In Conversation with #WomeninAg: Naomi Starkman

From the USDA:

Posted by Rachael Dubinsky & Wendy Wasserman, Office of Communications, on April 2, 2015 at 1:00 PM

Former farmer Naomi Starkman is now the editor of Civil Eats, an award winning blog covering food and agriculture. Photo credit: Naomi Fiss.

In agriculture we know that the work of women in our field reaches far beyond one month out of the year and should be celebrated every day. We got such a great response to our Women’s History Month weekly profiles in March that we will now be expanding to a monthly series. We will continue to feature women leaders across agriculture who are opening doors for their peers and contributing to the larger conversation about #womeninag.                         

To help us get started, this month, we profile Naomi Starkman, the founder and editor-in-chief of Civil Eats. Naomi is also a founding board member and advisor to the Food & Environment Reporting Network. A recovering lawyer, Naomi has worked as a media consultant at The New Yorker and Newsweek magazines and on several farms.

Since 2009, Civil Eats has produced thousands of food and agriculture stories from a stable of hundreds of contributors including a recent post about how women farmers are working with each other to develop stronger networks in Wisconsin and across the country. Last year, Civil Eats was named the James Beard Foundation’s Publication of the Year.

Naomi’s leadership in communications has brought new voices into the conversation about American agriculture. From her home in rural Petaluma, California, Naomi talked about the animals who greet her every morning, how she keeps her brain happy, and the women who have inspired from her previous farming days into her current life.

How do you start your day?

I open my eyes, listen to the sheep, chicken, donkeys and birds making morning noises, and thank the heavens above that I live in the country. Then I look at my iPhone to make sure nothing in the food news world has blown up (too much). Then I have some tea, do my morning yoga, and go for a walk on my country road. Pretty luck, huh?

Who are your heroines in agriculture?

Farmers, without whom we would not eat. In particular, my farming mentor and dear friend, Susan Ujcic of Helsing Junction Farm, where I farmed. As a woman pioneer in organic farming and one of the most generous human beings I’ve ever met, Sue is my role model of how to be in the world. I am also so grateful to my farming mentors Linda Halley of Gardens of Eagen and Judith Redmond of Fully Belly Farm, and to the women on the advisory board of Civil Eats: Anna Lappé, Marion Nestle, Ruth Reichl, and Alice Waters. And of course, Joan Gussow and Kathleen Merrigan. And a huge amount of respect for the lady food and agricultural reporters who cover this issue.

What are you reading?

I don’t watch TV, but I read incessantly. Because so much of what I do is news-related, it’s important for me to read a lot fiction to keep my soul balanced and keep my imagination alive. I’ve got a lot of cookbooks on my nightstand and I also listen to a lot of music to keep my brain happy.

What’s the view outside your window and how does it influence your work?

Green pastures dotted with fat sheep, braying donkeys, and chirping birds. And there are some incredible hawks which swoop in, too.

What do you usually have for breakfast?

Tea, fruit, cereal.

Do you consider yourself a woman leader in agriculture?

I consider myself a sister in agriculture. I stand beside the many, many women who have come before me, and who have been on the frontlines of agriculture, and in the fields. I am only as strong as the people with whom I work, support, and am lucky to call my friends and colleagues. It is they who lift me up and if I am a leader in their eyes, then I am grateful.

As a former farmer, how does your current occupation support agriculture?

Having  worked on several farms across the U.S., I understand the risk and reward of being a farmer; I earned my “dirt cred” and an inside view on agriculture. It was the hardest work I’ve ever done and I am endlessly grateful for the farmers who feed us and who are stewards of the land. This work is so vital and it is a privilege to be able to share the stories of a growing food movement, those connecting with the land, and building a new food economy. I believe in the power of storytelling and the stories we share on Civil Eats inspire me every day.

In 7 words or less, what is some advice you would offer to the next generation of women in ag.

Women plant seeds for a better tomorrow!

From farmers and scientists to policy makers and communicators, women are at the forefront of agriculture.  Check out previous Conversations with #womeninag with Anne Alonzo, Administrator of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service;  cattlewoman Minnie Lou Bradley of Bradley 3 Ranch; National Young Farmers Coalition founder Lindsay Lusher Shute; and Dean of the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University Dr. Jewel Hairston. You can continue to follow our conversation with #womeninag on Storify.

