2022 Annual Meeting Breakout Sessions
Information regarding this year’s breakout sessions will be added here when available.
Last updated Feb. 12, 2021
| Monday, February 14 | 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | ||
| Natural Resources Policy & Protection Rebuilding the Bridge Between Producers & Their Government – the Conservation and Agriculture Reach Everyone (CARE) Project |
The Conservation and Agriculture Reach Everyone (CARE) Project is a collaborative effort to increase the number of producers that are participating in USDA-NRCS and local conservation district programs. The multi-state project focuses on socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers. Join us for a session discussing the project and learn how its objectives, goals, actions and results are transferable to your state! | Moderator: Tami Moore – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Presenters: Sarah Blaney, Executive Director – Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts Willard Tillman, Executive Director – Oklahoma Black Historical Research Project Major Tyrone Love, Conservation & Agriculture Reach Everyone Champion Grant Victor, Conservation & Agriculture Reach Everyone Champion |
| District Operations and Partnerships The Soil Trailer: An Innovative Educational Tool *virtual |
Learn from the West Virginia Conservation Agency about their educational tool: the West Virginia Soil Trailer. The trailer is a mobile classroom for soil, water, agricultural specialty crops, and non-point source pollution. With this educational display, they allow each person who visits the opportunity to see what they cannot normally see, feel what they would not normally feel and learn what is generally not taught. | Moderator: Kayleigh Evans – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA)
Presenters: Aimee Figgatt, Educations and Outreach Specialist – West Virginia Conservation Agency |
| Stewardship & Outreach | TBD | Presenters: |
| Conservation Innovation Conservation Outreach Opportunities |
The pandemic drove people outdoors, looking for opportunities to engage in conservation activities. In this session, you’ll learn about some of the Pheasant Forever tools, including Conservation Clay Kits, Take Habitat Home Brochures and Milkweed in the Classroom, available for engaging that public locally. | Moderator: Melissa Higbee, Vice President – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Presenters: Aaron Kuehl, Director of Seed Programs – Pheasants Forever, Inc. |
| Monday, February 14 | 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | ||
| Natural Resources Policy & Protection The Right Message, The Right Messenger: A Decade of Conservation Champions *virtual |
Since 2012, the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Conservation Champions program has sought to improve agricultural conservation outreach by supporting teams of leading farmers and local outreach professionals in their efforts to engage with traditionally hard to reach producers. Based in an understanding of the psychological and social barriers to conservation adoption, NWF equips trusted peer messengers with new framing and messaging strategies, communications skills and tools to overcome these barriers and reach non-adopters. This session will outline NWF’s approach to behavior change-based outreach, share examples and success stories from recent Champion teams, and present preliminary data on the program’s impact. | Moderator: Kayleigh Evans, Melissa Higbee, Tami Moore – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA)
Presenters: Luke Petersen, Working Lands Specialist – National Wildlife Federation |
| District Operations & Partnership Ensuring a Conservation Legacy Through Farm and Ranch Succession Planning |
In an ever-changing environment, how do you manage the possibility of step-up in estate tax to ensure that your hard-earned legacy passes along to your family, and that they will actually be able to afford to hold onto it? This session will share a three step, three resources process to ensure that your family’s lifestyle will be continued into generations to come! With a few first-hand stories from his over 35 years as a farm and ranch financial advisor, Randy Fisher will walk you through his process to guide your operation’s future in a way that is easy to understand and relatable. |
Moderator: Eric Shideler – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Presenters: Randy Fisher – Fisher Financial Group, Inc. |
| Stewardship & Outreach Technical Assistance Grants Help Districts Help their Clients |
Conservation districts, RC&D councils, state/territory associations and agencies, tribal organizations and others have used NACD Technical Assistance (TA) grants for the last four years to address the needs of the producers and forest owners they serve. Helping their clients is really the only commonality between the different groups that receive funding. During this session we will hear from three TA grant recipients on how they are addressing their local needs with a TA grant. | Moderator: Gretchen Rank, Treasurer – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Presenters: Wesley Gibson, South Central Region Representative – NACD Anna Olsen, Executive Director – Cachuma Resource Conservation District, CA Steven Meeks, Supervisor – Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, VA |
| Conservation Innovation Understanding the Game of Urban Agriculture |
This interactive session will allow participants to be immersed in the achievements and challenges faced by urban and community agriculture in order to better understand the role conservation districts can have in supporting those efforts. Participants will leave with talking points to better advocate for urban and community agriculture in their home districts, as well as a clearer understanding of the wide impacts urban and community agriculture has on local communities. | Moderator: Tim Riley, Past President – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Presenters: Madison Walter, Urban Agriculture Coordinator – New Castle Conservation District, DE |
| Tuesday, February 15 | 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | ||
| District Operations & Partnerships Partnering to Implement Conservation |
Partnerships are incredibly important in putting conservation on the ground. In this session, you’ll learn about the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative (OACI), a partnership between agriculture, conservation, environmental and research communities that provides the resources and education that farmers need to proactively employ modern, science-based practices on their farms and better demonstrate how those efforts are improving water quality over time. You’ll also hear from the Sublette County Conservation District on how they’ve built a bridge between various stakeholders to restore a degraded watershed. | Moderator: Chessa Frahm, North Central Director – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Presenters: Kris Swartz, Farmer and Chairman – Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative (OACI) Nikki Hawk, OACI Project Leader – Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts Abby Wensink, H2Ohio Support Technician – Henry Soil & Water Conservation District, OH Shari Meeks, Range Program Manager – Sublette County Conservation District, WY |
| Stewardship & Outreach NACD Projects to Advance Conservation for all Clients *virtual |
