as

the Chesapeake Bay.

• Participated with Mexico in an

initiative to address

degradation of lands along

the U.S./Mexican border.

Market-Based Approach 

We are participating in efforts to 

accelerate the growth of marketbased opportunities that promote 

conservation on private lands. In 

2006, NRCS:

• Led the effort that resulted in

the USDA Policy Memorandum

on Market Based Environmental

Stewardship. Through this

policy, USDA will encourage

voluntary market mechanisms

so that credits for clean water,

greenhouse gases, or wetlands

can be traded as easily as

corn or soybeans are traded on

commodity markets. 

• Led or sponsored national

and international conferences,

including the Second

National Water Quality Trading

Conference and the Ninth

Mitigation and Conservation

Banking Conference on

wetland mitigation banking,

to increase information

sharing and collaboration

among all government levels,

nongovernmental

organizations, and the private

sector.

• Awarded $4 million to

11 projects in 28 States to

implement an array of marketbased approaches that

promote conservation. 

Some examples are:

- Carbon credit trading in 13

States

- Water quality trading in the

Potomac River watershed in

West Virginia

- Market incentives for tree-fruit

growers in the Northeast

- Community conservation and

sustainability through biodiesel in Colorado and

Wyoming.

• Contracted with Iowa State

University to develop an NRCS

Environmental Credit Trading

handbook for field use. The

handbook will cover all aspects

of credit trading.
 14 2006 Accomplishments Report

Performance Overview

For each of our Foundation goals, 

the strategic plan establishes 

quantified objectives for FY 2010. 

For each year in the period 2006-

2010, annual performance goals 

are established for annual products 

and services to be delivered to 

achieve long-term objectives. This 

document summarizes performance 

compared to annual targets for FY 

2006. Although objectives have not 

yet been set for Venture goals, this 

document also includes information 

about FY 2006 activities that 

contributed to progress on those 

goals.

Activities in all of our business lines 

contribute to achieving the long-term 

objectives and annual performance 

goals. 

T

hrough Technical 

Consultations and 

Planning Assistance, NRCS 

provides professional advice 

to help customers make good 

decisions about natural resource 

management. We help people 

see the environment as a living 

system of which people are an 

integral part. Our planning process 

enables customers and planners 

to analyze and work with complex 

natural systems in definable and 

measurable terms.

Discussion of Performance

The performance measures 

for Conservation Planning and 

Technical Consultation relate to 

land on which people develop or 

revise conservation plans with our 

assistance. We set annual targets 

for planning with individual land 

users for their operations and with 

groups or units of government for 

larger areas, which may be either 

watersheds or other landscape 

units. Performance measures and 

targets were set to support each of 

the three Foundation Goals.

Site-specific plans 

Planning with individuals is focused 

on the major agricultural uses 

of land—crop production and 

grazing. We encourage producers 

to plan for all of the land in their 

operation. Individual plans for 

specific sites are most effective 

where they are considered in the 

context of larger landscape units. 

Most planning assistance for 

individuals is provided through the 

Conservation Technical Assistance 

program (CTA). Financial assistance 

programs fund technical assistance 

to finalize plans where funding 

has been approved. Over the 

past several years, procedures for 

identifying which program should 

pay for planning assistance have 

been revised to enable more 

consistency across offices. 

Between 2002 and 2006, there was 

a significant increase in the acreage 

of land where conservation plans 

were written or revised annually. 

The increases result partly from 

increased efficiency and partly from 

a change in reporting procedures. 

Conservation Planning and Technical Consultation
2006 Accomplishments Report  15

Table 2. Summary of Annual Performance - Conservation Planning and Technical Consultation.

1

 Planning is done primarily through the Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program; data were not reported by 

 program in some years. 

2

 Not used as a performance measure in that year; no data.

3

 Data to report performance at the program level were not captured in the NRCS’ Accountability Information Management 

 System in FY 2004.

Area-wide plans

Many natural resource issues can 

be addressed effectively only 

through the combined action of 

groups or communities working 

together. Examples of such issues 

include protecting water quality, 

improving wildlife habitat, and 

protecting ecosystems against 

invasive species. We help groups, 

communities, units of local 

government and Tribes to develop 

watershed or other area-wide plans 

to achieve their goals. Watershed 

and other area-wide plans are 

developed with assistance from 

CTA, the Watershed Surveys and 

Planning program or the RC&D 

program. In most cases, watershed 

and area-wide plans address 

multiple goals for natural resource 

conservation and use.
 16  2006 Accomplishments Report

Cropland

Source: Performance Results System

Grazing land

Other land uses

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Figure 3. Conservation Plans Written or Revised, FY 2002-2006.

Millions of Acres

Map 1. Conservation plans developed or revised with NRCS planning assistance.

The map shows the acres of conservation plans newly developed or substantially 

revised during FY 2006.

Technical consultations

Technical consultations are 

instances of assistance that 

involve a single transaction for 

services and are not expected to 

result in a formal plan recorded 

in our National Conservation 

Plan Database. Examples would 

include tasks such as helping to 

conduct an inventory of natural 

resources of a site, responding to 

requests for technical information 

or other technical products, or 

advising conservation districts who 

are responding to applications 

for development permits. A 

performance target is not set 

for these activities. Technical 

consultations are a part of the CTA 

program and accounted for about

6 percent of CTA time in 2006.

Figure 2. Acres of conservation plans written or substantially revised, FY 2002-2006.
2006 Accomplishments Report  17

NRCS helps customers install 

conservation practices 

and systems that meet 

established technical standards 

and specifications. In addition 

to designs that enable the 

application of engineering and 

management practices, we provide 

follow-up assistance to ensure 

the implemented treatment is 

working properly and to identify 

any additional treatment needed. 

We also perform checks and 

reviews, which are formal program 

status reviews of land where 

program contracts are in effect 

or land subject to conservation 

compliance.

The performance measures for 

this business line are conservation 

practices adopted by producers 

that will contribute directly to 

achieving long-term objectives. 

Conservation practices generally 

affect more than one resource 

condition and, therefore, contribute 

to multiple objectives. 

Conservation Implementation
 18 2006 Accomplishments Report

Table 3. Summary of Annual Performance – Conservation Implementation for Soil Quality.

Soil quality is affected by 

management—it can be reduced 

under poor management or 

maintained and even improved 

under good management. We 

have set a long-term objective for 

cropland soil condition because 

soils most vulnerable to damage 

are those in intensive uses such as 

annual cropping. In 2003,

60 percent of cropland was farmed 

under systems that maintained or 

increased soil condition and soil 

carbon. 

Goal:

High Quality, Productive Soils

Long-Term Objective for Soil

Quality 

In 2010, farmers will manage 70 

percent of cropland under systems 

that maintain or improve soil 

condition and increase soil carbon.
2006 Accomplishments Report  19

Discussion of Performance 

To indicate progress toward the 

2010 objective for soil quality, we 

established annual performance 

targets for acres on which 

treatment applied in FY 2006 

reduced erosion from a damaging 

rate to a rate that does not exceed 

the “tolerable” rate for the soil. 

Erosion reduction was used as the 

indicator for soil condition because 

excessive erosion is a major threat 

to soil condition. Targets were set 

only for our two largest programs, 

CTA and EQIP. Small acreages are 

protected under other programs as 

well. Because conservation plans 

and practices may be applied with 

assistance from more than one 

program, some acres reported for 

one program may also be included 

in the acres reported for another 

program. 

The land meeting the definition for 

the performance measure, however, 

makes up only part of the land 

where NRCS helped farmers protect 

soil quality. In FY 2006, we helped 

producers apply conservation 

practices in conservation plans that 

cover 15.4 million acres of cropland. 

The most-widely-applied practices 

were residue management and 

conservation crop rotations. These 

practices protect soil quality by 

reducing erosion and increasing 

soil carbon. Soil organic matter 

improves soil structure and 

overall capacity to hold water and 

nutrients. The majority of this basic 

soil protection was planned and 

applied with assistance through the 

CTA program (almost two thirds of 

the residue management and more 

than 80 percent of the conservation 

crop rotation acres). 

NRCS also helped farmers 

and ranchers plan and apply 

conservation practices to address 

other risks to soil quality. These 

practices included proper grazing 

management to prevent damage 

to rangeland soils and irrigation 

practices to minimize the risk of salt 

buildup in the soil.

Map 2. Acres of cropland where conservation treatment was applied with NRCS 

assistance in FY 2006.
 20  2006 Accomplishments Report

Well-cared-for watersheds are 

fundamental to ensuring clean 

and abundant water resources. 

Comprehensive watershed 

planning, undertaken by local 

residents and based on local 

natural resource conditions, 

provides a basic tool for 

communities to manage for reliable 

and adequate supplies of clean 

water. 

