July 2003

675 U. S. Courthouse

Nashville, Tennessee 37203

Telephone: 615/277-2531

FAX: 615/277-2577

USDA Natural Resources

Conservation Service

NRCS

In this issue...

Current

Developments Current Developments

Message to NRCS Employees:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each NRCS

employee for your hard work and extra efforts, and please

convey my thanks to our Earth Team volunteers, Soil

Conservation District Employees and Conservation

Partners.

We finally received a fiscal year 2003 budget with

increases over FY2002. With three-fourths of the fiscal

year already passed we have a huge challenge ahead with

only a short period of time to obligate program funds.

The Tennessee NRCS Management Team is dealing with

multiple challenges at the present time that include, the

evaluation of commercial outsourcing of jobs, field office

closures or consolidations, Information Technology

consolidation, and many other items. NRCS employees

need to be aware of changes and stay informed, but as

Chief Bruce Knight recently suggested “we need to retain

a sense of unwarranted optimism.” We will strive to keep

employees informed concerning these issues as we receive

information.

Through the years, NRCS and Soil Conservation District

employees have been widely admired and respected for

their work and the manner in which they performed their

jobs. Again, thank you for everything you do and let’s

continue that tradition.

James W. Ford

State Conservationist

Pandamonium Growing

in Memphis

Page 2

Plant Materials Study

Results

Page 3

EQIP--A Natural

Page 7

NRCS Employees Certified

Page 11

From the Office of the Tennessee

State Conservationist
 2

Current

Developments

“Pandamonium” Growing In Memphis, Tennessee!

August 5-6, 2003

Farmland Protection

Workshop for Limited

Resource Farmers

Memphis, TN

Contact: Gerry Cohn,

SE Regional Director,

American Farmland Trust

Email:gcohn@farmland.org

Website:www.farmland.org

August 7-8, 2003

Tennessee RC&D Council

Annual Meeting,

Columbia, TN.

Contact: Charlene Shelton

Email:chacha@tncharter.net

October 21-22, 2003

East Tennessee Expo

White Pine, TN

Website: www.east-tennexpo.com

Dec. 7-10, 2003

Second National

Grazing Lands Conference

Nashville, TN

website: www.glci.org.

 Upcoming Events John Charles Wilson, Chairman of the

Shelby County Soil Conservation

District Board and President of

Agricenter International is shown in

the photo to the left with bamboo

being grown at Agricenter International to help feed a pair of rare Panda

Bears from China now located at the

Memphis Zoo.

Le Le, a two-year-old female and Yah

Yah, a four-year-old male are from

two separate provinces in China, and

are on loan to the Memphis Zoo for

10 years. The two pandas arrived at

the Zoo in April and are part of a $16

million dollar China Exhibit that is

working to support giant panda

conservation projects in China.

“Agricenter International has

partnered with the Memphis Zoo to

grow six different varieties of bamboo on the farm,” says Wilson. “This

is a research project to determine

which variety the Pandas like best and

which variety is the best adapted to

this area. The bamboo has been

growing at Agricenter for three years

and the research is continuous.”

Pandas can consume from 20 to 40

lbs. of bamboo daily along with other

food while in captivity. In order to

have an abundant supply, bamboo is

also being grown at the Jamie L.

Whitten Plant Materials in

Coffeeville, Mississippi and by a local landowner. Agricenter International,

NRCS, and Soil Conservation Districts in Mississippi and Tennessee are

cooperating on the effort to feed the pandas. Educational packets are also

being developed for teachers, a video is being prepared about the project and

tours are being planned. The China Exhibit at the Memphis Zoo is now open

to the public.
 3

Current

Developments Plant Materials

Join us in Nashville

for the Second

National Grazing

Lands Conference

December 7-10, 2003.

For additional

information, visit the

GLCI website at:

www.glci.org/

Greg Brann, Tennessee NRCS

Grazing Lands Specialist, has been

involved in the collecting of plant

materials useful to landowners for a

number of years. One native species

that he collected in 1990 in

Montgomery County, Tennessee—

Highlander Eastern gamagrass—out

yielded Tifton 44 bermudagrass and

Alamo switchgrass when cut on a 45-

day interval. Tifton 44 yielded more

when cut on a 30-day interval.

