As usual, you can listen/watch from the comfort of your desk or from your couch… whichever you prefer on a Thursday morning. If you click on this link, you’ll be taken to the Idaho Legislature Live website. Just scroll down a bit, and then click on “Agricultural Affairs” under the Senate Committees column.

We plan to share our partnership video with the committee, but please let us know if you have any ideas for our presentation!

If you’re interested in advertising, or have a story to share, please contact Bret or Nancy.

Commissioner H. Norman Wright was next, and let the committee know he is an Idaho native. Commissioner Wright worked for the Soil Conservation Service for a short time, and then for Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. He settled in American Falls in 1978. Though retired, he is the Lions Club president and serves on the American Falls City Council. Commissioner Wright told the committee that he felt service is important, and he is a firm believer in conservation.

There were very few questions to either of the commissioners, and Chairman Siddoway said they would be back on Thursday (January 26th) to vote on the confirmation.

Kristin Magruder then presented the rules governing the allocation of funds to conservation districts. She gave a short speech to the committee, and then took questions. Chairman Siddoway asked what the funding sources were for the maximum allocation. Kristin responded that typically, districts get funds from their county. But districts could also receive funds from businesses and anything other than an individual contribution as long as the funds were for general purposes.

Senator Bock moved to adopt this rule, and Senator Nuxoll seconded the motion. It was adopted by voice vote.

Finally, please know these are not official minutes! IASCD was in the audience today, and we took a few notes to share with you!

We hand delivered our letter to the JFAC members on Tuesday.   Below you can read a short portion of our letter, or if you click here, you can read the letter in its entirety.

We know the difficult economy continues to linger across our nation and our state. Idahoans continue to make tough financial decisions regarding their small businesses or with their family checkbook. Governor Otter, the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee, and all of your colleagues have done outstanding work to keep our state’s budget balanced.

The state dollars invested in the district match ripple out into our communities and impact all facets of our economy. We are requesting an increase of $174,300 to the SWC’s FY13 budget in order to fully meet the two-to-one state match set in state code. This additional funding will allow districts to put more conservation projects on the ground, and continue to be the state leader in natural resource issues.

The Board gave a brief history of districts and IASCD, as well as describing the work districts do each day to preserve, sustain, and enhance our state’s natural resources.

Locally-led, non-regulatory conservation is the most effective way to help individual land owners and communities preserve natural resources using a voluntary approach to land stewardship. The state dollars invested in these programs ripple out into our communities and impact all facets of our economy; less sediment in rivers means a pristine river for fishing or rafting; healthy soil means a more plentiful crop; responsible land management means a balance between species habitat and grazing.

Our districts and IASCD will be in touch with you during this session to share successful conservation projects that have had positive impacts to their local environment and provide background to you on any natural resources issues that come before you. Districts and IASCD will also share their support for a fully funded 2-to-1 state fund match to districts. This would be consistent with the provision in Idaho Code 22-2727.

During this legislative session, IASCD will work with member districts to tell our story to our state officials. Please let us know if you’d also like to write your legislator a short letter. We’d be happy to help you craft it!

In response, the Board drafted a Letter to the Editor. Our letter was published on January 5, 2012. You can click here to read the letter, or simply read it below.

Conservation districts play an integral role
January 5, 2012

We read with great interest Mr. Rocky Barker’s Christmas Day article on rural Idaho. The only missing piece was the work Idaho’s 50 individual soil and water conservation districts do to improve rural economies and preserve Idaho’s natural resources.

For example, Mr. Barker pointed out the rising cost of fuel, fertilizer and energy. Districts work each day with farmers, ranchers and private landowners to help save each of these resources. A district can work with a landowner to install a pivot irrigation system, cutting a farmer’s energy bill dramatically. Buying the pivot from a local business can inject $80,000 into the local economy.

Local governments have been working with districts for years to improve wildlife habitat, restore forests and rebuild streambanks. Local entities know that districts are best suited to work with the land and private landowners, as districts are codified in state statute to be the primary entities for natural resource protection.

Idaho’s soil and water conservation districts are an integral part of Idaho’s rural landscape and vital players in helping our farmers and ranchers protect our precious natural resources.

RANDY PURSER, Moore
IASCD President

The first article was about Custer’s annual banquet, where a number of individuals were honored for their conservation work, speeches, and posters.

The second article discusses Custer’s work to improve habitat for juvenile salmon and steelhead on a local stretch of the Salmon River.

Both are outstanding stories, and a perfect example of free media. If you have a few minutes, please click on the above links to read the full story.  We encourage you to create a relationship with your local reporter, and contact them to share the conservation projects your districts is putting on the ground.

Finally, we just finished moving into our new office. You can now find us at 4696 W. Overland Road in Boise. Please feel free to stop by if you find yourself in Boise!

“These initiatives provide a different approach to conserving resources on Idaho’s agricultural lands,” said Jeff Burwell, NRCS State Conservationist. “By offering initiatives that respond to changing conditions in agricultural production NRCS can be more effective in helping producers maintain sustainable operations.”

Brief overviews of the initiatives are listed below:

On-Farm Energy Initiative: NRCS and producers develop Agricultural Energy Management Plans (AgEMP) or farm energy audits that assess energy consumption. NRCS then uses audit data to develop energy conservation recommendations. The audits assess power usage for equipment, farming processes, and farm headquarters including efficiencies in livestock buildings, grain handling operations, and similar facilities that support the farm operation.

Organic Initiative: NRCS helps certified organic growers and producers working to achieve organic certification install conservation practices for organic production. New for fiscal year 2012, the application evaluation process has been changed to support implementation of conservation practices in a timelier manner.

Seasonal High Tunnel Pilot Initiative: NRCS helps producers plan and implement high tunnels, steel-framed, polyethylene-covered structures that extend growing seasons in an environmentally safe manner. High tunnel benefit plant and soil quality and reduce nutrient and pesticide use.  This initiative is available statewide and is not restricted to organic producers as it was last year.

For more specific information on these initiatives or to learn more about eligibility requirements, stop by your local USDA service center or visit NRCS online at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/.

The students were given books on noxious weeds in Idaho to help with their research. They also watched a video, Elwood Elk, about how noxious weeds affect our wildlife & how they need our help to get rid of the weeds. Each student drew a name of a noxious weed they needed to research and designed a poster with a fact about that particular weed. The posters were judged by the Weeds Department and the Lewis Soil Conservation District employees.

KC Wahl, daughter of Lester and Carrie Wahl, was awarded $25.00 and a certificate from the Weed Department. Her poster is on the cover of the calendar. The calendars start November 2011 and end February 2013 and showcase all 17 students’ designs. The class received a t-shirt and calendar for participating.

The calendars are free to the public and may be picked up at the Lewis County Extension Office or the Lewis Soil Conservation District Office in Nezperce.

We want to thank Imp House, LLC for their fantastic work on our small project, as well as David, Delwyne, Teri, and Rob for taking time from their day to take part in the videos.

IASCD is hoping to springboard this video project into something larger, so please stay tuned!