Water Quality 

Water can carry a number 

of potential pollutants from 

agricultural operations into 

streams, lakes, groundwater, 

and estuaries. States and Tribes 

have identified sediment and 

nutrients as the most extensive 

agricultural contaminants affecting 

surface water quality; nutrients 

and agrichemicals are the major 

concerns for groundwater. 

Currently, NRCS has established 

long-term targets for potential 

sediment and nutrient reduction 

as indicators of the general trend 

in reducing agricultural threats to 

water quality. We are conducting 

studies to better determine the 

effects of conservation practices 

on water quality. When data are 

available, the current objective 

may be replaced with a more 

comprehensive measure of 

improved watershed health.

Long-Term Objective for Water 

Quality

Agricultural producers will reduce 

potential delivery of sediment 

and nutrients from agricultural 

operations below the estimated FY 

2003 baseline. In 2010, with NRCS 

assistance, they will:

• Reduce potential sediment

delivery by 70 million tons.

• Reduce potential delivery of

nitrogen by 375,000 tons.

• Reduce potential delivery of

phosphorus by 70,000 tons.

Goal:

Clean and Abundant Water
2006 Accomplishments Report  21

Table 4. Summary of Annual Performance – Conservation Implementation for Water Quality. 

Discussion of Performance 

NRCS exceeded its 2006 target 

for assisting operators of animal 

feeding operations to protect 

water quality. Animal feeding 

operations (AFO) are agricultural 

enterprises where large numbers 

of animals are raised in confined 

land areas. Rapid increases in the 

size of AFOs have caused serious 

concerns in some parts of the 

country. Comprehensive nutrient 

management planning enables 

producers to manage collection, 

storage, and disposal of animal 

wastes in ways that minimize 

the potential for damage to the 

environment. These systems are 

complex; they require a substantial 

investment to install and careful 

management to ensure proper 

functioning. 

Reducing the potential for off-site 

pollution by nutrients involves 

management of manures from 

livestock production operations 

and also management of 

nutrients in commercial fertilizers. 

Animal feeding operations are 

concentrated in some areas of 

the country; land on which other 

nutrient management was applied 

is distributed more broadly across 

the Nation. NRCS helped producers 

apply nutrient management on 

almost 4.6 million acres of land in 

FY 2006. 

The conservation practices applied 

to reduce erosion to protect 

soil quality on-site also help to 

reduce the delivery of sediment 

to surface waters. Erosion control 

practices applied primarily to 

reduce sediment delivery include 

buffer practices such as filter 

strips and riparian forest buffers. 

NRCS helped farmers establish 

almost 139,000 acres of these two 

practices in 2006, the majority on 

land in the Conservation Reserve 

Program. 
 22 2006 Accomplishments Report

Map 3. Nutrient management (practice standard 590) applied with NRCS assistance in FY 2006.
2006 Accomplishments Report  23

Water Management 

The Nation’s abundant freshwater 

supply is distributed unevenly 

across the landscape, throughout 

the seasons, and from year to 

year. In many areas, concerns are 

growing about the adequacy of 

the available ground and surface 

water supply and the quality of 

the water to support intended 

uses. Coupled with these concerns 

are the threats to public health 

and safety caused by floods and 

drought. As the single largest 

user of land and water resources, 

agriculture has a significant role in 

water management.

Long-Term Objective for Water

Management: 

In the period FY 2006 – FY 2010, 

producers will conserve a total of 

8 million acre-feet of water with 

NRCS assistance.

Table 5. Summary of Annual Performance – Conservation Implementation for Water Management. 

1

 Data for this measure were not reported in the NRCS Accountability Information Management System in FY 2004.
 24 2006 Accomplishments Report

Discussion of Performance 

Agriculture is one of the largest 

users of the Nation’s surface water 

and groundwater, with irrigation 

being the major agricultural use. 

In arid and semi-arid areas, crop 

production depends almost entirely 

on irrigation. Competition for 

water in these areas is increasing 

as a result of increased human 

populations. In recent years, 

irrigation has been increasing 

in eastern States, resulting in 

increased competition there also. 

In FY 2006, NRCS helped farmers 

and ranchers improve irrigation 

water management on more 

than 1.1 million acres. Beginning 

in FY 2007, NRCS will use as a 

performance measure the acres 

of land on which practices that 

improve irrigation management 

have been implemented. 

Improvements in irrigation water 

management can help maintain the 

viability of the irrigated agricultural 

sector and protect and improve soil 

and water quality. 

Managing water includes 

addressing the risk of threats to 

life and property resulting from 

flooding. Floodwater-retarding 

structures are a key component 

of many watershed protection 

efforts. In many areas, floodwaterretarding structures built with 

NRCS assistance are at or near the 

end of their 50-year planned life. 

In addition, many dams that are 

still in good condition are in far 

different settings than when they 

were constructed. Rehabilitation 

is needed to improve safety and 

provide increased benefits such 

as enhanced wildlife habitat and 

wetlands, increased municipal 

water supplies, and fire protection 

in rural areas. In 2000, NRCS was 

authorized to assist communities 

in addressing public health and 

safety concerns and environmental 

impacts of aging dams. 

Map 4. Irrigation water management (practice standard 449) applied with NRCS 

assistance in FY 2006.

Reducing flood risk requires a wide 

range of actions in addition to 

structures. Watershed protection 

plans may include local land use 

planning, critical area treatment, 

purchase of easements, and early 

warning and emergency response 

plans. In 2006, NRCS water 

resources programs assisted local 

communities in installing 134 flood 

prevention or mitigation measures, 

including structures, easements, 

and other measures. 
2006 Accomplishments Report  25

Healthy plant and animal 

communities provide economic 

and aesthetic benefits and are 

essential to people’s quality of 

life. Sustaining plant and animal 

communities cannot be achieved 

by focusing on individual species 

or isolated areas. Rather, the 

web of interacting relationships 

between plant and animal species 

within a given ecosystem, and their 

relationship to the physical features 

and processes of their environment, 

must be sustained to maintain the 

health and vigor of the system.

Grassland, Rangeland, and Forest

Ecosystems 

Active, science-based management 

of vegetation is essential to 

maintaining healthy, diverse, and 

resilient ecosystems. Preventing 

degradation requires careful 

planning and management that 

take into consideration all resource 

issues for a site. Preventing 

degradation is more cost effective 

than correcting a problem after it 

has developed, especially in low 

rainfall areas. Healthy and diverse 

plant communities on rangeland 

are better able to withstand 

drought and invasive species. 

Well-managed forests are less 

susceptible to pests, disease, and 

catastrophic fires. In 1999, about 

500 million acres of non-Federal 

grazing land and non-industrial 

forest land were considered to be 

in minimal or degrading vegetative 

condition.

Long-Term Objective for 

Grassland, Rangeland, and Forest 

Ecosystems:

In the period FY 2006-2010, 

farmers, ranchers, and owners of 

private non-industrial forest land 

will apply management that will 

maintain or improve long-term 

vegetative condition on a total of 

150 million acres of grazing land 

and forest land.

Goal:

Healthy Plant and Animal Communities
 26  2006 Accomplishments Report

Table 6. Summary of Annual Performance – Conservation Implementation for Grassland, Rangeland, and Forest 

Ecosystems.

Discussion of Performance

In FY 2006, NRCS exceeded 

program targets for assistance to 

grazing land and forest. Under all 

its programs, NRCS helped land 

managers apply conservation 

practices on over 27 million acres of 

privately owned grazing land and 

forest land. Conservation practices 

applied with our assistance 

included prescribed grazing, 

integrated pest management, 

brush management, forest stand 

improvement and tree planting. 

These practices, alone and in 

combination, provide food, cover 

and shelter for livestock and 

wildlife. They improve animal 

health and productivity, protect 

water quality and quantity, and 

reduce erosion. Over the past 

several years, NRCS has been 

increasing the assistance available 

for conservation of grazing 

land. The reported increase in 

grazing land treated is a result of 

efficiency improvements and a 

slight modification in the reporting 

process to improve data quality. 

Map 5. Grazing land and forest where conservation treatment was applied with 

NRCS assistance in FY 2006 (all programs).
2006 Accomplishments Report  27

Forest

Source: Performance Results System

Grazing

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Figure 1. Grazing Land and Forest Land with Conservation Applied, FY 2002-2006.

Millions of Acres

Fish and Wildlife Habitat

Privately-owned and other nonFederal lands provide habitat 

for much of the Nation’s wildlife. 

When people use the land, they 

change the quantity, quality and 

connectivity of the habitat the 

land provides to wildlife and, 

therefore, the number and types 

of wildlife that can live there. 

Protecting specific ecosystems and 

landscapes—including wetlands, 

grasslands, floodplains, and certain 

types of forests—can help support 

wildlife and aquatic species and 

provide benefits in the form of 

recreation, hunting, and other 

forms of agri-tourism.