Is there a leading women in agriculture you would like to hear from?  Send us your suggestions using #womeninag or via email at agwomenlead@usda.gov.

    

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iCook Makes Healthy Living Fun for Kids

From the USDA:

Posted by Kelly Flynn, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on April 2, 2015 at 11:00 AM

Maine 4-H learn some knife skills as part of the University of Maine’s “iCook” program. Four other states are joining Maine in this childhood obesity prevention program. (Courtesy photo from Maine 4-H)

Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents over the past 30 years, leading to increased risks for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and breathing problems.

Researchers from the University of Maine have developed the 4-H iCook project to tackle this issue in the home. The program encourages families to cook, eat, and exercise together while improving culinary skills and increasing physical activity.

With the help of a $1.5 million Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the University of Maine and land-grant universities in Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia are measuring the program’s effect on participants’ body mass indexes over a period of two years.

“The long-range goals are for obesity prevention,” said Adrienne White, project lead and human nutrition professor at the University of Maine. “Maintaining weight within the normal percentile curves is what would be desired, as well as increasing culinary skills and eating together as a family.”

The 2010 White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity emphasized that solutions for the next generation will result from educating children on nutrition and healthful living.

Researchers have identified a lack of parental education in nutrition, sedentary lifestyles, availability of high-caloric foods, and scarcity of healthful foods as contributing factors to the obesity crisis. A decrease in regular family meals has also been associated with low socioeconomic status and overweight youth.

The 4-H approach of learning by doing is at the heart of iCook.  4-H advances youth development through the science of engagement, learning, and change. Through iCook, 9- and 10-year-old youth learn the importance of a healthy lifestyle by preparing meals in their homes and increasing physical activity with their families.

To increase enthusiasm, the program website engages participants with videos, blogs, and other media to promote success and create an online community among the five states participating. Researchers will use this web activity, surveys, and physical measurements to track results.

The iCook 4-H Dissemination Study will begin in September 2015 and include an assessment cooking and kitchen skills, use of technology, goal setting, and physical activity in youth and culinary confidence in adults.  Outcomes of the research will be used to develop curriculum for the University of Maine’s youth extension program.

“We hope people begin to cook more and eat together more and be more aware of their food,” White said. “We want people to get back to loving food, understanding food, and being able to work with food.”

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov.

    

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Tusayan Ranger District Achieves Goal of Zero Human-Caused Fires

From the USDA:

Posted by Jacqueline Banks, Kaibab National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, on April 1, 2015 at 1:00 PM

Fire prevention specialist Bob Blasi works to contain a small wildfire on the Tusayan Ranger District. (U.S. Forest Service photo)

In calendar year 2014, the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest achieved a longtime goal of zero human-caused wildfires.

According to forest wildfire records, the last time the district had zero human fires was in 1965, exactly 50 years ago.

“Over the last three years, we have had a specific, written goal of reducing human-caused wildfires on the district to zero for an entire calendar year,” said Quentin Johnson, fire management officer for the Tusayan Ranger District. “Given that the district receives millions of visitors each year because it is located immediately adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park, we knew this would be an incredible challenge.”

Johnson added that while the district had been averaging about seven human-caused wildfires per year over the last 20 years, there were actually many summers during which 200 or more abandoned campfires had been found and extinguished by district fire personnel before they were declared wildfires.

The district’s success in 2014 was due largely to focused fire prevention efforts beginning almost 15 years ago that have chipped away at the leading cause of human fires on the district – abandoned campfires. Specifically, district fire prevention specialist Bob Blasi worked to gain compliance in dispersed camping areas and issued citations when necessary. With increased early-morning patrols, an extensive signing program, visits to local schools, Smokey Bear’s presence at local events, and a consistent prevention message for more than a decade, Blasi was able to systematically reduce the number of abandoned campfires and, therefore, the overall number of human-caused wildfires.

“This goal seemed almost impossible,” Blasi said. “Only one careless action by a single person can have a devastating outcome, as we see every year across this country somewhere in the wildlands of America. There were a couple years in the past decade when we only had two or three human-caused fires. It was then I realized that with a little extra effort focused on specific targets with increased fire prevention patrols, it might just be obtainable.”