Eastern gamagrass is a native grass

that can be found from

Massachusetts, west to Illinois and

Nebraska, and south to the West

Indies, Central America, and Brazil.

Highlander eastern gamagrass forms

large clumps, with thick, knotty,

rhizomes. Mature foliage height

ranges from 1.5 to 5 feet tall.

Highlander is recommended for forage production. It is best used as a hay crop; however, it can be grazed if given

appropriate management (i.e. rotational grazing) to prevent damage to the plant stand. It also has potential as a

perennial silage crop and as a source of biomass for bioenergy production. It can be used in many types of

conservation plantings, such as buffers and vegetative barriers.

Highlander was initially evaluated at the USDA-NRCS Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center (PMC), Coffeeville,

Mississippi, from 1992 through 1994. A total of 73 accessions, collected from nine states in the Southeast and southern

Great Plains of the United States, were included in the study. From these initial evaluations, Highlander was

determined to have superior vigor, growth form and development, and disease resistance.

Highlander was then selected by the PMC for inclusion in a regional trial comparing 13 eastern gamagrass accessions

from southern and western seed sources. This trial was conducted from 1996 through 1998 at nine PMCs, including the

Jamie L. Whitten PMC. Yield data

was collected at of these six sites.

Plants of all accessions except

Highlander died in the winter of 1997

or the early spring of 1998 at the

Coffeeville location due to a disease

problem.

Breeder seed will be maintained by

the USDA-NRCS Jamie L. Whitten

Plant Materials Center in Coffeeville,

MS. For additional information,

contact the PMC, or Greg Brann,

Grazing Lands Specialist, NRCS,

Nashville, Tennessee.

Greg Brann, Grazing Lands Specialist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nashville,

TN is shown in the photo above with Highlander Eastern gamagrass.in Montgomery County,

Tennessee.
 4

Current

Developments RC&D News

Meeting Held To Discuss

Resource Conservation

and Development Area

Expansion...

We are pleased to report on the

success of our training workshop for

Estate Planning Professionals. This

event was held on Monday – May 19,

2003 at Ridgefield’s Country Club in

Regional Conservation

Easement Workshop for

Estate Planners, CPA’s and

Tax Attorneys in Northeast

Tennessee...

Submitted by Roy Settle, RC&D

Coordinator, Appalachian RC&D

Area

Kingsport, Tennessee. We originally

estimated that we would attract approximately 40 members of our target audience to this event. We were fortunate

enough to form an alliance with Blackburn, Childers & Stegall, PLC; Appalachian Chapter of CPA’s and the Tri-City

Estate Planning Council. Through this partnership we were able to sell both groups on the concept of making this the

program for their semi annual meetings. This led to a highly successful event that attracted 89 professionals in the

field who now have the beginnings of a detailed understanding of what a Conservation Easement is.

Interest was high and many questions were asked of Mr. Marshall Peterson , Holbrook & Peterson, PLLC and Ed

Williams – Attorney at Law and Conservationist. We have arranged for one of the Attorney’s in attendance to write an

article that will be printed in the “TriCities-Business Journal” on the topic. This will reach a large audience that will be

made aware of this conservation and estate planning tool. Thanks to Tennessee Department of Agriculture support they

will be able to contact many professionals who can guide them through the process.

Buffalo-Duck RC&D Council Assists “Communities

Tomorrow” Initiative...

Submitted by Larry Lofton, RC&D Coordinator, Buffalo-Duck RC&D Area

A meeting was held on April 21,

2003 with representatives from

Carroll, Weakley, Henry, Benton,

Crockett and Gibson counties to

discuss expansion of the RC&D

Program in West Tennessee. Interest

has been shown by local government

officials from these counties to form

a new RC&D area. NRCS RC&D

program manager, Chickasaw-Shiloh

RC&D coordinator, Division I area

conservationist and the district

conservationists from the six

counties are working with county

officials to initiate the application

phase. Stay tuned...

Local leaders of Hickman, Lewis, Perry and Wayne Counties recognized the

need to work together to address a wide variety of economic and community

development issues. A united regional initiative called “Communities

Tomorrow” evolved as a process to seek out local input for establishing a

vision of what communities want to be, and defining goals and initiating

actions to make that vision a reality. The initiative places a strong emphasis on

strategic planning and effective partnering between local governments,

businesses, organizations, and state and federal agencies.