Discussion of Performance

NRCS’s priority for wildlife habitat 

protection is helping to maintain or 

enhance habitat for at-risk species 

so that populations remain stable 

or increase. Improving habitat is 

key to preventing further declines 

and enabling the continued 

survival of those species. Actions 

to address at-risk species focus 

on protecting specific ecosystems 

and landscapes—including 

wetlands, grasslands, floodplains, 

and certain types of forests. The 

new performance measure reports 

the acreage on which resource 

managers adopted management 

in the fiscal year to protect and 

enhance fish and wildlife habitat on 

private, State and Tribal land where 

Figure 3. Grazing and forest land with conservation applied to improve resource 

condition, 2002-2006 (all programs).

Long-Term Objective for Fish and 

Wildlife Habitat:

In the period FY 2006-2010, with 

NRCS assistance, an additional 9 

million acres of essential habitat 

will be improved and managed 

to benefit at-risk and declining 

species.

endangered species or declining 

species are the primary resource 

concern. “Species with declining 

populations” include species listed 

as threatened and endangered by 

the Federal or State governments, 

species listed by Tribal 

governments, or species defined as 

a declining species of concern by 

the NRCS State Conservationist in 

consultation with State Technical 

Committees.
 28 2006 Accomplishments Report

Table 7. Summary of Annual Performance – Conservation Implementation for Fish and Wildlife Habitat. 

1

 New measure in FY 2005, no data collected prior to FY 2005.

2

 Data not captured by program in 2004, total for all programs was 4.8 million acres.

Our assistance to resource 

managers for wildlife habitat 

is broader than the priority of 

declining species. We help farmers, 

ranchers, non-industrial private 

forest landowners, and other 

natural resource managers consider 

wildlife needs when they plan 

the use of their land. Many of the 

conservation practices that farmers 

and ranchers apply to cropland 

and grazing land (with NRCS 

assistance) also improve the habitat 

those lands provide for wildlife. 

Good management of working 

land can provide wildlife with 

shelter, access to water, and food 

(in proper amounts), locations, and 

times to sustain the populations 

that inhabit an area during a part 

of their life cycle. Management 

may include controlling invasive 

species, adopting practices to 

improve grassland or forest 

habitat, or managing water levels 

in wetlands to control vegetation. 

Actions to sustain and enhance 

aquatic habitat include applying 

conservation practices that filter 

potential pollutants and moderate 

stream temperatures. 
2006 Accomplishments Report  29

3

6

9

0

12

15

Source: Performance Results System

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Figure 1. Agricultural Land Enhanced for Wildlife Benefits, FY 2002-2006.

Millions of Acres

Map 6. Land with wildlife habitat management applied in FY 2006 with NRCS assistance (all programs).

Figure 4. Land with wildlife habitat management (NRCS practice standards 644, 645, and 395) applied, 2003-2006 (all 

programs).
 30  2006 Accomplishments Report

Wetlands

Wetlands provide wildlife habitat, 

protect and improve water quality, 

attenuate water flows due to 

flooding, and recharge ground 

water. Land use changes led to the 

drainage and alteration of almost 

54 percent of wetlands, and in 

some States the loss is as high as 90 

percent since the beginning of the 

last century. Increased knowledge 

about the importance of wetland 

functions influenced national 

policy and moved the Nation’s 

focus towards restoring wetlands. 

In 2003, there were 111 million 

wetland acres on non-Federal lands 

in the contiguous United States. In 

2004, the President set a national 

goal to restore, create, enhance 

and protect three million acres of 

wetlands by 2010.

Long-Term Objective for Wetlands:

By 2010, resource managers will 

create, restore or enhance 1.5 

million acres of wetlands with NRCS 

assistance.

Table 8. Summary of Annual Performance – Conservation Implementation for Wetlands.
2006 Accomplishments Report  31

Map 7. Wetlands created, restored, or enhanced in FY 2006 with NRCS assistance 

(all programs)

Discussion of Performance

In FY 2006, NRCS provided 

assistance in creating, restoring, 

or enhancing a total of 318,062 

acres of wetlands. These activities 

were conducted under a number 

of NRCS programs. Through the 

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), 

NRCS ensures either perpetual or 

30-year protection of wetlands 

by acquiring easements and 

managing the easements to 

provide optimum wetland values. 

NRCS also ensures shorter-term 

protection of wetlands through 

cost-share restoration agreements 

under WRP and by providing 

technical assistance for treatment 

of wetlands enrolled in the 

Conservation Reserve Program 

(CRP). In 2006, NRCS provided 

assistance in applying wetlands 

practices on 61,258 acres of CRP 

wetlands.

This performance measure reports 

acres on which conservation 

practices were applied to meet 

criteria in local field office technical 

guides. It includes only acres on 

which conservation was completed 

in a given fiscal year. It includes the 

wetland acres treated, but not any 

associated upland acres treated or 

placed under easement to protect 

the wetland itself. It is, therefore, a 

more precise measure of changes 

in wetlands acreage than measures 

that include wetlands and 

associated uplands. The targets for 

both key programs were exceeded. 
 32 2006 Accomplishments Report

The quality of the air affects every 

component of the natural system: 

soil, water, plants, animals and 

people. The impacts of agriculture 

on air quality are small-scale 

and local in nature, but may be 

significant in certain locales, and 

in those areas public pressure 

on producers to take action is 

increasing. 

Air Quality

Agricultural emissions that can 

affect air quality may be associated 

with wind erosion, prescribed 

burns, animal confinement, and 

chemical drift. As development 

pushes into rural areas, public 

concern about odors and emissions 

from agricultural operations 

is increasing, and State and 

local jurisdictions are requiring 

producers to mitigate or control 

emissions.

Actions that NRCS helped 

producers take in FY 2006 that had 

an effect on air quality included 

applying practices to reduce 

wind erosion on cropland and 

management to reduce odors 

and dust from animal operations. 

NRCS helped producers establish 

or renovate almost 10 million feet 

of windbreaks and shelterbelts 

and establish an additional half 

million feet of herbaceous wind 

barriers. The 5,050 comprehensive 

nutrient management plans that 

NRCS helped livestock producers 

install in 2006 include measures to 

minimize odors and greenhouse 

gases. Atmospheric resource 

quality management (conservation 

practice 370) was applied on more 

than 125,000 acres in four western 

States in 2006.

Greenhouse Gases

Agriculture makes only a small 

contribution to greenhouse gas 

(GHG) emissions and has potential 

to offset emissions from other 

sectors. Actions that NRCS helped 

producers take in FY 2006 that 

contributed to sequestering 

greenhouse gases included 

applying residue management 

on 3.6 million acres. Residue 

management sequesters carbon 

by storing it in the soil and, by 

reducing passes over the field, it 

reduces associated GHG emissions 

from farm equipment. Forest land 

was re-established or improved on 

318,000 acres, which will sequester 

carbon in plant materials well into 

the future.

Goal:

Clean Air
2006 Accomplishments Report  33

Map 8. Land where producers applied residue management in 2006 with NRCS assistance. 
 34 2006 Accomplishments Report

Improving energy management 

on farms and ranches could 

improve the environment, lower 

farm and ranch production costs, 

and decrease consumption of 

fossil fuels. Improving energy 

management includes energy 

conservation and energy 

production.

Energy Conservation

Energy-related costs are a 

significant farm operating expense. 

Farmers and ranchers have 

opportunities to conserve energy 

through many on-farm activities. 

Many of the conservation practices 

that NRCS helps producers adopt 

reduce on-farm energy needs. 

Such practices include residue 

management, precision farming, 

and fuel-efficient irrigation 

methods.

Energy and Biofuels 

NRCS helps farmers and ranchers 

in producing feedstocks for 

renewable energy development, 

such as switchgrass plantings and 

short rotation woody crops, as 

well as developing on-farm energy 

sources such as solar, wind, or 

methane digesters to generate 

electricity.

Goal:

An Adequate Energy Supply
2006 Accomplishments Report  35

NRCS assesses, acquires, 

develops, interprets, 

analyzes, and delivers 

natural resource data and 

information to enable knowledgebased natural resource planning 

and decision making at all 

landscape scales. We develop 

data gathering protocols to ensure 

that reliable natural resource 

data is acquired and delivered. 

Our protocols are used by other 

Federal, State, and local agencies 

and organizations, ensuring that 

data compiled are of consistent 

quality. We develop and maintain 

databases and deliver data in a 

wide variety of media and formats. 

We conduct assessments and 

analyses, including modeling and 

interpretation of natural resource 

data to better inform decision 

makers and facilitate policy 

development. 

Natural resource inventory and 

assessments to support all agency 

programs are conducted by 

NRCS’s Conservation Operations 

and water resources programs. 

