Natural Resources Conservation Service: Difference between revisions

'''Natural Resources Conservation Service''' ('''NRCS'''), formerly known as the '''Soil Conservation Service''' ('''SCS'''), is an agency of the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and managers.

Its name was changed in 1994 during the presidency of Bill Clinton to reflect its broader mission. It is a relatively small agency, currently comprising about 12,000 employees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/people/|title=People|website=Natural Resources Conservation Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804012559/https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/people/|archive-date=2017-08-04|url-status=live|access-date=January 27, 2018}}</ref> Its mission is to improve, protect, and conserve natural resources on private lands through a cooperative partnership with [[State governments of the United States|state]] and [[Local government in the United States|local agencies]].  While its primary focus has been agricultural lands, it has made many technical contributions to soil surveying, classification, and water quality improvement.<ref>U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Washington, DC. [https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/soilsurvey "Soil Survey Programs."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726173140/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/soilsurvey/ |date=2011-07-26 }} Accessed 2009-06-05.</ref><ref>NRCS. [https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/standards/nhcp.html "National Conservation Practice Standards."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611092227/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/standards/nhcp.html |date=2011-06-11 }} National Handbook of Conservation Practices. Accessed 2009-06-05.</ref> One example is the [[Conservation Effects Assessment Project]] (CEAP), set up to quantify the benefits of agricultural conservation efforts promoted and supported by programs in the [[Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002]] (2002 Farm Bill). NRCS is the leading agency in this project.