Besides traditional fire prevention techniques such as patrols and signing, the Tusayan Ranger District has also been a leader in putting fire back on the landscape as frequently and broadly as conditions have allowed. Over the past 12 years, nearly 40 percent of the 327,250-acre Tusayan district has been treated with thinning and fire, which has contributed enormously to reducing human-caused wildfire.

“Because most of the popular camping areas have already been treated with fire at appropriate times of the year, these areas are less likely to catch on fire during the hottest, driest months,” Johnson said. “To truly prevent wildfire, you have to use all of the fire prevention tools available in combination.”

During the 2014 monsoon season alone, the Tusayan Ranger District managed more than 17,000 acres of fire across the landscape in order to improve forest health and reduce the likelihood of future high-severity fires resulting from sources such as abandoned campfires.

“Because of the support of fire managers, Kaibab National Forest leadership, the community and public, we have been able to go beyond just re-introducing fire into the ecosystem, to take it to the next level and demonstrate how when fire is managed responsibly, it becomes an integral part of obtaining desired forest health,” Blasi said. “This is the proof in the pudding. The more fire treatments we are able to successfully implement, the better chance we have of reducing and ultimately eliminating unwanted human-caused fire in our part of the forest.”

While focused fire prevention efforts have decreased the number of abandoned campfires in the Tusayan area, the challenge of eliminating all human-caused fires will continue. Each fire season brings a unique set of challenges including millions of new visitors to a popular tourist destination.

“If I were to designate one goal for the future, it would be that this record never last 50 years again,” Blasi said. “Eliminating human-caused fires is attainable through education, prevention and good stewardship.”

The Belknap Fire was one of three large fires managed for resource benefit on the Tusayan Ranger District during the 2014 monsoon season. (U.S. Forest Service photo)

    

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Online Nutrition Resources at Your Fingertips

From the USDA:

Posted by Rosalie Bliss, Agricultural Research Service, on March 31, 2015 at 4:00 PM

At home, school, or work, consumers can use USDA’s free ChooseMyPlate.gov, an interactive website for creating a customized healthy dietary plan that includes required daily vitamins and minerals, and age- and gender-appropriate daily portions and calorie levels. Users can also tap tools called “Daily Food Plan,” “SuperTracker,” and “Food-a-Pedia.”

Even if you’re not among the 68 percent of U.S. adults who are overweight or obese, many consumers are striving to get a leg up on their nutritional health. Some of the simplest government facts can inspire consumers to better nutrition.

U.S. nutrition experts issue “leading indicators” on the nation’s nutritional health. USDA’s national “What We Eat In America” survey data indicate that dietary fiber intakes among U.S. consumers average only 16 grams per day. The problem is that the daily Adequate Intake for fiber is set at 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men!

There’s even more reason to take stock of fiber intake. USDA nutrition experts use an index to assign scores to diets on a scale in which a score of 100 indicates that the diet meets policies known as the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans”—as described at ChooseMyPlate.gov. The index reports that two high-fiber food categories—legumes (beans and peas) and dark-green vegetables—are the two veggie subgroups for which U.S. dietary intakes are furthest from recommended levels.

Significantly, a USDA-funded expert in developing successful weight-control plans recommends ample legumes and green veggies because they are both “slow-digesting” carbohydrates and high in fiber. The emphasis on hunger-reducing foods is part of an overall craving-control strategy. The approach is based on identifying—and slowly changing—unhealthy food attachments that activate reward pathways in the brain.

All carbohydrates break down into sugar, and scientists have long known that the human brain is programmed to crave sugar to some degree. The Recommended Daily Allowance for carbohydrates is based on the amount needed—not craved—by the brain. The plan’s goal is to “reprogram” the brain’s habitual attachment to overconsumption of added sugars and low-fiber, less-filling refined grains commonly found in commercial foods.

Good sources of food fiber include legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. Unlike refined grains, whole grains contain the entire grain kernel including bran.

Below are government websites where consumers can look up science-based data on food nutrients and score their own nutritional home runs:

The USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference provides searches by foods in descending order of the content of individual nutrients selected, including fiber.

The USDA What’s In The Foods You Eat Search Tool provides searches of more complex, multi-ingredient foods.

The USDA SuperTracker’s Food-A-Pedia provides nutrition information so consumers can compare nutrient data on several foods side by side.