A strategic agenda for the four counties was developed through public input

workshops facilitated by staff from the Tennessee Valley Authority, USDA

Rural Development, the Buffalo-Duck RC&D Council, and the South Central

Tennessee Development District. A significant part of the initiative involves

“regional – based” collaboration in education and training, recreation, tourism,

and transportation. “Communities Tomorrow” is an on-going process, but the

benefits of increased cooperation between counties and communities are

already being realized with several community development projects

underway.
 5

Current

Developments

For over 25 years, George Meadows and his father

and sons have been looking for ways to keep

problem spots on their cotton-corn-soybeans

operation from slipping away after a good rain.

They began with terraces and sediment retention

basins. Meadows says that after 25 years the basins

are still “working like champs.” He also has

installed diversions, grassed waterways and rock drop structures allowing

water to safely leave the field. Meadows is especially impressed with the rock

drop structures’ easy maintenance.

In addition to these useful structures, however, Meadows has gradually

revamped the overall management of the fields and soil, allowing much more

of the rain to percolate in and raising the overall productivity of the fields.

The entire farm is now “no or low” till and crop residue and winter cover

crops further stabilize and enrich the fields. When combined with Meadows’

careful management of nutrients and pesticides this means a big contribution

to Lauderdale County’s water quality.

Finally, just for “family recreation and to give a little bit to wildlife” Meadows floods a section of a field every winter to create a shallow water area for

waterfowl and wildlife.

Meadows has participated in several farm conservation programs... Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), state cost share programs, Ducks Unlimited programs, and, of

course, completed some of it on his own.

Focus on the Field - Area 1

Conservation: A Family Tradition for

Meadows Family, Lauderdale

County...

NRCS Assists Lauderdale

County Landowner With

Challenging Environmental

Problems...

“We’re very pleased with the layout

now,” says Meadows. “Our fields are

in good shape and we have virtually

eliminated washes. It costs a little

more, but the benefits have definitely

been worth it.”

Marie Daniels, a landowner in the

Durhamville Community of

Lauderdale County, Tennessee

recently received assistance from

Tom Beasley, NRCS Agricultural

Engineer located at the Jackson Area

Office. Beasley was contacted to

design and install a series of erosion

control structures on some

environmentally sensitive lands on

her farm. Beasley stated, “Ms.

Daniels was concerned about erosion

occurring on her land. She contacted

NRCS to assist with several structures

and practices, such as, a rock weir

grade stabilization structure, grassed

waterways, and sediment control

basins.”

Ricky Daniels, son of Marie Daniels

who assisted in the installation of the

erosion structures stated, “The

structures were part of our

conservation plan that we developed

with Richard Cooke, District

Conservationist at the Ripley NRCS

Field Office.”

Cooke stated, “The Conservation

Reserve Program is an excellent

program to assist landowners to solve

erosion problems on environmentally

sensitive areas. The cost-share

assistance to install the conservation

practices on the land coupled with the

annual rental payments provided for

ten years by the Conservation

Reserve Program serve as excellent

incentives to encourage landowners to

apply needed conservation practices

on these environmentally sensitive

lands.” “This is a popular program

with landowners in Lauderdale

County, and I encourage other

landowners to plan and apply needed

conservation practices under this

program,” he added.
 6

Current Focus on the Field - Area 1 Developments

Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoors Festival a Big Success! The Shelby County Soil Conservation

District and USDA Natural Resources

Conservation Service recently

partnered on an exhibit entitled “2002

Farm Bill” at the Ducks Unlimited

Great Outdoors Festival. The event

was held May 31-June 2 at the Ducks

Unlimited Headquarters located

adjacent to AgriCenter International.

The event draws over 100,000 attendees annually. The exhibit, set up in

the Conservation Village area, was

visited by landowners, wildlife

enthusiasts, students, teachers, urban

dwellers and others who were given

information about conservation

programs and services available.

Upcoming Events

NRCS and 4-H Team Up for Wildlife...

