Iowa NRCS Report New State Conservationist Jay T. Mar • North Dakota Native. • NRCS experience in North Dakota, Wyoming, Delaware and most recently Connecticut. Including former RC&D coordinator. • Range and wildlife management background. Budget Briefing • Continuing resolution until March 27 • Sequestration—Sec. Vilsack announced a $2 billion across the board cut for USDA during FY 2013.. • We have prepared for worst and are hoping for best. • Did affect our ability to commit to partners at previous levels. Farm Bill XIII Agreement • Still able to fund agreement with CDI for Farm Bill implementation. • Signed agreement for $300,000, with hopes we can increase depending on results of sequestration and CRP workload. CDSI Update • Implementation of the Conservation Delivery Streamline Initiative (CDSI) has been delayed until at least October 2014. • CDSI includes three main parts: conservation desktop, client gateway and mobile planner. Each part of CDSI should be fully operational by Fall 2015. New Farm Bill • Old Farm Bill was extended for one year. Set to expire on September 30, 2013. • Program acreage limits (i.e. CSP, CRP, GRP) were not increased and are limited to old Farm Bill. • New Farm Bill is under construction--again. FY13 Special Funding Opportunities • Mississippi River Healthy Watersheds Initiative • Driftless Area Initiative • National Water Quality Initiative • Greenhouse Gas Initiative • Grass Fed Beef Initiative • Conservation Innovation Grants (National & State) Soil Health • National campaign “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil” launched in October. • Iowa gearing up for state-wide training for employees, customer outreach, workshops, additional field office tools (test kits, penetrometers) etc. • New, energized emphasis on soil health: improved crop performance, reduced input costs, better water infiltration (less erosion and flooding and better drought resistance.) Soil Health in a Minute Videos • Access Soil Health Videos at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/d etailfull/national/soils/health/?cid=stelprdb 1048858 Cover Crops Cover Crops Before… & After Before… & After Before… & After Before… & After Before … & After MRBI At-A-Glance (FY 10,11,12) Total Contracts CCPI-MRBI Total Contract Acres FA Obligations 429 73,600 $13.7 M 2010 45 5,490 $1.3 M 2011 155 24,790 $6.3 M 2012 229 43,322 $6 M 34 4,138 $100,000 463 77,742 $13,766,606 MBRI-non CCPI Grand Total Programs At-A-Glance FY 2012 Dollars Acres Treated Contracts EQIP $25 M 164,000 1,665 Conservation Stewardship Program (FY 10,11,12) $22.1 M 794,000 1,789 Wetlands Reserve Program $21 M 4,814 53 Grassland Reserve Program $700,000 785 3 Conservation Security Program $14.8 M 506,000 1,237 FY12 Backlog At-A-Glance Program Dollars Applications EQIP $80 M 3,490 WRP $36 M 95 Iowa NRCS FY 2013 Priorities Technical, accountable people serving the public. Technical On Farm Conservation Planning with Producers Accountable Proper Contract Management People Promote Partnerships and Teamwork Public Building New Customer Relationships Questions?