Nebraska NRCS 2008 

Commitment to Conservation

Helping People Help the Land

Nebraska NRCS FY2008 

Accomplishments

Environmental Quality 

Incentives Program (EQIP) 

- 1,330 new contracts for 

$25.5 million, including 44 

new manure management 

systems. The Ground & 

Surface Water Conservation Program had 151 new 

contracts for $4 million. 

Wildlife Habitat Incentives 

Program (WHIP) - 75 new 

contracts totaling 7,212 

acres for $1.2 million.

Wetlands Reserve 

Program (WRP) - 40 projects have had $6.3 million 

obligated to new easements 

or cost share agreements. 

Thirty-two easements have 

been filed this year protecting 2,235 acres of wetland. 

Across the state 3,511 acres 

of wetlands will be restored.

Conservation Security 

Program (CSP) - Nebraska 

led the nation with 202 new 

contracts totaling $3.1 million, and covering 251,232 

acres.

Watershed Rehabilitation

- Obligated $1.5 million for 

the renovation of two aging 

PL-566 dams.

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Hugh Hammond Bennett, the founder of the Soil Conservation Service 

- now the Natural Resources Conservation Service - would be ecstatic 

that private lands conservation is growing. This year our Nebraska 

NRCS employees have obligated over $60 million in new conservation improvement contracts. Our nation’s commitment to private lands conservation will be 

even stronger in the 2008 Farm Bill, which increases funding to over $4 billion. 

Bennett recognized the niche for NRCS was to work directly with farmers and 

ranchers. He would be pleased that 80% of our highly-skilled 300 permanent 

employees in Nebraska are field-based and working on the land with producers. 

By 1937 Bennett determined that NRCS needed a local conduit through which 

we could provide technical and financial assistance. Therefore he wrote the 

standard soil conservation district law, which allowed states to create conservation districts. Bennett would be thrilled today to see NRCS providing assistance 

in partnership with 3,000 local conservation districts. He would be especially 

excited about our watershed-based Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) in Nebraska, and even more pleased to see that NRDs leverage Federal conservation 

efforts by providing secretaries in each NRCS office, and in many cases, additional technical assistance personnel. 

Finally, Bennett sought partnerships. He would be pleased to see how NRCS in 

Nebraska has over 20 partnership agreements resulting in over 60 other agencies’ employees working in our field offices. He would strongly endorse our 

efforts to focus on the most critical natural resources needs (see page 2). 

Hugh Hammond Bennett would be filled with pride to see that what he established in 1935 has grown to an exceptional Federal, State and local partnership. 

There is no doubt that he would hold Nebraska high as the very best example of 

a commitment to conservation. In the spirit of Hugh Hammond Bennett we can 

celebrate the accomplishments of the 2002 Farm Bill as we look forward to even 

greater opportunities in the new Farm Bill.

Stephen K. Chick

Nebraska NRCS State Conservationist
	 	 	 	 	 USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Nebraska, September 2008

Lower Missouri River Wetlands Reserve 

Enhancement Program (WREP)

The Lower Missouri River Wetlands Reserve Enhancement 

Program project in Nebraska enhances the state’s wetland 

restoration efforts by maximizing environmental benefits 

in a cost-effective manner with the aid of multiple partners. To date, over 10,000 acres in 100 contracts have been 

enrolled in the WREP project area. Over the life of the 

project NRCS funding has been $19.2 million. 

Missouri River Futures (MRF)

In FY08, Missouri River Futures coordinated conservation efforts along the Missouri National Recreational River 

(MNRR) by meeting with landowners, attending public and 

interagency meetings, creating semi-annual newsletters, addressing special conservation needs and promoting natural 

resource programs. The MRF held its 1st Annual Missouri 

River Landowner Conservation Workshop in March, which 

was attended by several MNRR stakeholders and agencies. 

More information about MRF is available at

www.missouririverfutures.com. 

Shell Creek Watershed Improvement Group

The Shell Creek Watershed in northeast Nebraska had 32 

contracts totaling over $120,000 to provide assistance with 

no-till implementation, no-till crop consultation, non-invasive nitrogen application, sediment basins, septic system 

upgrades, nutrient management, dams and well decommissioning. The Shell Creek Watershed Improvement Group 

secured grants from the Neb. Environmental Trust and the 

Dept. of Environmental Quality to offer land treatment 

practices. Over $330,000 was available for best management practices in 2008.

No-Till Promotion

No-till expos and field days presented by the No-Till Cadre 

have been well attended by producers across the state. The 

NRCS Rainfall Simulator is used to demonstrate the degrading effect of rainfall on bare soils compared to residuecovered soils and long term no-till soils. Producers remark 

that this is one of the most eye-opening presentations they 

have seen. Continuous no-till systems continue to grow 

across Nebraska. Preliminary results from the 2008 Conservation Technology Information Center’s survey shows 

a 20% increase in Madison County’s corn no-tilled into 

soybean stubble, and a 10% increase in soybeans no-tilled 

into corn stubble. The NRCS expects similar increases in 

continuous no-till across the state.

Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition (NGLC)

Tamara Beardsley-Choat was hired as NGLC coordinator 

cooperatively through funds from a Neb. Environmental 

Trust grant, NGLC, Sandhills Taskforce, NRCS and other 

entities. The Cowboy Logic Rancher Stewardship Program of the NGLC promotes the training and sharing of 

resources between ranchers and farmers. The objective is 

to improve rangeland resources through a network where 

ranchers help ranchers solve resource problems and identify new opportunities in grazing land conservation. Other 

key activities included the range forum and the Nebraska 

Grazing Lands Conference held in Kearney, Neb.

Technical Service Providers (TSP)

Several agreements have leveraged NRCS funds to place 

TSP employees in NRCS field offices to provide technical 

assistance to landowners. These agreements include grazing specialists in the Twin Platte and Lower Loup NRDs, 

an agronomist and forester in the Lower Elkhorn NRD, 

biologists through partnerships with Neb. Game & Parks 

Commission, Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever, 

foresters through the Neb. Forest Service, and an agreement with the NGLC to provide grazing lands technical 

assistance to ranchers across the state. Another agreement 

for two technicians with the Nemaha NRD has just been 

signed. Through these agreements NRCS and partners 

fund over 20 TSP employees in NRCS field offices. These 

partnerships help NRCS increase the amount of assistance 

that can be provided to producers across the state.

Sandhills Taskforce

The Sandhills Taskforce coordinates the efforts of many 

agencies and private landowners in the Sandhills, including; U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Neb. Game & Parks, private 

ranchers, NRDs, NRCS and local groups. Through this 

collective effort the Taskforce is able to balance ranching 

with the needs of wildlife and wetland conservation.

Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV)

The RWBJV serves as a focal point to coordinate wetland 

conservation activities within south central Nebraska. The 

RWBJV works directly with landowners, organizations and 

agencies involved with wetland conservation. Through this 

partnership wetland conservation is more effective than one 

group working alone. The RWBJV is coordinating efforts 

to provide Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), which is 

a system used to collect topographic data. This data will be 

used to plan wetland restoration and conservation needs.