 |
| Water Quality and Animal Feeding Operations in Arizona: A Producer's Notebook . Natural Resource Conservation Districts
Soon after the Dust Bowl days, it became evident to President F.D. Roosevelt that the federal government should provide assistance to agricultural producers to conserve natural resources. However, President Roosevelt also realized that local landowners were more able to guide conservation efforts than folks in Washington D.C. In 1938, President F.D. Roosevelt proposed a "Model State Soil Conservation Districts Enabling Law" to develop local conservation district boards that would guide the technical and financial assistance offered by the federal government through the Soil Conservation Service (now, the Natural Resources Conservation Service). Arizona enacted the law March 17, 1941. In 1972 the Arizona Legislature renamed Soil Conservation Districts to Natural Resource Conservation Districts (NRCD) and began financial assistance through the Arizona State Land Department. There are currently thirty-one NRCDs that have been established under state law. In addition, there are nine conservation districts that were established under tribal law. These conservation districts work closely with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide conservation programs to agricultural producers and education to their communities. The Agua Fria-New River, Buckeye Valley, and Gila Bend NRCDs service West Maricopa County. They provide irrigation management assistance programs and educational programs. In addition, they have recognized the need to assist Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) to address new regulations. Through the West Maricopa Geographical Priority Area (GPA) Local Work Group (LWG) the three districts are working with NRCS, Farm Service Agency, and the County Committee to provide technical assistance and educational materials to AFO owners and operators. As in the past, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works with private landowners to conserve the land and to preserve our natural resources. Today, the work is done through conservation districts. The set of strong principals that NRCS has traditionally used to work with the private landowner is as relevant today as it was to Hugh Hammond Bennett, the Father of conservation, when he dreamed of the concept in the late 1920s and early 1930s. A career soil scientist in the United States Department of Agriculture, Bennett became convinced that soil erosion was a national menace and that its solution lay in tailoring conservation practices to fit the capability of the land and the needs of the landowners. Bennett realized that a simple solution for all situations was not realistic and would be fruitless. The crops, the land, and the climate were so diverse that contributions from specialists in agronomy, forestry, soil science, biology, engineering and social sciences were needed to fulfill the conservation methods that he envisioned. These specialists worked with farmers to find solutions that benefited the land and fulfilled the landowners’ aspirations. The Soil Erosion Service (SES), born out of the"Dust Bowl" of the 1930s, created an awareness of the need for conservation. SES, the predecessor to the Soil Conservation Service which preceded today’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, began working with farmers in the mid-west to transform the square, eroding fields into the present day conservation showplace of contouring, stripcropping, and terracing. This wise use of the land has benefited the soil, air, and water, as well as plant, animal, and human life. The passage of the Soil Conservation Act, in April of 1935, hastened the nationwide carpeting of the land with soil conservation projects. On August 4, 1937, recognition of the first conservation district in North Carolina, established a method for the Service to assist farmers in the conservation districts throughout the land. Locally elected citizens, who make up the conservation districts, set local priorities, goals and developed conservation plans to address their problems. The principles founded in the 1920s and 1930s can be easily adapted to any discipline of agriculture. They have withstood the test of time and are just as effective today as when first introduced:
Through implementing conservation on individual properties, we contribute to the overall quality of the life in the watershed or region. Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) EQIP is a program designed to assist farmers facing serious threats to soil, water, and related natural resources. It provides technical, financial, and educational assistance primarily within locally identified priority areas where significant natural resource concerns have been identified. Contracts are offered that provide financial incentives for conservation practices that address erosion control, manure management, pest management, and others which will help to improve and maintain the health of natural resources. Key Provisions:
Eligibility:
How To Apply: Applications are accepted throughout the year and are ranked and selected during designated periods. For further information or to obtain an application form, contact your local USDA Service Center, NRCD, or NRCS field office. NRCS field offices are located in 22 communities around Arizona and are listed in the phone book under U.S. Government, Department of Agriculture. Arizona's Natural Resources Conservation Service Offices State Office
West Maricopa Watershed Project The West Maricopa Watershed activities have helped urban and rural communities protect, improve and develop the water and land resources in the watershed of approximately 240,000 acres. In 1997, Agua Fria – New River Natural Resources Conservation District and Buckeye Valley Natural Resources Conservation District requested assistance from the USDA – NRCS to help to reduce the potential for nitrated contamination of the regional ground water supply from animal waste runoff by containing and managing the waste on site. Conservation land treatment practices were installed through long-term contracts with project participants. Four dairies benefited from the program in 1998, eight dairies participated in 1999 and three dairies participated in 2000. Practices include components of complete animal waste management systems, such as waste storage facilities (sumps, separators, ponds and lagoons), as well as needed waste transfer components (pipelines and ditches). Associated management practices include waste utilization, irrigation water management, and nutrient and pest management. Participation in the project is voluntary. For more information, please contact the NRCS in Phoenix 602-353-0378 Ext 3 or Buckeye 623-386-4631. Page updated 7/02 |
| Acronyms
and selected definitions |
||||||||
| © 2000 The University of Arizona. All contents copyrighted. All rights reserved. http://ag.arizona.edu/animalwaste/ | ||||||||
 |
 |
Arizona NRCDs |
 |
Arizona |
 |
AZ Dept. Environ. Quality |
 |
|