On a windy spring afternoon a small group of dedicated youth from the Crockett County 4-H learned about wildlife

habitat and erosion. They also learned how landowners can play a big part in quail population recovery using native

plants that are both good for wildlife and erosion control. Mike Hansbrough, USDA Natural Resources Conservation

Service (NRCS) Private Lands Biologist, gave the 4-H group an informative field tour and spoke about native warm

season grasses and the habitat benefits of using these grasses. A conservation seed mix blended by USDA-NRCS and

Quail Unlimited and funded by the Chickasaw Shiloh Resource Conservation and Development Council, Tennessee

Wildlife Resources Agency, and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, allowed the youth to get some “hands-on

experience.” The group sowed the wildlife friendly seed using hand-held seeders donated by Quail Unlimited...in

hopes of providing future habitat for wildlife on a local Crockett County farm.
 7

Current Focus on the Field - Area 2 Developments

EQIP Program – “A Natural” for Tennessee Landowner...

In the photo above, Brenda Fielder is shown on

the right as Greg Brann, NRCS Grazing Lands

Specialist (left) provides technical assistance to

Fielder and her employee.

.

Stones River National

Battlefield Interagency

Agreement To Increase

Native Plants...

NRCS/District Partner on

Booth at Tennessee Lawn

and Garden Show...

Recently, Larry Robeson, NRCS

District Conservationist and Cory

Hodge, Soil Conservationist of the

NRCS Field Office in Murfreesboro

met with Terri Hogan, Ecologist with

the National Park Service along with

John Vandevender, Manager, Warren

Haynes, Technician, and Dan

Pinkham, Technician from the

Alderson Plant Material Center in

West Virginia. The meeting was held

at the Stones River National

Battlefield to start up a five-year

interagency agreement between the

National Park Service and the

Alderson Plant Material Center. Over

the next five years the (PMC) staff

will collect, evaluate, grow, and

increase native plant materials to

revegetate disturbed areas on the

Battlefield

The EQIP Program was a natural for me since I always believed very strongly

in the preservation of our environment,” says Brenda Fielder, landowner in

Cheatham County,

Tennessee.

Fielder contacted the

Cheatham County Soil

Conservation District and

Natural Resources

Conservation Service for

assistance with her 300-

acre farm after her Dad

passed away. Actually,

the farm has been in the

Fielder family for several

generations.

Since Fielder was a little

girl she had dreamed of

moving to the farm and

doing something

productive with the land.

She said her original idea

was to have her own pony farm. “At age 43, I finally made the move, but I did

not have a clue where to start. I called Carolyn Dillard, NRCS District

Conservationist, Ashland City, Tennessee, and she talked with me about the

possibilities,” Fielder said. Fielder signed up in the EQIP program and was

approved. She immediately bought 65 head of beef cattle. She had already

completed some fencing, but continued with cross fencing and other best

management practices.

“I do have to admit that I was resistant to some of the ideas in the beginning,

such as too many fences and gates for freedom of pleasure riding, which was

my original reason for moving to the farm in the first place. But, Carolyn was

so patient and understanding and always took our priorities into consideration.

By doing that, she won us over to the advantages of the EQIP practices we put

into place.” Fielder stated.

Rotating the cows every few days has actually given Fielder an good excuse

for an early morning ride a few times a week, one with a purpose in mind.

She says, “Our running joke is we got the cows just to have a legitimate

excuse to ride!”

 “Carolyn Dillard is much more than just the “cost share lady”. Her job is to

show us how these practices can actually benefit us all in the long run and

help us accomplish our ultimate goal of sustainable agriculture and

preservation of our centuries old farm land — too much is being lost to

development, in my opinion,” Fielder added.

The Tennessee Lawn and Garden

Show was held recently at the

Tennessee State Fairgrounds. The

Natural Resources Conservation

Service partnered on a booth with the

Wilson County Soil Conservation

District.

Christy Luna, District

Conservationist, Lebanon Field

Office stated, “This is a very effective

outreach effort to reach our nontraditional and potential customers.”

The attendance at the event continues

to grow with people attending from

several surrounding counties. The

attendance for the weekend was well

over 20,000 people.
 8

Current

Developments

7

Focus on the Field - Area 2

Shown the photo (left)

are Steve and Margaret Cunningham.

They recently received the Conservation Farmers of the

Year Award at the

Coffee County Soil

Conservation District

Annual Banquet and

the Southeast Regional Conservation

Award from the U. S.

