NRCS Small Farm Program

1. NRCSSmall Farm Program • Program Manager • Adolfo Perez 202-720-1853 • adolfo.perez@usda.gov • Web-site: www.nrcs.usda.gov

2. About the Natural Resources Conservation Service • NRCS puts nearly 70 years of experience to work in assisting owners of America's private land with conserving their soil, water, and other natural resources. Local, state and federal agencies and policymakers also rely on our expertise. We deliver technical assistance based on sound science and suited to a customer's specific needs. Cost shares and financial incentives are available in some cases. Most work is done with local partners. Our partnership with local conservation districts serves almost every county in the nation, and the Caribbean and Pacific Basin. Participation in our programs is voluntary.

3. Our Mission! The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.

4. Our Vision Harmony between people and the land  

5. NRCS Role & Purposeof the Small Farm Program • To ensure that NRCS programs are administered in a way that enables small farmers maintain and develop economic viability in farm operations; to ensure NRCS technical assistance programs and activities reach small farmers and ranchers; and that technical practices and information are relevant to the needs of these farmers and ranchers.

6. Definition of a small farm! • A farms with less than $250,000 gross receipts annually, on which day-to-day labor and management are provided by the farmer and/or the farm family that owns the production or owns, or leases, the productive assets". • Which is 94 % of all farms. 

7. A Limited Resource Farmer or Rancher • is an individual directly or indirectly with gross farm sales not more than $100,000, and • Has a total household income at or below national poverty level for a family of four, or has less than 50 % of county median household income, in each of the previous two years. LRF/R make up about 16.7% of all farmers and ranchers • A Beginning Farmer or Rancher • means an individual or entity who has not operated a farm or ranch, or who has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 consecutive years.  • Currently have about 1.9 million operator of those 32% have less than 10 years according to 1997 census

8. Conservation Reserve Program (Farm Service Agency) Conservation of Private Grazing Lands Conservation Security Program Conservation Technical Assistance Emergency Watershed Protection Environmental Quality Incentives Program Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program Forestry Incentives Program Grassland Reserve Program Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative Resource Conservation and Development Rural Abandoned Mine Program Soil Survey Programs Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Stewardship Incentive Program (Forest Service) Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Watershed Rehabilitation Wetlands Reserve Program Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program NRCS Programs!

9. Programs Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

10. NRCS Social Sciences InstituteResources and Web-site Kathie M. Starkweather USDA/NRCS Sociologist Lincoln, NE 402-437-4098

11. Available Tools for Outreach and Diversity http://www.ssi.nrcs.usda.gov/ Guidebook Reaching Out to Minority Farmers Working with People of Different Cultures Working with Asian and Hispanic Limited Resource Producer How to improve Diversity on your Team Social and Professional Skills too be Effective with Small Farmers Social Profile Gaining Trust with Small Farmers Barriers and Strategies for Small-Scale Products ALL SSI Publications http://www.ssi.nrcs.usda.gov/publications/index.html#MI003

12. Questions