Many inventory and assessment 

activities provide information for 

multiple natural resource issues 

and support achievement of 

multiple conservation objectives. 

Major inventories include the 

Soil Survey, Snow Surveys and 

Water Supply Forecasting, and the 

National Resources Inventory (NRI). 

A major assessment effort is the 

Conservation Effects Assessment 

Project (CEAP). Soil Surveys 

and Snow Surveys are described 

below. The NRI is a longitudinal, 

statistical sample survey of natural 

resource conditions and trends on 

non-Federal lands in the United 

States. Data and analysis from 

the NRI supply information to 

design conservation programs 

and policy. New data collection 

protocols and tools incorporating 

updated technology have been 

developed for use at the three 

Remote Sensing Laboratories. 

Data collection for the 2005 NRI 

is underway and is scheduled for 

completion in spring 2007. Data 

collection for the 2006 NRI will be 

completed in late 2007. CEAP is a 

multi-agency effort to quantify the 

environmental benefits associated 

with conservation practices 

implemented under the 2002 Farm 

Bill and other related programs.

Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment
 36  2006 Accomplishments Report

Table 9. Summary of Annual Performance – Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment. 

Discussion of Performance

Performance measures for this 

business line report delivery of 

information to support achieving 

the key foundation goals for soil 

and water. NRCS met or exceeded 

its targets for these measures. The 

following paragraphs report on 

those targets and other activities to 

provide information for foundation 

goals.
2006 Accomplishments Report  37

High Quality, ProductiveSoils

During FY 2006 NRCS soil 

scientists mapped or 

updated 34.5 million acres, 

and another 1.1 million acres were 

mapped or updated by other 

Federal, State and local agencies 

in cooperation with NRCS. State, 

local and other Federal agencies 

provided about 10 percent of 

the funds and 12 percent of the 

personnel services used to produce 

soil maps and interpretative data. 

Soil surveys provide local 

information on the capabilities 

and conservation treatment 

needs of soils within a given 

area. They provide data and 

information for decisions made 

by planners, environmentalists, 

engineers, zoning commissions, tax 

commissioners, homeowners, and 

developers, as well as agricultural 

producers. They provide the basic 

information needed for managers 

to do conservation planning that 

will protect not only soil quality but 

also water quality, wildlife habitat, 

wetlands, and air quality. NRCS 

is the lead Federal agency for the 

National Cooperative Soil Survey 

(NCSS), a partnership of Federal 

land management agencies, 

State agricultural experiment 

stations, and State and local units 

of government. In this role, NRCS 

provides the scientific expertise 

to enable a uniform system of 

mapping and assessing soil 

resources across the Nation. 

In FY 2006, soil surveys for 126 

counties or survey areas were 

released, representing 88 million 

acres. In addition to hard copy, 

most of these surveys were 

published on the Web Soil Survey 

internet application for public 

access. The Web Soil Survey 

internet site, established in FY 2005, 

makes soil maps, associated data 

and interpretations available online. 

The website is now the primary 

way of distributing published soil 

surveys, making it easier to keep 

soil information current and to 

provide continual public access. 

New features added in FY 2006 

made the Web Soil Survey more 

user-friendly and improved map 

quality. 

During FY 2006, NRCS and NCSS 

partners digitized 351 soil surveys 

to national digitizing standards. A 

total of 2,730 digitized surveys are 

now available. This is part of an 

initiative to digitize all modern soil 

surveys. 

In July 2006, the Conservation 

Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) 

issued a report on the effects of 

crop production on soil quality 

issues. The study reports on 

soil loss, nutrient loss, and soil 

organic carbon associated with 

crop production. It identifies 

areas of the country that have the 

highest potential for sediment 

and nutrient delivery from farm 

fields, wind erosion, and soil 

quality degradation. These areas 

would likely benefit the most from 

the application of conservation 

practices. 

Goal:
 38 2006 Accomplishments Report

Clean and AbundantWater

Goal:

Akey source of water 

information in the western 

States is the Snow Survey 

and Water Supply Forecasting 

program. NRCS field staff collect 

and analyze data on depth and 

water equivalent of the snowpack 

at more than 1,200 mountain 

sites and estimate annual water 

availability, spring runoff, and 

summer streamflows. Water 

supply forecasts are produced 

annually, January through June, 

in partnership with the National 

Weather Service (NWS). During 

the 2006 forecast season, the 

Program issued 11,534 seasonal 

water supply forecast information 

products. Water supply forecasts: 

• Help irrigators make effective

use of limited water supplies

for agricultural production

needs. 

• Assist the Federal government 

in administering international 

water treaties with Canada 

and Mexico. 

• Assist State governments in 

managing intrastate streams 

and interstate water 

compacts. 

• Assist municipalities in 

managing anticipated

water supplies and drought 

mitigation. 

• Are used in the operation of 

reservoirs to satisfy multiple 

use demands. 

• Are used to mitigate flood 

damages in levied areas and 

downstream from reservoirs. 

• Support fish and wildlife

management activities

associated with speciesprotection legislation.

Over 16.1 million water user and 

water manager accesses to snow 

survey, water supply forecast, and 

soil moisture data and products 

were tallied during fiscal year 2006, 

an increase of 38 percent from 

2005. Of that total, 53 percent were 

by commercial users, 21 percent by 

employees of Federal agencies, and 

4 percent by educational users. 

NRCS cooperates with other 

Federal, State, and local agencies 

in conducting investigations 

and surveys of river basins and 

floodplains. River basin surveys and 

floodplain management studies 

provide local decision-makers 

with an inventory and analysis of 

the resource status and trends in 

their watershed, enabling them to 

better understand the cause and 

effect relationships of changes 

taking place in their watersheds 

and communities. Surveys include 

cooperative river basin studies, 

floodplain management studies, 

and flood insurance studies. 

Reports of the investigations and 

surveys serve as guides for the 

development of water, land, and 

related resources in agricultural, 

rural, and urban areas within 

upstream watershed settings. 
2006 Accomplishments Report  39

They also serve as a basis for 

coordination with major river 

systems and other phases of 

water resource management and 

development.

Reports of the investigations and 

surveys serve as guides for the 

development of water, land, and 

related resources in agricultural, 

rural, and urban areas within 

upstream watershed settings. 

They also serve as a basis for 

coordination with major river 

systems and other phases of 

water resource management and 

development.

NRCS completed 11 rapid 

watershed assessments in 2006. 

Rapid watershed assessments 

provide initial estimates of 

where conservation investments 

would best address the concerns 

of landowners, conservation 

districts, and other community 

organizations and stakeholders. 

Assessments are conducted by 

watershed planning teams who 

travel through each watershed 

and meet with landowners 

and conservation groups. The 

team inventories agricultural 

areas, identifies conservation 

opportunities and current levels 

of resource management, and 

estimates impacts of these 

opportunities on the local priority 

resource concerns.

Resource assessments include 

assessments of the condition of 

watershed dams to determine if 

threats to public health and safety 

exist. In 2006, a total of 121 such 

assessments were completed.
 40  2006 Accomplishments Report

Data were collected for the 

2006 NRI Rangeland Onsite Survey sample set in 

21 States using hand-held pocket 

PC-based data collection tools. 

Data collected over the past three 

years will provide new insights into 

the condition of the Nation’s nonFederal rangelands. 

The Conservation Effects 

Assessment Project (CEAP) includes 

an assessment of the effects 

of conservation practices and 

resource management systems 

on ecosystem services provided 

by wetlands and associated 

Healthy Plant and Animal Commuunities

uplands on agricultural landscapes. 

Ten regions throughout the 

conterminous U.S. will conduct 

collaborative assessments. Work 

on five assessments in six regions 

was conducted in 2006, involving 

collaborators from the Federal and 

State levels. Preliminary findings 

from the first regional assessment 

in the Prairie Pothole Region will be 

available in late 2006. 

Goal:
2006 Accomplishments Report  41

NRCS develops, documents, 

and distributes a wide array 

of technology pertaining to 

resource assessment, conservation 

planning, and conservation system 

installation and evaluation. 

NRCS employees use this 

science-based technology to 

develop reliable and practical 

recommendations for soil, water, 

and related resource problems 

at the local level. These tools are 

adopted worldwide for purposes 

ranging from protecting fragile 

soils to developing engineering 

products to solve complex 

water management problems. 

Technology developed by NRCS 

is in the public domain; many 

private businesses enhance, repackage, and sell the technology 

for more widespread use and 

adoption. Other public entities, 

such as conservation districts and 

universities, use NRCS technology 

for business or educational 

purposes. 

Technology tools include 

conservation standards, 

specifications, guides and 

references, and modeling systems. 

NRCS has automated much of this 

technology to facilitate sound 

conservation decisions by the 

public. We also provide technical 

training to external customers, 

and we administer certification 

standards and procedures. 