Throughout the past couple of years, NACD has been reviewing our policies and procedures, and those of our members. This has been done first with a member Task Force and now with a member Special Committee. A panel of presenters will provide an update on plans and activities that are underway as a result of the Task Force and Special Committee work, as well as policy adopted by the NACD board. |
Moderator: Kayleigh Evans, Melissa Higbee, Tami Moore – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA)
Presenters: NACD Special Committee Members |
| Conservation Innovation On-Farm Conservation Tool |
Showcasing the Benefits of Soil Health Practices Through Case Studies Soil health management systems provide many benefits to producers, but there has always been a need for more data and testimonials to showcase just how big those benefits are. To address this need, NACD and the Soil Health Institute (SHI), through a cooperative agreement with NRCS, have been developing 30 case studies on the economic benefits of soil health management systems. In this session, NACD and SHI representatives will discuss the project’s methods, as well as some preliminary finds. One project participant, NACD Soil Health Champion Rodney Rulon from Arcadia, Ind., will talk about his soil health management journey. Commodity Buffers: An Innovated Approach to Establishing Stream Buffers In this session, you’ll hear about the Commodity Buffer Program, which utilizes an innovative approach and payment program to compensate producers for the true value of ground put into stream buffers. The program is adaptable to address resource concerns and promote agriculture viability. It has been successful as a dry land agriculture model in Eastern Washington State and can be easily modified to be utilized across the nation. |
Moderator: Eric Shideler – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Presenters: Katrina Stacey, Communications Coordinator – NACD Rodney Rulon, NACD Soil Health Champion Seth Flanders, Commodity Buffer Coordinator – Spokane Conservation District |
| Tuesday, February 15 | 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | ||
| Natural Resources Policy & Protection Extreme Weather Events and Climate Change: How NACD and Local Landowners are Making an Impact |
In the spring of 2021, NACD established the Climate Action Task Force to assess current and emerging climate policy opportunities and make recommendations to NACD’s leadership that utilize the technical knowledge and expertise of conservation districts as part of the U.S. solution to the global climate crisis. Get the latest information on the task force’s activities and discuss possible future activity. Additional presenters include NACD Soil Health Champions Steve Tucker from Nebraska and Christian Bench from New Jersey who farm with a focus on climate change and extreme weather mitigation efforts through regenerative agricultural practices. Hear how these farmers navigate the uncertainties throughout the seasons yet still build healthy soils and maintain a profitable operation. | Moderator: Gretchen Rank, Treasurer – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA)
Presenters: NACD Climate Change Task Force Members |
| District Operations & Partnerships Using Online Tools to Aid Conservation |
Making Story Maps Work for Your District There are many tools available to assist in achieving conservation goals. In this session, the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD) will share how they used ArcGIS Storymaps to create a district supervisor training series. Learn how DACD uses Storymaps, along with other online tools (many free of charge), to communicate, coordinate and educate partners and stakeholders. Expediting Conservation with Supply Chain Support *virtual In this session, you’ll also learn about how Field to Market’s Fieldprint Platform can help advance the application of conservation through partnerships. |
Moderator: Eric Shideler- National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA)
Presenters: Jen Nelson, Executive Director – Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD) & Maryland Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) Moderator: Kayleigh Evans, Melissa Higbee, Tami Moore – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Lexi Clark, Program Director – Field to Market |
| Stewardship & Outreach Tools to Engage New Members and Reward Conservation |
Using Characters to Improve Community Connection *virtual While there are many motivations for people to practice good stewardship, conservation districts can drive these motivations through engaging outreach characters and collaborations. Entertainment increases retention of information, and special characters can create emotional connections to our community members, while increasing our visibility and engagement with our community! Empowering Landowners, Embracing a Land Ethic Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award recognizes farmers and ranchers for extraordinary achievement in innovative conservation. Since 2003, the program has expanded to over 20 states, building bridges between agriculture, government, NGOs, industry, and academia. This session will share stories from the network of conservation champions on how they have been empowered through farmer-to-farmer outreach to advance a land ethic. |
Moderator: Kayleigh Evans, Melissa Higbee, Tami Moore – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA)
Presenters: Melissa Proffitt, Education & Communications Specialist – Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District, OH Moderator: Eric Shideler- National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Heidi Peterson, Vice President, Agricultural Research & Conservation – Sand County Foundation |
| Conservation Innovation Innovative Examples of Conservation Districts Working with Defense Department Installations and Wildfire Initiatives |
Morrison Soil and Water Conservation District, Little Falls, Minn. Prescribed fire as a critical tool in managing fire dependent forest systems for resilience doesn’t just happen. Building a local private lands conservation culture starts with solid working relationships and trust. Innovative landowner outreach, training, planning, and implementation are the elements of our NRCS Direct Agreement that resulted from a REPI Pilot program to build better landowner engagement and implementation strategies. A Look Back at Catastrophic Wildfires: A Collaborative Approach Working in Southwest Wyoming Sublette County Conservation District (SCCD), along with many other partners since the 2012 fire season, have combined expertise and resources to assist in the recovery and rehabilitation of the natural resources affected by large fires in southwest Wyoming. SCCD, along with other partners, have developed a great collaborative effort to combine resources to address concerns dealing with the effects of these fires. Every fire has been different, but the team has learned from each event and continues to get better and faster at their response. This presentation will look back over the last 10 years, sharing data, pictures and successful projects. We will look back over the last 10 years. This session will also include a summary of how conservation districts can help update Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP). |
Moderator: Chessa Frahm, North Central Director – National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA)
Presenters: Shannon Wettstein – Morrison Soil and Water Conservation District, MN |