Fish and Wildlife

Service.

Coffee County Landowners “Team Up” for Conservation... Rutherford County Soil

Conservation District Partners

to Develop School Greenhouse

Project ...

The Rutherford Soil Conservation

District Board of Supervisors, USDA

Natural Resources Conservation

Service, and the University of

Tennessee Agricultural Extension

Service have formed a partnership

with the Murfreesboro City Schools

to help finalize the Hobgood

Elementary School Greenhouse

Project. NRCS will provide technical

assistance for the project. The

greenhouse will enable the school to

have a working laboratory that will

aid in developing the students’

economics, mathematics, language

arts, and science skills. Hobgood

Elementary has received an Atlas

Grant that will provide approximately

$41,000 of the $56,000 needed. The

school has raised $8000 of their

$15,000 goal. The student population

at Hobgood Elementary is 47%

minorities and 67% of the students

participate in the Free or Reduced

Lunch Program. The success of this

project will facilitate the students’

understanding the importance of

agriculture and conserving our natural

resources.

Historical Note...

President Roosevelt signed the

Soil Conservation Act, Public

Law 46-74, an act to provide

permanently for the control

and prevention of soil erosion

and specifically directed the

Secretary of Agriculture to

establish an agency known as

the Soil Conservation Service.

Steve and Margaret Cunningham, a husband and wife farming team in

Coffee County, Tennessee own a 285-acre Holstein dairy heifer

replacement operation. The Cunningham’s were interested in improving

their land and the water quality on their farm. They contacted the Coffee

County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation

Service and enrolled in the EQIP program. To offset their out-of-pocket costs

for conservation practice installation, they partnered with agencies and groups

such as the Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture, Nature Conservancy of Tennessee,

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Division of Forestry, Tennessee

Wildlife Resources Agency, Conservation Fisheries Institute, and Quail

Unlimited of Tennessee. Best management practices were installed to exclude

cattle from streams and wetlands and establish more wildlife habitat.

The Cunningham’s wanted to create and/or restore habitat for certain aquatic

species, particularly the globally rare, Barrens topminnow. To accomplish this

they agreed to restore, protect, and manage two springs, the adjacent runs,

surrounding buffer zones, and create small pools, specifically for this species.

In addition to the streams and springs, they also converted ten acres of

cropland and grassland to native warm season grasses to provide habitat for

migrating birds, cottontail rabbits, and bobwhite quail. In the future, the

Cunningham’s plan to dedicate a portion of their farmland to teach adults and

students about fencing, watering systems, water quality of streams and

springs, and protecting rare aquatic species and animals on private property.

Another result of their efforts include joining with seven contiguous

landowners and enrolling in conservation programs to protect approximately

four miles of riparian/spring habitat for the Barrens topminnow and other

species including the federally endangered Cumberland pigtoe mussel and the

state threatened flame chub.

The Cunningham’s have been widely recognized for their efforts in

environmental stewardship and natural resource conservation, they have

recently received the following awards: Conservation Farmers of the Year by

the Coffee County Soil Conservation District and Southeast Regional

Conservation Award from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 9

Current Focus on the Field - Area 3 Developments

Bradley County Conservation Field Day Held...

A conservation field day was held on June 5, 2003 in Bradley County, Tennessee on the farm of Varnell and James

Beaty. The Beaty’s are a father and son team, who have a poultry/dairy farm and plenty of environmental challenges,

but with several conservation programs, they have been very successful in meeting those challenges! The tour

highlighted numerous best management practices that

have been implemented on the Beaty Farm. The BMP’s

are part of a total resource management system planned

to benefit both the landowner and the public.

Candies Creek, which is a 303d listed stream, flows

through the farm. The Beaty’s were concerned about the

water quality and wanted improve and protect it. They

contacted the Bradley County Soil Conservation District

and NRCS for technical assistance primarily on how to

install best management practices to protect the creek

bottoms, build fences for proper pasture management,

and construct stream crossings for the equipment and

cattle.

James operates four poultry broiler houses which

produce over 100,000 birds every six weeks or so. A

couple of years ago, he constructed a dead poultry

composter and also a poultry litter storage building with

both technical and financial assistance from USDA.