The majority of NRCS work in this 

business line is funded through 

the Conservation Technical 

Assistance program. In addition, 

our Plant Materials Program 

provides essential plant science 

products and technology for 

better land management. Also, 

some work to develop and test 

innovative technology is developed 

through grants funded by the 

Environmental Quality Incentives 

Program.

Natural Resource Technology Transfer
 42 2006 Accomplishments Report

Table 10. Summary of Annual Performance – Natural Resource Technology Transfer 

Discussion of Performance

In FY 2006, NRCS technical experts 

updated about 16 percent of the 

Agency’s 165 conservation practice 

standards. They also developed 

new practice standards for MultiStory Cropping and for Prescribed 

Forestry. These standards reflect 

evidence-based science and 

help producers address a wide 

range of critical natural resource 

issues. In addition, discipline 

experts completed and released 

19 Technical Notes with the latest 

technical information on biology 

and technology issues. 

The NRCS Plant Materials Program, 

operated through 27 Plant Materials 

Centers (PMCs), identifies, develops, 

and tests plants to meet identified 

conservation needs. After species 

are proven, they are released to 

the private sector for commercial 

production. The work at the 

Centers is carried out cooperatively 

with State and Federal agencies, 

commercial businesses, and seed 

and nursery associations. NRCS 

released 25 new plants—six more 

than in FY 2005—to commercial 

growers during FY 2006. 

Technology development and 

transfer are being accelerated 

through the Conservation 

Innovation Grants authorized 

under EQIP in the 2002 Farm Bill. 

Competitive grants are awarded 

to stimulate development 

and adoption of innovative 

technologies and approaches 

through pilot projects and 

conservation field trials. Projects 

address a broad range of natural 

resource concerns, including 

nutrient management, water 

conservation, air quality, and 

grazing land and forest health. 

Technology development and 

transfer in support of separate 

goals are described in following 

paragraphs.
2006 Accomplishments Report  43

High Quality, ProductiveSoils

Releases by the PMCs in 2006 

include cultivars useful for 

windbreaks; reclamation of eroded, 

disturbed, low fertility sites; and 

reclamation of acid-impacted mine 

land. Ongoing work is directed to 

reduction of erosion on cropland 

by development of systems that 

use improved cover crops to 

provide winter cover after low 

residue crops. 

Clean and AbundantWater

NRCS in coordination with the 

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) 

modeled selected watersheds to 

document sediment and water 

transport throughout the basins. 

Basic water quality parameters 

were modeled, field verified and 

documented in order to establish 

both baseline and existing 

watershed conditions. This work 

is being done as part of the 

interagency Conservation Effects 

Assessment Project.

In FY 2006, NRCS released the 

Water Resources Site Analysis 

Computer Program (SITES) Version 

2000.5. This application supports 

the analysis of complex watersheds 

having upstream structures, sub 

watersheds, and channel reaches 

through use of a graphical user 

interface.

Plants developed by PMCs that 

were released in 2006 include 

cultivars useful for restoration and 

rehabilitation of riparian systems, 

streambank stabilization, buffers, 

and filter strips between cropland 

and streams. 

In addition, in FY 2006, NRCS 

invested over $9.5 million in 

Conservation Innovation Grants 

for 24 projects developing and 

demonstrating new technologies 

to address water quality issues.
 44 2006 Accomplishments Report

Healthy Plant and Animal Commuunities

In 2006, PMC activities were 

directed to improving habitat for 

wildlife, including critical habitats 

such as wetlands, and developing 

technology to address the threat of 

invasive species:

• PMCs conducted a series of

nationwide studies directed

to either the control or

suppression of weeds or to

finding suitable replacements

for invasive species after

control is achieved. 

• Sixteen of the plants released

in 2006 will benefit wildlife. 

• PMCs worked to develop

plant materials suited to

wetlands restoration and

maintenance.

Technology transfer to improve 

grazing land health in 2006 

included activities supported by 

the Grazing Land Conservation 

Initiative (GLCI), which is part of 

CTA. GLCI technology transfer 

activities included more than 

850 grazing land demonstration 

projects involving 900 farms 

and ranches; more than 1,700 

education and awareness activities 

(grazing land workshops, field days, 

and tours) reaching over 160,000 

participants; over 5,500 articles 

published in newspapers and 

magazines that were circulated to 

9.4 million households; and 900 

radio and television spots and 

programs on grazing that reached 

7.7 million people. 

NRCS opened the Agricultural 

Wildlife Conservation Center in 

Madison, Mississippi, in 2006. The 

center supports the development 

of wildlife-habitat technology 

through a competitive grants 

program available to cooperative 

conservation partners, including 

fish and wildlife conservation 

groups, universities and State 

agencies. 
2006 Accomplishments Report  45

An Adequate Energy Supply

NRCS developed and released new 

Web-based tools to help producers 

manage their operations more 

efficiently. These tools, which help 

producers protect soil and water 

resources and reduce their energy 

costs, include: 

• Energy Estimator for

Tillage — Helps farmers and

ranchers calculate diesel-fuel

use and costs associated with

various tillage practices. Key

conservation practices include

crop-residue management,

nutrient management,

irrigation-water management,

precision agriculture, pesticide

management, intensified

grazing systems and

windbreaks/shelterbelts. 

• Energy Estimator for Nitrogen

Fertilizer — Estimates savings

in nitrogen-fertilizer

applications and helps farmers

and ranchers make practical

and sound decisions regarding

nitrogen fertilizer use on their

farm or ranch.

• Energy Estimator for Irrigation

— Helps producers manage

their irrigation water resources

more efficiently. The tool

provides an analysis of current

water use, the reduced water

use associated with various

treatment options and the

energy costs and savings of

these treatment options

based on data entered by the

producer.
 46  2006 Accomplishments Report

Source: Performance Results System

Figure 13. Total Financial Assistance Dollars Obligated in all NRCS Programs, FY 2002-2006.

Millions of Dollars

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

F

inancial Assistance includes 

cost share and monetary 

incentives through program 

contracts, easements or other 

means to qualified program 

participants who participate in 

NRCS conservation programs. 

Financial assistance helps motivate 

producers to treat natural resource 

problems and to help sustain 

natural resources. 

The 2002 Farm Bill significantly 

increased the financial assistance 

available through programs NRCS 

administers. Since 2002, we have 

developed and administered 

rules to provide assistance fairly 

and equitably to producers and 

have enhanced our financial 

management systems and 

procedures to ensure fund integrity. 

The “Conservation Application” 

section of this report included data 

on implementation of conservation 

practices under EQIP, the largest 

financial assistance program. 

Figure 5. Total financial assistance dollars obligated in all NRCS programs, 

2002-2006.

Financial Assistance
2006 Accomplishments Report  47

Table 11. Cost-share and incentive funds obligated, FY 2006.

1

 Restoration Cost-Share Agreements

2

 Rental agreements

3

 NRCS funded recovery efforts for 87 disaster events in 2006. All EWP projects undertaken, with the exception of the 

purchase of floodplain easements, are sponsored by a legal subdivision of the State.

Cost-share and Incentives

Cost-share payments reimburse 

program participants for part 

of the expense of installing one 

or more conservation practices 

as agreed through a program 

contract. Participants’ expenses 

might include money, labor, or 

equipment. Participants submit 

documentation to support a 

request for payment. Incentive 

payments are provided in an 

amount and at a rate determined 

appropriate to encourage 

participants to perform 

management practices that 

they would not initiate without 

assistance. 
 48 2006 Accomplishments Report

Discussion of Performance 

The contracts through which NRCS 

provides cost shares, incentive 

payments, and rental payments to 

program participants provide for 

implementation of conservation 

practices over a period of years. 

The length of the contract varies 

according to program authorities 

and the specific practices 

to be adopted. In FY 2006, 

NRCS developed an efficiency 

measure for our major costshare program to use in tracking 

implementation of practices in 

financial assistance contracts. 

This measure will document that 

the public investment in private 

land conservation is producing 

timely results that benefit 

taxpayers. Agency national 

program managers will monitor 

the performance of the program 

as a whole. A key determinant of 

whether practices are applied in a 

timely manner is the availability of 

technical assistance to enable the 

producer to design and implement 

the practices. 

Table 12. Summary of Annual Performance – Financial Assistance – Cost-Share and Incentives. 

In 2006, staff in all offices reviewed 

contracts for all financial assistance 

programs, identified reasons 

why implementation was behind 

schedule and set reasonable 

schedules for completing the 

contracts. NRCS developed two 

initiatives to address the backlog 

of practices contracted but not 

applied on schedule. The first 

was the EQIP Energy Initiative, 

in which NRCS made available a 

one-time increase in cost shares 

for structural practices in contracts 

signed in 1997-2004. The increased 

funds are enabling producers to 

complete conservation practices 

that have been delayed because 

of increases in energy prices. The 

increase in payment applies only 

to specific practices that have been 

most affected by spikes in the cost 

of concrete, steel, plastic pipe, 

and other construction materials. 

