NRCS - New Mexico Conservation Technical Assistance for Outreach and Education

Overview

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) New Mexico State Office is seeking to partner with, and support the efforts of, natural resource conservation partners, and to promote public awareness and implementation of conservation activities including, but not limited to, conducting conservation outreach workshops and training. This will help educate New Mexico’s agricultural community, private landowners, conservation organizations, cooperating agencies, acequias, land grants, and general citizenry. The main focus areas are described below. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will accept applications under this notice for single-year applications submitted by eligible entities.

Conservation partners are invited to apply for NRCS assistance for the following opportunities:

1. Conservation Outreach Workshops: Promote public awareness of NRCS programs, and further the development of NRCS relationships with its conservation partners and participants, women agricultural producers, veterans, minority and limited resource landowners, beginning farmers, and historically underserved agricultural producers, producers in urban areas, acequias, and land grants. Direct involvement of conservation partners will enhance effectiveness of programs and ensure widest dissemination to the public while, also, offering an opportunity to provide information on current agricultural topics of interest to underserved segments of the regional agricultural population.

2. Technical Workshops and/or Field Days on Soil Health Strategies, Native Plant Community Adoption, and/or Pollinator Habitat: Provide learning opportunities to educate New Mexico agricultural producers who are following or considering soil health improvement strategies in cropping and/or incorporation of native plant communities in rangeland systems. Opportunities will provide education and demonstration on topics including, but not limited to, soil health factors in rangeland and cropland, plant establishment, management techniques, details regarding rotational grazing and stockpiling, proper soil health conditions in cropland and rangelands, wildlife habitat benefits from improved soil health, and native plant community adoption. Applicant must demonstrate the capability to unite members of the agriculture science and technology communities to share their knowledge on soil health with producers and other interested parties.

3. Organic and Specialty Crop Workshops: Provide learning opportunities to educate New Mexico agricultural producers, who are following or considering the use of organics, or considering transitioning to organic cropping systems for vegetables, fruits, specialty crops, produce, berries, and non-traditional agricultural production efforts in New Mexico. Examples include: Promotion and expansion of field-to-market efforts; voluntary landowner supported efforts to educate producers on how to implement organic farming techniques and improve understanding of organic labeling, marketing, and organic production benefits; and encourage technical assistance, education, research, technology transfer, and public awareness of economically and environmentally sustainable agricultural production techniques associated with organic and specialty crop production.

• Promotion and expansion of field-to-market efforts,
• Voluntary landowner-supported efforts to educate producers about implementation of organic farming techniques,
• Improve understanding of organic labeling, marketing, and organic production benefits,
• Encourage technical assistance, education, research, technology transfer, and public awareness regarding economically- and environmentally sustainable agricultural production techniques associated with organic and specialty crop production.

Proposed projects must be performed in New Mexico.