Overview of the USDA 

Natural Resource 

Conservation Service

Sarah Brown

National Organic Conservation Specialist

USDA NRCS & Oregon Tilth

NOSB Meeting

April 29, 2014

San Antonio, Texas
Outline

• Overview of NRCS & Programs

• Linking OSPs with NRCS plans

• Assessing soil conservation 

practices
Natural Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS)

United States Department of Agriculture

• NRCS Services

– Soil Survey

– Technical Assistance

• Conservation Planning

• Practice Implementation

– Farm Bill Programs

• Financial Assistance

– Emergency Assistance

– Conservation Partnership 

Efforts

– Information & Outreach
What are NRCS resource concerns?

Soil Erosion

Inadequate 

habitat for 

wildlife

Degraded Plant 

Condition Soil Quality 

Degradation

Water Quality 

Degradation
NRCS Resource 

Assessments

• Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation - RUSLE2

• Wind Erosion Prediction System – WEPS

• Rangeland Health Assessment Protocol

• Pasture Condition Scoring

• Energy Estimators

• Windows Pesticide Screening Tool -WIN-PST

• Environmental Evaluation

• And many more!
Environmental Quality Incentive 

Program (EQIP)

Technical and financial 

assistance to help plan and 

implement conservation 

practices that address 

natural resource concerns

and for opportunities to 

improve soil, water, plant, 

animal, air and related 

resources on agricultural land 

and non-industrial private 

forestland.
EQIP Organic Initiative

• Eligible producers- certified organic, 

transitional, and exempt 

– Certified producers: Submit Certification\Proof of 

Good Standing

– Transitional and Exempt – Submit Self-Certification

• Statutory Payment limits: $20 million 

annually and $80 million/contract
Self-Certification
What are NRCS ‘conservation practices’?

NRCS Organic Initiative 

bit.ly/2013EqipOI
Conservation Stewardship Program 

(CSP)

CSP encourages producers to address 

resource concerns in a comprehensive 

manner by:

• Undertaking additional conservation 

activities; and

• Improving, maintaining, and managing 

existing conservation activities.

Under CSP, participants are paid for 

conservation performance: the higher the 

operational performance, the higher their 

payment.
"Enhancement" means a type of conservation 

activity used to treat natural resources and improve 

conservation performance. Enhancements are 

installed at a level of management intensity that 

exceeds the sustainable level.

CSP Enhancements
Soil Quality Enhancement Activity – SQL08 –

Intercropping to improve soil quality and increase 

biodiversity 

This enhancement involves the use of intercropping principles 

(i.e., growing two or more crops in close proximity to each 

other during part or all of their life cycles) to promote 

interactions that improve soil and water quality via increased 

biodiversity and contribute to pest management.
NRCS Support for Organic Producers

• Technical assistance

• Financial assistance

• Only supports 

conservation

– NOT production, marketing, 

finances, business 

planning, etc.

• Buffers

• Building soil organic matter

• Crop rotation

– Including cover crops

• Nutrient management

• Minimizing erosion

• Increasing biodiversity

• Natural resource management

• Structural Practices (High tunnels, 

manure storage, watering facilities etc.)
CAP 138: Conservation Activity 

Plan Supporting Transition to 

Organic

• Evaluates resource concerns such as erosion, soil 

quality/organic matter, water quality, plant health, soil 

fertility, pest management, biodiversity status and 

others. 

• Completed by Technical Service Providers (TSPs) 

• Not an OSP 
Land Use History

Affirmations

Production practices

Recordkeeping

Commingling/contamination

Maps

Natural resource assessment

Planned practices

Pest management

Soil Fertility Management

Crop rotation

Inputs

OSP

CAP 138

Reducing Redundancy: Linking Plans
Assessing Soil 

Conservation Practices
Background

Highly Erodible Land (HEL) provisions have been required since 1985. To access 

some USDA program benefits producers must self-certify that they are in 

compliance by agreeing:

• NOT to plant or produce an agricultural commodity on HEL unless actively 

applying an approved conservation plan or maintaining a fully applied 

conservation system.

ISSUE: Instances have been reported where certified organic operations, meeting 

the NOP regulations, are out of compliance with HEL provisions. 
What is HEL?

Highly erodible land can erode at 

an excessive rate due to the climate 

factors, soil type, field slope and 

slope length. If the maximum annual 

rate of soil erosion causes a decline 

in sustainability, it is highly erodible. 

NRCS routinely makes HEL 

determinations for program 

participants and can make an HEL 

determination upon request. 
What does compliance 

mean?

• Conservation Compliance 

on HEL lands allow for 

twice the tolerable soil 

erosion than that of a basic 

conservation systems.

• Producers who are found 

out of compliance with the 

HEL provisions have a year 

to work with NRCS to get 

into compliance. 
Questions to consider

• How big of an issue is this?

• How are ACAs assessing soil 

erosion? 

• Are visual assessments and one 

annual inspection sufficient?

• Is soil erosion by ACAs being 

assessed consistently?

• Should producers report HEL 

determinations to their ACAs?

• How and when do ACAs determine 

a non-compliance?

• Do outdoor access requirements 

contribute to non-compliances?
Sarah Brown

National Organic Conservation 

Specialist

USDA NRCS & Oregon Tilth

503-779-6557

Sarah.brown@por.usda.gov