The second initiative was the 

Contract Completion Initiative, in 

which incentives will be provided 

to producers to implement all 

practices in the first two years of 

the contracts signed in 2006. 
2006 Accomplishments Report  49

Easements

An easement is a deed restriction 

that is designed to address a 

particular purpose or need. 

Conservation easements have been 

an effective mechanism to protect 

sensitive lands and vanishing 

landscapes, as well as preserve 

prime and unique soils and 

maintain open spaces. With NRCS 

conservation easement programs, 

a landowner voluntarily conveys 

rights, title, and/or interests to 

conserve and protect natural 

resource(s). In exchange for a 

Table 13. Easements under NRCS programs, 2006 and cumulative. 

1 WRP easements perfected. 2 Includes easements only; does not include data on rental contracts under the program. 3 Acres enrolled for permanent protection. 4 NRCS’ cooperating entities hold, manage, and enforce the FRPP easements. 5 FRPP easements acquired. 6 No funds have been made available for EWP floodplain easement purchases since FY 2001. Acres are the total EWPFloodplain Easements and Emergency Watershed Protection Easements with easements recorded.

payment, a landowner sells specific 

rights or interests to a grantee, 

whose purpose is to conserve and 

protect the natural resource, while 

allowing the landowner to maintain 

ownership, general control of 

the property and certain other 

rights defined by specific program 

provisions. Each easement ensures 

the natural resource is protected 

for the long-term or in perpetuity. 

Financial and technical assistance 

is offered to the landowner to 

address natural resource concerns 

of mutual interest to the landowner 

and the agency. 
 50  2006 Accomplishments Report

Table 14. Summary of Annual Performance – Financial Assistance - Easements. 

Discussion of Performance 

Since the passage of the Federal 

Agriculture Improvement and 

Reform Act of 1996 (1996 Farm 

Bill), the NRCS has acquired an 

increasingly diverse portfolio 

of easements and working land 

management contracts under the 

above referenced programs. As of 

September 30, 2006, NRCS, solely or 

in partnership with other entities, 

has acquired approximately 11,013 

conservation easements that 

address natural resource issues on 

2,091,103 acres. In FY 2006, NRCS 

developed and implemented a 

common appraisal policy across all 

conservation easement programs, 

published final rules for the Healthy 

Forest Reserve Program and Farm 

and Ranch Lands Protection 

Program, and piloted a WRP reverse 

auction. In FY 2006, NRCS also 

developed efficiency measures 

to track dollar and time savings. 

The Agency will monitor these 

measures to ensure that the public 

investment is being used efficiently 

and effectively.

Grants 

Grants are offered to establish a 

relationship between NRCS and a 

State, local government, or other 

recipient. The principal purpose 

of the relationship is the transfer 

of value to a recipient in order to 

accomplish a public purpose of 

support or stimulation authorized 

by Federal law. Substantial Federal 

involvement is not anticipated. 

These grants may be funded up 

to 100 percent by NRCS. Grants 

were awarded under the following 

programs in FY 2006.

Environmental Quality Incentives

Program – Conservation

Innovation Grants (CIG) 

Under CIG, competitive grants 

are awarded to eligible entities, 

including State and local agencies, 

non-governmental organizations, 

Tribes, or individuals. The grants 

will stimulate the development 

and adoption of innovative 

technologies and approaches 

through pilot projects and 

conservation field trials. CIG 

projects address a broad range 

of natural resource concerns, 

including nutrient management, 

water conservation, air quality, 

and grazing land and forest health. 
2006 Accomplishments Report  51

Figure 14. CTA grants appropriated in congressional earmarks, FY 1996-2006.

Millions of Dollars

Fiscal Year

Source: Performance Results System

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Funds were awarded to the three 

components of the initiative, as 

follows:

• National: Over $16 million

awarded to 57 recipients in

38 States. 

• Chesapeake Bay Watershed:

 Nearly $3.8 million awarded

to 8 recipients in 5 States.

• State: Nearly $5 million

awarded to 96 recipients in

20 States, the Caribbean, and

the Pacific Basin.

Conservation Technical 

Assistance – Cooperative 

Conservation Partnership Grants 

(CCPG)

This initiative fosters conservation 

partnerships that focus on 

conservation in watersheds and 

airsheds of special significance. 

Funds are awarded to State and 

local governments and agencies; 

Tribes; and non-governmental 

organizations that have a history 

of working with agricultural 

producers. In fiscal years 2004 and 

2005, NRCS awarded $1 million 

annually to projects through the 

Conservation Partnership Initiative 

(CPI). For 2006, the initiative was 

renamed and expanded in funding 

and scope. Thirty-eight entities in 

24 States received grants totaling 

nearly $4 million. 

Conservation Technical 

Assistance – Grazing Land 

Conservation Initiative (GLCI)

GLCI awarded $4.1 million in 26 

grants in 19 States for projects 

Figure 6. CTA grants appropriated in Congressional earmarks, 1996-2006.

focused on the management and 

control of invasive species affecting 

grazing land. FY 2006 was the first 

year GLCI has awarded such grants. 

Conservation Technical 

Assistance – Congressional 

Earmarks

Congress annually appropriates 

CTA funds to special projects 

implemented by conservation 

districts, State agencies, and other 

partnering organizations. Through 

these Congressional grants, CTA 

funds a variety of special projects. 

These projects include, but are 

not limited to, conservation 

implementation, research and 

assessment, and technology 

development. 

Conservation Technical 

Assistance – Wildlife Habitat 

Improvement Grants

NRCS awarded $1.6 million in 

competitive grants to develop and 

evaluate technological tools for fish 

and wildlife habitat improvements. 

The grant recipients will advance 

the development, testing, 

implementation and transfer of 

innovative solutions that benefit 

fish and wildlife on cropland, 

grassland, forestland, rangeland, 

riparian areas, wetlands, streams, 

rivers, vernal pools and areas where 

farmland and urban land meet.
 52 2006 Accomplishments Report

Map 9. Watersheds where stewardship payments were available, 2004-2006.

Map 10. Watersheds where stewardship payments were available,

2004-2006.

Stewardship Payments

The Conservation Security Program 

(CSP), authorized by the Farm 

Security and Rural Investment 

Act of 2002, represents a new 

strategy for encouraging high 

standards of stewardship on 

private agricultural land. The 

characteristic that distinguishes 

CSP from financial assistance 

programs that provide cost-shares 

is that CSP rewards producers who 

have already adopted high levels 

of environmental stewardship 

and provides incentives for 

implementing additional activities 

that enhance natural resource 

quality. CSP payments to farmers 

and ranchers who practice 

the highest standards of good 

stewardship create an incentive 

for other producers to meet those 

same standards of conservation 

performance on their operations. 

CSP makes payments for three 

levels of conservation treatment. 

The emphasis of CSP is on the 

environmental benefits of the 

total conservation system. To be 

eligible for Tier III, the highest level, 

applicants must have addressed 

all existing resource concerns 

to the sustainable level on their 

entire agricultural operation. 

NRCS funded 4,396 FY2006 CSP 

contracts. More than 99 percent 

of the contracts were for the Tier III 

level of conservation. The contracts 

covered more that 3.7 million acres 

of private, working agricultural 

lands in 60 watersheds. 
2006 Accomplishments Report  53

Management Initiatives
 54 2006 Accomplishments Report

NRCS employees are 

committed to ensuring that 

every customer and every 

colleague is treated with fairness, 

equity, and respect. We continually 

strive for a workplace and a society 

that are inclusive and respectful of 

differences.

Equal Employment Opportunity 

Performance Expectation:

The Agency workforce will closely 

resemble the diversity of the 

Nation’s labor force. 

*EEOC sanctioned civilian labor force data from the 2000 Census. The Census does not provide a baseline on producers with 

disabilities. Boldface indicates under-representation when compared to the civilian labor force.

Compared to the national civilian 

workforce, women and most 

minority groups were underrepresented in the NRCS workforce 

in 2006. Also, employees with 

targeted disabilities made up 1.01 

percent of the agency workforce 

in 2006, compared to the Federal 

benchmark of 2.27 percent.

Ensuring Civil Rights

Table 15. NRCS Workforce Demographic Profile for FY 2006 as of June 30, 2006
2006 Accomplishments Report  55

Discussion of Performance

NRCS is working to address the 

under-representation of women 

and minorities in its workforce. 

Although the NRCS workforce 

was reduced by 115 employees in 

the first nine months of FY 2006 

(from 13,175 in October 2005 to 

13,060 as of June 30, 2006), the 

agency succeeded in increasing the 

number of women and minorities 

in its workforce.