Presentations were made on the tour by several speakers

from the Natural Resources Conservation Service,

Bradley County Soil Conservation District, Tennessee

Department of Agriculture, University of Tennessee

Agricultural Extension Service, and Farm Service

Agency.

Bill Dailey, District Conservationist with the USDA

Natural Resources Conservation Service located in

Cleveland, Tennessee gave highlights of the tour and

explained what the Beaty’s had accomplished. He stated,

“The farm is diverse in operation and has very

challenging environmental concerns. Through their care

and stewardship of the land, the Beaty’s have

implemented numerous best management practices.”

Gregg Brann, NRCS Grazing Lands Specialist and Bill Dailey, discussed pasture management, pest management,

alternative-watering systems, and cross fencing. In addition, they provided information about grazing sticks that were

given to all attendees compliments of the Bradley County Soil Conservation District.

The Bradley County Soil Conservation District sponsored the tour along with other partners including Southeast

Tennessee Resource Conservation and Development Council, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources

Conservation Service, UT Agricultural Extension Service, and the Farm Service Agency.

Approximately 70 persons attended the event.
 10

Current Focus on the Field - Area 3 Developments

Claiborne County Farm Tour--A Huge Success!

Shown in the photo above are landowners and others who participated in a tour held

recently on Billy and Debbie Venable’s farm in the Little Sycamore Creek Watershed

area of Claiborne County, Tennessee.

In the photo above, (L-R) James Ford,

State Conservationist, Natural Resources

Conservation Service; Jim Nance,

Tennessee Department of Agriculture;

and Jenny Adkins, Water Quality

Specialist, Natural Resources

Conservation Service discuss water

quality improvements made in the Little

Sycamore Creek Watershed as a result of

efforts by Billy and Debbie Venable and

other landowners.

Billy and Debbie Venable of Tazewell

were concerned with the natural

resource problems evident on their

farm, some of which included too few

watering locations and severe creek

bank erosion. Venable contacted

District Conservationist Todd Reed

and Soil Conservationist Bobby

Ellison of the Natural Resources

Conservation Service and

representatives of the Claiborne

County Soil Conservation District.

Venable worked with NRCS to

develop a plan to address the

concerns he had on his farm.

Several agencies and programs were

then brought together to help the

Venables offset the cost of installing

the conservation plan. Included were:

Tennessee Department of

Agriculture’s Non-Point Source fund,

Environmental Quality Incentives

Program, Conservation Reserve

Program, and a Tennessee Valley

Authority grant. The cooperating

agencies involved with improving the

water quality and other natural

resources on this project were the

Natural Resources Conservation

Service (NRCS), Claiborne County

Soil Conservation District (CCSCD),

Tennessee Department of Agriculture

(TDA), Tennessee Valley Authority

(TVA), Tennessee Department of

Forestry (TDF) and the Farm Service

Agency (FSA).

On May 1, 2003, the Claiborne

County Soil Conservation District in

partnership with NRCS and others

held an educational tour to give

landowners and others an opportunity

to view what had been accomplished

on the Venable farm in the Little

Sycamore Watershed area.

The tour consisted of three sites

where conservation best management

practices were put into place. The

best management practices

showcased on the Venable farm were

cross fencing for rotational grazing,

spring development, alternate

watering system, heavy use area pad,

stream bank stabilization, and riparian

buffers. Tour stops included

presentations by Todd Reed, District

Conservationist, Clairborne/Union

Counties, NRCS; Mike McElroy,

District Conservationist, Greene

County, NRCS; Jenny Adkins, Water

Quality Specialist, NRCS, Nashville;

Shannon O’Quinn, TVA; Tiffany Day,

TVA, and Steve Roark, Tennessee

Division of Forestry.

Sponsors of the tour were: Claiborne

County SCD, Natural Resources

Conservation Service, Tennessee

Valley Authority, Tennessee

Department of Agriculture, and the

Tennessee Department of Forestry.

Approximately 130 landowners, local

FFA students, and others participated

in the tour. All participants received

“Farm the Best, Buffer the Rest”

teeshirts along with other items.
 11

Current T Developments echnology Update

NRCS Employees “Certified” across Tennessee...