Among the thousands of apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry, many are nutrition/health related and are based on the download and import of the BHNRC national nutrient databases.

    

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Cover Crops: Agriculture's Hero

From the USDA:

Posted by Elizabeth Tatum, Agricultural Marketing Service Botanist, on March 31, 2015 at 2:00 PM

Testing can provide the vital information needed when deciding what cover crop seed to purchase. Pictured here is AMS Botanist Elizabeth Tatum identifying a weed seed. (AMS photo)

Cover crops are the real heroes in the world of agriculture. Their job starts after a field is harvested and ends just before the next season’s crop is planted. Expectations for cover crops are high because if they don’t produce, the next crop may suffer.

After crops are harvested each year, planting fields are left bare. Runoff from rainwater, wind, and other forms of erosion devastate planting fields by stripping essential nutrients from the soil – nutrients needed for the next growing season. In addition to the loss of vital nutrients, the exposed fields are prime real estate for noxious-weed seeds intent on stealing what is left of the field’s nutrients. Replacing the lost nutrients and removing the weedy invaders costs millions of dollars each year for farmers.

Fortunately, cover crops are here to help. In addition to preventing helpful nutrients from leaving the soil, cover crops also suppress weeds, fix nitrogen, reduce surface crusting, and even disrupt pest cycles. In fact, planting cover crops is a popular and reliable alternative to fertilizer and herbicides. There are several plant species used as cover crops depending on the season and location. Some commonly used species are barley,sudan grass, buckwheat, forage radish, and wheat.

When selecting the seed to grow these cover crops, not just any seed will do. Testing from an industry recognized seed testing laboratory is the best way for farmers to know that they are buying quality seed. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Seed Regulatory and Testing Division is one of the many quality seed testing laboratories in the United States. Our team provides purity examinations, noxious weed-seed identifications as well as germination and genetic testing on cover crops.

Sometimes, the type of seed used as cover crops are not held up to the same standards as seed used for harvest, but they are just as important.  If seed spread into a field for cover crops contains a high amount of noxious weed-seed, the final outcome can be detrimental to the field and the farmer.  This is why buying seed that has been tested for quality is so important. Seed testing will show the amount of noxious weed-seeds as well as other quality characteristics that affect how the seeds will grow in the field.

Wheat is commonly used as a cover crop because it recycles important nutrients in the soil. An example of a noxious weed seed found in wheat is curly dock, which is poisonous to livestock, takes up valuable water, and steals nutrients from the soil. Due to curly dock and hundreds of other noxious weed seeds like it, seed buyers request that AMS botanists and other certified and registered analysts examine their lots to find and quantify these noxious weed-seed contaminants.

Testing can provide the vital information needed when deciding what cover crop seed to purchase. The best is needed when performing the heroic job of a cover crop. The AMS Seed Regulatory and Testing Division can help you pick a winner.

    

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Celebrate National Nutrition Month with MyPlate at School!

From the USDA:

Posted by Sasha Bard, MS, RD, Nutritionist, USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, on March 30, 2015 at 10:00 AM

MyPlate is the perfect teaching tool for nutrition education! Discover classroom materials at ChooseMyPlate.gov and from Team Nutrition.

In honor of National Nutrition Month®, MyPlate is sharing resources to help you bite into a healthy lifestyle everywhere you go! This blog highlights resources for encouraging a healthy lifestyle in the classroom. Learn about healthy eating at home, work, and throughout thecommunity here.

MyPlate can be used to teach students of all ages about healthy eating. Start early and introduce preschoolers to fruits and vegetables through garden-themed nutrition education using the Grow It, Try It, Like It! Nutrition Education Kit. Elementary school teachers can integrate nutrition education into other subjects including Math, Science, English Language Arts, and Health withServing Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum.

Additional kid-friendly activities can be found at MyPlate Kids’ Place. At MyPlate Kids’ Place, kids can take the MyPlate Champions pledge and print a personalized certificate stating their commitment to eating healthy and being active each and every day. Students will also love Blast Off, an interactive online game which challenges them to fuel their MyPlate spaceship with smart food choices from each of the food groups and 60 minutes of physical activity to fly to Planet Power.