Fair and Equitable Service 

Delivery

Performance Expectation:

Every NRCS office that provides 

services to customers will strive to 

provide parity in service delivery. 

To determine whether services 

are being provided on a nondiscriminatory basis, NRCS 

compares the level of service 

provided to members of each 

protected group with the level of 

service provided to white males; 

white males make up the majority 

of agricultural producers. “Parity” 

in service is achieved if the percent 

of producers in protected groups 

served differs by no more than 10 

percent from the percent of white 

male producers served. The source 

of baseline data on number of 

producers in each category is the 

most recent Agriculture Census. 

For the Nation as a whole, the 

producers who participated in 

NRCS programs in 2005 made up:

• 16 percent of the number of

white male producers in the

Agriculture Census.

• 19 percent of the number of

Black producers.

• 16 percent of the number of

Hispanic producers.

• 11 percent of the number of

Asian/Pacific Islander

producers.

• 24 percent of American Indian

producers.

• 16 percent of the number of

female producers.

NRCS also compares the rate of 

approval of applications for costshare assistance from minority 

and female applicants with the 

rate of approval of applicants who 

are white males. Of the protected 

groups, applications from American 

Indian producers and female 

producers were approved at a 

lower rate than applications from 

white males in 2005; applications 

from the other groups were 

approved at higher rates than those 

of white males. 

White producers received 96.81 

percent of all cost-share payments 

awarded by NRCS for participation 

in conservation programs; white 

producers comprise 94.84 percent 

of producers, according to the 2002 

Agriculture Census. 

NRCS conducted a number of 

outreach activities and program 

initiatives in 2006 to increase 

participation by minority 

producers, limited resource 

producers, and new producers.
 56  2006 Accomplishments Report

NRCS is implementing 

management strategies to 

improve the effectiveness 

and accountability of its operations. 

We have developed detailed longrange action plans to meet criteria 

for excellence for each strategy. 

Implementation of these plans will 

enable us to:

• Maintain an efficient, highperforming, diverse workforce,

aligned with mission priorities

and working cooperatively

with our partners and the

private sector.

• Make effective use of electronic

information management

systems to enable:

- Employees to provide

 better service to customers.

- Customers to easily access

 our information and use our

 planning tools to improve 

 their management of soil 

 and water resources.

- Customers and 

 stakeholders to understand 

 Agency processes and the

 rationale for Agency

 decisions.

• Improve financial management

and avoid improper payments.

Improving Internal Management

• Link budget decisions

more closely with program

performance to achieve greater

conservation.

Following is a brief summary of 

actions taken in FY 2006.

Human Capital 

The workforce that helps private 

land owners and managers practice 

good stewardship of natural 

resources includes NRCS employees 

and volunteers and the employees 

of Federal, State, local, and Tribal 

agencies and organizations, nonprofit organizations, and the 

private sector. At the field level, 

the workforce of the conservation 

delivery system includes as many 

non-Federal as Federal employees, 

although the Federal segment 

includes a higher proportion of 

technical specialists. NRCS is taking 

actions to strengthen both its 

own workforce and non-agency 

sources of expertise to ensure 

that the managers of private land 

have access to the information and 

expertise that they need.

In FY 2006 NRCS partnered 

with the National Association 

of Conservation Districts 

to implement the “Walk A 

Mile In My Boots” project, 

a work-exchange between 

agricultural producers and 

government employees. 

The exchanges help 

agency employees better 

understand the needs of our 

customers. The Earth Team 

took the lead to help pilot 

this program, completing 

nine exchanges last year. 
2006 Accomplishments Report  57

Management Goal: Manage 

human capital strategically to 

ensure the right skills in the right 

locations to deliver high-quality 

products and services.

Internal Workforce. To help 

ensure that the agency maintains 

the right skills, NRCS developed 

a comprehensive Human 

Capital Strategic Plan in 2006 

as a companion to the Agency 

Strategic Plan. The plan will 

assist the Agency in meeting the 

challenges associated with the 

potential loss of one-fourth of its 

workforce. Employees who will 

be eligible to retire over the next 

few years include essential fieldlevel conservationists, technical 

discipline leaders, and experienced 

managers at all levels. 

In addition, the Agency developed 

a draft Leadership Succession Plan. 

The plan is based on a gap analysis 

of key leadership positions and 

provides structured development 

programs, recruitment and 

retention strategies, and 

knowledge transfer strategies 

for closing identified leadership 

competency gaps. 

To ensure that new employees 

quickly develop the specific skills 

needed to do their jobs, NRCS 

policy requires that all employees 

receive basic training in an 

intensive “Boot Camp program” 

in their first year of employment. 

Eight Boot Camp sessions were 

held across the country in 2006. A 

total of 236 employees participated 

in the FY 2006 sessions.

To enable employees to maintain 

and improve their skills, NRCS 

provides training through a variety 

of methods, including on-the-job 

training, on-line training courses, 

attendance at formal classes 

presented by the Agency, and 

training provided by private sector 

entities and academic institutions. 

In FY 2006, the Agency’s National 

Employee Development Center 

administered 58 on-line selfhelp courses and delivered 131 

classroom sessions comprising 42 

different courses. Approximately 70 

percent of the courses addressed 

technical subjects and 30 percent 

addressed management functions. 

Non-Federal Workforce. As the 

Nation’s conservation agenda 

continues to become more 

complex, the need for technical 

information and advice will 

increasingly exceed the capacity 

of the Federal workforce to 

respond in a timely manner. 

NRCS is expanding the workforce 

available for achieving the Nation’s 

conservation agenda through three 

strategies: 

1. Relying on non-Federal 

entities to provide technical 

assistance to participants in 

NRCS conservation programs. 

Using the authority provided 

in the 2002 Farm Bill, NRCS has 

established processes to certify 

individual Technical Service 

Providers (TSPs) and to enter into 

agreements with governmental 

and non-governmental entities to 

provide services. 

In FY 2006, NRCS signed 

agreements with 239 newly 

certified individual TSPs and recertified 170 individual TSPs. There 

are now more than 1,700 individual 

TSPs and 173 businesses certified 

and available to help program 

participants apply conservation. 

In 2006, TSPs helped program 

participants install practices in 

nutrient management plans, pest 

management plans, irrigation water 

management plans, comprehensive 

nutrient management plans, and 

livestock waste storage facilities. 

Since passage of the 2002 Farm 

Bill, NRCS has obligated over 

$180 million to acquire technical 

services. Of this obligation, EQIP 

accounts for about 50 percent and 

CRP for 22 percent. 

To help ensure that TSPs have the 

necessary technical competencies, 

in 2006 NRCS developed a Web 

based TSP orientation. Proficiency 

statements were developed 

for nutrient management, pest 

management, and irrigation water 

management. Other proficiency 

statements are scheduled for 

completion in FY 2007. Additional 

courses on water quality and 

conservation planning were made 

available for TSPs through the 

AgLearn Web-based system. 
 58 2006 Accomplishments Report

Electronic Government

Management Goal: Make 

effective use of Internet-based 

technology to provide customerfocused service.

NRCS is responsible for design and 

implementation of information 

technology to support agencyspecific activities. Routine 

functions of information 

technology support for NRCS 

and other USDA field agencies 

are not managed by the Agency 

but are provided by Information 

Technology Services, a part of the 

USDA Chief Information Officer’s 

staff. 

We have put program information 

and forms online, simplifying 

program application for producers. 

We have made a self-assessment 

tool available online so that 

producers can evaluate their own 

eligibility for CSP. In 2006, NRCS 

gave additional emphasis to 

increasing the natural resources 

data available to the public over 

the internet and enhanced the 

tools available for accessing and 

analyzing the data. As a result, 

customer use of the data continued 

to increase. For example: 

• The Soil Data Mart facilitated

downloading over 206,000 soil

surveys for 3,000 to 5,000 users

per day.

• Energy Estimator Tools for

Tillage, Nitrogen, and Irrigation

have received nearly 62,300

visits and nearly 247,000 page

views of these tools since their

release in December 2005.

• The Web Soil Survey Web site

logged nearly 692,000 user

visits and nearly 1.9 million

hits. Use per day averaged

1,838 user visits. The

September average (2,596)

was 41 percent more than

the 12-month average.

• Over 16.1 million water users

and managers accessed snow

survey, water supply forecast,

and soil moisture data and

products, an increase of 38

percent from FY 2005.

2. Acquiring the services 

of experienced workers on 

a temporary basis. NRCS is 

acquiring the expertise of older 

workers through the Agricultural 

Conservation Enrollees/Seniors 

(ACES) project conducted in 

partnership with the National 

Older Worker Career Center. ACES 

evolved from and complements the 

Technical Service Provider initiative 

to expand conservation technical 

assistance capacity on private 

lands and help landowners meet 

their conservation goals. NRCS has 

filled 175 ACES positions across the 

country. Of these, 144 positions are 

at the field level. Positions filled by 

ACES employees include engineers, 

analysts, editors, technical support 

consultation specialists and 

administrative support. ACES 

participants are not considered to 

be Federal employees and cannot 

displace NRCS employees.

