The Human Element of Resource Assessment
Given existing program responsibilities, staff at federal, state and local conservation agencies are extremely limited in how much effort they can devote to conducting resource assessments. Conservation professionals know a resource assessment is the critical component in any conservation plan. Data-rich electronic maps and documents are helpful, but proper resource management is dependent upon knowledgeable people with an on-the-ground presence.
We are on the verge of losing a significant number of conservational professionals with that critical on-the-ground experience. According to the National Resource Conservation Service’s 2006 Human Capital Strategic Plan nearly 80% of its mission-critical staff is eligible for retirement in the next four years. A great wealth of knowledge will retire along with these professionals -- conservation expertise, as well as knowledge of agriculture. The number of professionals experienced in agriculture is a small pool to begin with, and it is estimated that only 30% of the new NRCS employees will have on-farm experience.
In 2006, Dana York, the NRCS Interim Chief, stated that this ‘tsunami’ of retirements is being realized at various levels throughout federal and state governments. Given this attrition, implementing a successful resource assessment process must also include additional human resources. Fortunately, a skilled, proficient and certified agricultural professional workforce can be integrated into the conservation delivery system.
The American Society of Agronomy’s Certified Crop Advisor program was initially identified by the Minnesota Project as a valuable organization because of its existing certification process and available personnel with appropriate technical knowledge. Minnesota has about 800 CCAs and there are more than 13,000 CCAs in the United States and Canada. The option exists to recruit a portion of these 13,000 ag professionals to conduct whole-farm resource assessments using the index-based process.
Integration of this workforce may be desirable because agricultural professionals have an
- on-the-ground presence,
- knowledge of agricultural systems and
- a trusted and financial relationship with farmers.
They can provide a firm foundation on which to build a cost-effective and efficient whole-farm resource assessment process.
Incorporating this technically knowledgeable group of ag professionals into the conservation delivery system would re-incorporate a whole farm resource assessment process after being absence for several decades. It was the foundation for the success of the SCS Soil Conservation Service in the 1930s and can again provide legacy success again.
Agriculture Resource Assessment Training
Agriculture Resource Assessment training has been developed in close coordination with the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center and the Technical Service Provider (TSP) Workgroup and the Great Lakes Regional Water Program to be delivered in early 2009. |