Intensive training of NRCS employees has been carried out

in Tennessee to enable employees to become certified

conservation planners. Recently, the following employees

were officially certified and presented certification awards:

Area 2

Bill Abbott

Louis Boyd

Kenny Childress

Matt Crowell

Carolyn Dillard

Phillip Dixon

Mark Garretson

George Hofstetter

Hugh Jackson

Christy Luna

Wynne Mitchell

Gary Moore

Charles Parris

Odell Poyner

Larry Robeson

David Tapp

Mike Tatum

Greg Taylor

Rusty Walker

Phillip Wilson

Ray Holyfield

Area 1

Jerry Butler

Mark Roberts

Brad Denton

Ron Harrison

Doug Summers

Charles Frost

Craig Ellis

Mike Hansbrough

James Woodall

Richard Cooke

Gary Chandler

Gary Blackwood

Carter Andrews

Mark Carroll

Rick Cody

Andy Neal

Donald Roan

Richard West

Rona Needham

Meredith Crosby

Roger Smith

Leslie McCool

Ronald Perkins

Matthew Denton

Todd Reynolds

Trent Cash

Brad Grisham

Nearlene Bass

Chris Moyers

Area 3

Dewitt Simerly

Kathy Daugherty

Bill Dailey

Johnny Sandefur

Mike Shoffner

Paul McQuade

Tony Sexton

Erik Suffridge

Todd Reed

Bobby Ellison

Dwight Dickson

Mike McElroy

Chester Bush

Darrell Beason

Wayne Treadway

Lorella Jennings

Freddie Summers

Jerry Frady

Linda Bierley

Terry Gupton

Alicia Whitten

Daymond Broyles

Russell Kinser

David Weakley

David Meriner

Randy Parnell

Greg Quillen

Katherine Sells

Fred Walker

Gloria York

In the above photo (l-r) Charles Adams, Regional

Conservationist, NRCS, Atlanta, GA;

James Woodall, District Conservationist, NRCS, Camden,

Tennessee; and James Ford, State Conservationist, NRCS,

Nashville, Tennessee are shown at the Area 1 Certification

Ceremony on April 30, 2003.

“There is a direct correlation between

competence and motivation. Those who

believe they are good at something, and have

a good shot at getting better, are measurably

more motivated and satisfied.”

Source: Reflections on Leadership, Retaining Good People

By Edward D. Miller
 12

Current

Developments

Several members of our NRCS family

have lost loved ones this year. We

would like to remember each one and

express our deepest sympathy.

In Remembrance...

USDA Natural Resources

Conservation Service

675 U. S. Courthouse

Nashville, Tennessee 37203

Telephone: 615/277-2531

FAX: 615/277-2577

Tennessee Technical Committee

The U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) prohibits

discrimination in all its programs

and activities on the basis of

race, color, national origin, sex,

religion, age, disability, political

beliefs, sexual orientation, or

marital or family status. (Not all

prohibited bases apply to all

programs.) Persons with

disabilities who require

alternative means for

communication of program

information (Braille, large print,

audiotape, etc.) should contact

USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-

720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of

discrimination, write USDA,

Director, Office of Civil Rights,

Room 326W, Whitten Building,

14th and Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410

or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and

TDD). USDA is an equal

opportunity provider and

employer.

Shown in the

photo on the left

is Donald

Dotson,

(standing)

Assistant State

Conservationist

for Programs,

NRCS, speaking

to participants

at a recent

Tennessee

Technical

Committee

meeting.

The Tennessee Technical Committee meets regularly to gather input from

individuals from a variety of natural resource sciences and occupations on

NRCS programs and services. James Ford, State Conservationist, Natural

Resources Conservation Service, chairman of the committee in Tennessee,

stated “Meetings are normally held on a quarterly basis, but may be called to

address pressing issues or concerns. NRCS encourages attendance at

Tennessee Technical Committee meetings and welcomes recommendations

and suggestions pertaining to its programs and services. NRCS strives to see

that all interests are adequately represented on the committee and that

committee recommendations are applied in a streamlined and cost-effective

manner.” The next meeting is scheduled for July 15, 2003, at Ellington

Agricultural Center in Nashville, TN. Topics to be discussed include:

Conservation Reserve Program, Tennessee Livestock and Poultry Framework

Plan, and the New Grassland Reserve Program. For additional information,

contact Donald Dotson - Email: ddotson@tn.nrcs.usda.gov.