3. Using the time, talent, and 

energy of volunteers. Since the 

organization of local conservation 

districts in the 1930s, people have 

volunteered their time and talent 

to help get conservation on the 

land. In 1981, using new authority 

enacted by Congress, NRCS 

established the National Volunteer 

Program; in 1985 that program 

became the Earth Team. During 

FY 2006, over 35,000 Earth Team 

Volunteers donated over 958,000 

hours. Their time was valued at 

$17.2 million (based on a value of 

$18.04 per hour).
2006 Accomplishments Report  59

Financial Performance

To streamline financial 

management and improve internal 

controls, in FY 2006:

• Four major financial assistance

programs were migrated to

the Programs Contracts System

(ProTracts). Two other

programs were partially

migrated and will be

completed in FY 2007.

ProTracts is a Web-based

system that helps NRCS

efficiently manage program

applications, contracts,

obligations, and payments.

• Year-end dates for financial

reporting were scheduled

earlier in the year to facilitate

better internal management.

• Program contract forms

were reviewed, updated and

streamlined. The simplified

forms better conform to

program policy and procedures.

• Program Allocation Data

Mart (PADM) was established,

resulting in greater efficiency

of the programs allocation

process and ensuring

consistency, defensibility,

and transparency. The National

Resources Inventory is a key

PADM data asset, providing

estimates of land use, soil

erosion, and other factors

critical to the formulas used

in program allocation.

Budget and Performance 

Integration

Budget and Performance 

Integration is essential to ensuring 

the effectiveness and efficiency 

of Federal programs. In the 

first phases of implementing 

this initiative, NRCS focused on 

identifying the linkages between 

activities, outputs, and outcomes 

and on developing systems to 

accurately and consistently track 

activities, outputs, obligations 

and outlays. In FY 2006, we took 

a further step in integrating 

performance and financial 

information by developing unitcost measures, which will be 

used to monitor the efficiency 

of programs. More efficient 

operations will produce more of an 

output for a given level of input. 

The intent of increasing efficiency 

is to provide the greatest return on 

taxpayer investment. 

In 2006, NRCS continued to 

improve its Accountability 

Information Management System 

(AIMS). The system answers 

basic performance and budget 

accountability questions including: 

What needs to be done and where? 

What is being done? How long did 

it take to accomplish? What is the 

cost? What environmental benefits 

were achieved?
 60  2006 Accomplishments Report

Table 16. Summary of Annual Performance – Efficiency Improvements. 

1

 Revised timekeeping codes implemented in FY 2005.

2

 New measure in FY 2005, no data collected prior to FY 2005.

AIMS enhancements in FY 2006 

included:

• A new version of the

Performance Results System

(PRS 2006), which mines

performance data from the

National Conservation

Planning (NCP) database.

This new system minimizes

the reporting burden on field

staff while producing accurate

site-based data on

conservation practices

planned and applied.

• Enhancements to the

Conservation Information

System (CIS,) which provides

monthly reports for managing

program funds. The CIS allows

for accurate management of

program funds by national

and State level managers.

Data in the CIS includes

financial data such as

allocations and obligations;

payroll data for time,

attendance, salaries, and

benefits; and performance

data.

 

• Continued development of an

Executive Dashboard, a report

generator and visual

dashboard for senior

managers to monitor program

performance and costs.

 

• Expansion of the Program

Operations Information

Tracking System (POINTS),

a collection of data entry and

reporting tools for program

information and operation

data. The POINTS application

for the Resource Conservation

and Development Program

was completed.
2006 Accomplishments Report  61

Appendices

Performance Management and 

Quality Assurance of FY 2006 

Performance Data

The data on performance in this 

report are final and complete. Data 

submitted across the Nation are 

certified to be accurate by the NRCS 

State Conservationists and the 

Directors of the Caribbean Area and 

Pacific Basin. 

The chief sources of data for 

performance measures that 

monitor progress in Conservation 

Planning and Technical 

Consultation and Conservation 

Implementation are the Customer 

Service Toolkit, USDA’s primary 

conservation planning tool, and the 

Performance Results System (PRS).

• Completeness of Data

The performance reported

for these measures is based

on actual data reported for

the fiscal year. Numerous

data quality mechanisms

within PRS ensure the

completeness of each

performance record entered

in the system. The system

recognizes records that do

not include data identified

as critical and requires the

user to complete the required

data fields before the record

can be uploaded to the

 national database.

• Reliability of Data

For FY 2006, virtually all of

the data reported for these

performance measures were

uploaded from the Customer

Service Toolkit. All natural

resource information in Toolkit

is drawn from USDA

databases. All data on

conservation practices are

developed in consultation

with the customer. This

process ensures that the data

accurately reflect the

customer’s operation, goals

and status of the conservation

plan. Data are date-stamped,

geo-referenced and linked

to an employee ID, enabling

detailed quality-assurance

reviews. Periodic reviews

are conducted to assess the

accuracy of reported data. 

• Quality of Data 

Overall quality of the data

is good. The data are for

conservation plans and

practices planned and applied

with NRCS assistance.

The data are reported by

field staff located where the

conservation is occurring.
 62 2006 Accomplishments Report

Field staffs are trained and

skilled in conservation

planning and application

suited to the local resource

conditions. Error checking

enhancements and reports

within the PRS application

maintain data quality by

allowing users at local, State

and National levels to monitor

data inputs.

To ensure program accountability 

and evaluate program efficiency, 

data on conservation plans written 

and conservation practices applied 

must be linked to the program 

that funded the staff time needed 

to carry out each activity. Data 

on the linkage of programs and 

conservation practices applied are 

accurate because the conservation 

program responsible for applying 

each practice is documented in the 

conservation plan developed in the 

Toolkit. In the case of conservation 

plans developed, however, 

attribution of performance to 

programs is less precise because 

conservation plans may include 

practices funded by more than one 

program on the same land unit. 

Performance Planning for FY 2007

The NRCS strategic plan 

provides the framework for 

agency performance planning. 

Performance measures and targets 

are based on strategic goals and 

objectives identified in the agency 

strategic plan. Performance 

measures are identified for each 

program the agency administers. 

In the performance planning 

process, annual performance 

targets for those measures are 

established for the program as a 

whole and for each State where the 

program is offered. 

Actual performance is reported 

through the Web-based 

Performance Results System. 

Extensive improvements were 

made in this system for FY 2005. 

These changes are intended to 

result in higher quality data that 

better documents the benefits 

produced by agency conservation 

programs. The updated system 

draws the majority of its data 

from transaction reporting 

systems. Data about application 

of conservation practices and 

management systems are extracted 

automatically from the Web-based 

conservation planning software 

used in field offices and from the 

contracts management software.

For FY 2007, targets are being 

set for fewer State and field-level 

performance measures than in FY 

2006. New measures have been 

identified, or existing measures 

modified, to better align with the 

new strategic plan. 

Funds are allocated to NRCS State 

offices after Congress enacts 

and the President signs the final 

appropriation bill for FY 2007. At 

that time, State and local NRCS 

offices propose targets based on 

funds actually made available to 

them. The regional assistant chiefs 

lead an inclusive goal resolution 

process with allowance holders 

and deputy chiefs to finalize the 

Agency’s FY 2007 targets to submit 

to the Chief.

Evaluating Program Performance: 

NRCS conducts internal reviews 

and evaluations through a national 

Oversight and Evaluation Staff 

(O&E). The O&E analysts are 

responsible for a variety of studies 

and reviews designed to evaluate 

program operations and program 

results. As the public investment 

in conservation has increased 

under the 2002 Farm Bill, review 

and audits of NRCS programs has 

also increased. External audits are 

conducted by the Government 

Accountability Office (GAO) and 

the USDA Office of the Inspector 

General (OIG). 

A major focus of program 

evaluation in the last three years 

has been reviews conducted 

government-wide using the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) 

Program Assessment Rating Tool 

(PART). As Table 17 shows, PART 

rated NRCS programs as very well 

managed, and generally assigned 

them high scores for program 

design and strategic planning as 

well. All programs are rated as 

adequate or moderately effective 

in demonstrating progress toward 

annual and strategic goals, with 

the exception of CSP. CSP is a new 

strategy for achieving a higher level 

of conservation than traditional 

program strategies and has not 

been implemented for an sufficient 

period of time to have accumulated 

data to demonstrate results. 
2006 Accomplishments Report  63

Table 17. Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) Scores of NRCS Programs. 
 64 2006 Accomplishments Report

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