In USDA’s interactive Blast Off game, kids have to fuel their spaceship with smart food choices and 60 minutes of physical activity to fly to Planet Power. Available at ChooseMyPlate.gov.

MyPlate also offers resources to support older students in adopting a healthy lifestyle they can maintain into adulthood. High-school level lesson plans using the interactive tool, SuperTracker, encourage teens to think critically about their food and physical activity choices. Meanwhile college students around the country are championing healthy eating with peer-to-peer education through the MyPlate On Campus initiative. Learn more about this effort and get inspired by our MyPlate On Campus Ambassadors at Rutgers University and University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Although National Nutrition Month is coming to a close, the resources featured this month can be utilized year-round in schools, homes, the workplace, and in your community. Find these and many more MyPlate resources on our website!

The Serving Up MyPlate curriculum is available in 3 levels; Level 1 (grades 1-2), Level 2 (grades 3-4), and Level 3 (grades 5-6). Each curriculum includes a teacher’s guide, games, songs, posters and parent handouts.

    

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2015 Agricultural Outlook Forum - Panel Discussion on Innovation, Biotechnology and Big Data

From USDA:

Posted by Ed Avalos, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, on January 21, 2015 at 12:30 PM

Innovation, biotechnology and big data are changing the way we produce, distribute and even consume food. From using innovative approaches to improve food safety to sharing market data to assist producers in reaching larger markets, big data and new technologies continue to change the face of agriculture.  USDA strives to meet these evolving challenges and will be discussing these issues through the lens of agriculture at the 2015 Agricultural Outlook Forum on Feb. 19-20 in Arlington, Virginia.

Big data isn’t just massive amounts of numbers and codes for scientists, researchers and marketers.  That information, when interpreted and applied, can help people understand – and change – the world around them.  We are discussing how data helps producers of agricultural commodities in adapting their strategies to meet changing consumer demands, marketing practices and technologies.

At the Forum, Secretary Tom Vilsack will moderate a panel “Discussion on Innovation, Biotechnology, and Big Data” within agriculture.  Joining him will be an esteemed group of panelists bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise including:  Cory J. Reed, Senior Vice President, Intelligent Solutions Group, John Deere and Company; Dr. Robert T. Fraley, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Monsanto; Mary Kay Thatcher, Senior Director, Congressional Relations, American Farm Bureau Federation; and Dr. Robert Sutor, Vice President, Mobile, Solutions, and Mathematical Sciences, IBM Corporation.

After the plenary panel wraps up, several breakout sessions will explore how big data and analytics are creating new opportunities for farmers and ranchers to improve the efficiency and resilience of their operations.  We will also look at the challenge of collecting, processing, and packaging data in a way that transforms data into practical tools for use by farmers and ranchers.

Topics will showcase innovative examples of how new tools using big data will help producers. This spans from using remote sensing and risk-management tools, the use of localized and global weather resources, how Market News and other reports enhance decision making, and how producers can adapt production and marketing strategies to meet changing consumer demands, marketing practices and technologies.

Please visit Forum Web site for session descriptions and to register:  http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/.

2015 Agricultural Outlook Forum Preview: International Trade

From USDA:

Posted by Phil Karsting, Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, on January 15, 2015 at 11:00 AM

USDA is committed to addressing the challenges of international trade, and providing solutions.  As we look forward to USDA’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, Feb. 19-20, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia, speakers and attendees will have the opportunity to discuss relevant issues on a wide range of international as well as domestic topics.

We live in a world where domestic agriculture and international trade are inseparable.  We can’t talk about one without discussing the other. In 2014, American ag exports soared to a record $152.5 billion, and accounted for 20% of U.S. agriculture income.

Trade and foreign market access affect not only rural economies, but the overall economic health of nations – including ours. In that spirit, I’m happy to welcome Phil Hogan, the European Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development, to the 2015 Agricultural Outlook Forum.  He will join our own Secretary Tom Vilsack during the plenary session for a discussion that promises to be insightful.

The United States and the European Union are far more alike than they are different when it comes to agricultural and rural issues.  We both stand to benefit substantially from a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership package that includes bold action on agriculture. Cooperation between the United States and our global trading partners not only facilitates trade, but can help improve food safety and security and foster rural economic development around the world.

Our participation in the global economy means that trends in other markets have a large impact here at home. One of our key goals at USDA (and FAS) is to keep our stakeholders abreast of global trends and the impact they might have on U.S. agriculture. During the 2015 Agricultural Outlook Forum, two key sessions will focus on international trade: Driving Forces in Changing Global Markets and Growing Markets for U.S. Exports. I hope you can join us as we explore these international markets and new opportunities for American agriculture.

For more information and to register for the 2015 Agricultural Outlook Forum, please visit www.usda.gov/oce/forum.

Event at USDA Ushers in 2015 as the International Year of Soils

From USDA:

Posted by Chief Jason Weller, Natural Resources Conservation Service, on January 7, 2015 at 10:00 AM

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) celebration of the International Year of Soils event at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.

Yesterday, we officially launched the International Year of Soils here at USDA.

Most people don’t realize that just beneath their feet lies a diverse, complex, life-giving ecosystem that sustains our entire existence. I’m talking about soil. There are more living organisms in a single teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on the earth.

Our soils are alive. We talk about soil health – not soil quality — on purpose. It’s an important distinction. Anything can have a “quality,” but only living things can have health.

The United Nations recently declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils in an effort to highlight the important role of soils in food production and biodiversity preservation. This week, USDA launched International Year of Soils with an event at USDA headquarters.  In his remarks, Secretary Vilsack said that this year marks an opportunity to focus on the important role soil plays in our lives.

We’re proud of the UN’s efforts to raise awareness for soil, and we look forward to a year of celebrating it. We’ve partnered with Soil Science Society of America, which is spotlighting soil through a particular theme each month, starting with “Soils Sustain Life” for January.

Dr. Carolyn Olson, President of the Soil Science Society of America, presented the 2015 Soils Planner published by the Soil Science Society of America at USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) celebration of the International Year of Soils at USDA in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. The event was to highlight the importance of healthy soils for food security, ecosystem functions and strong farms and ranches. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), was born out of one of the worst ecological disasters in American history – the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. That’s when President Roosevelt established the Soil Conservation Service, or SCS (which would later become NRCS), to help farmers and ranchers recover and repair American agricultural lands after years of soil mismanagement. We’re continuing that conservation work to this day by providing assistance to producers looking to improve the health of the soil on their land.

In the coming decades, the global agricultural community will be challenged to keep pace with society’s needs in the face of a changing environment. Farmers, ranchers and forest landowners in the United States and worldwide will be counted on to provide food, fuel and fiber for the world’s population amid these new realities.

Jim Fortner, of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Natural Resources Soil Science, in Lincoln, NE (left) explains the Web Soil Survey to Richard Derksen, of the USDA Office of the Chief Scientist, at the celebration of the International Year of Soils at USDA in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. The Web Soil Survey is a description of soil survey maps across the country. The event was to highlight the importance of healthy soils for food security, ecosystem functions and strong farms and ranches. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.

Conservation practices that work to improve soil health is one of the best tools we have to help producers in the face of these impending challenges. Healthy soils help us maintain and even improve their productivity, while helping to address natural resource concerns.

Healthy soils are a critical piece of mitigating impacts from weather extremes. They have a greater water holding and nutrient cycling capacity. In drought, this can help ensure production continues. In heavy rainfall, healthy soils can help keep water and nutrients in the soil where they belong and avert runoff into nearby waterways or flooding communities downstream.

David Lamm, NRCS National Soil Health and Sustainability Team Leader, East National Technology Support Center, Greensboro, NC, explains soil health to Jill Luxenburg at USDA's NRCS, “Behold Our Living Soil” exhibit at NRCS celebration of the International Year of Soils at USDA in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. The event was to highlight the importance of healthy soils for food security, ecosystem functions and strong farms and ranches. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.

And we’re continuing to explore the incredible capacity of our soils to store carbon dioxide.

The health and vitality of our soils are rooted in four basic tenants that make up a soil health management system:  minimize disturbance; keep soil covered; energize soil with plant diversity; and maximize living roots.  That is the recipe for a healthy, happy and productive soil system.

At NRCS, soil health is hands down one of the most important efforts we’re tackling as an agency.

Learn more about the International Year of Soils, and be sure to check out our monthly video series on soils on the NRCS YouTube Channel. Also view more photos of yesterday’s event. To get started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Jason Weller at the celebration of the International Year of Soils event at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.