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|OrganizationType=Independent agencies
|OrganizationType=Independent agencies
|Mission=The NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and managers to help conserve, maintain, and improve natural resources on their lands. It works to address natural resource challenges through voluntary conservation efforts that also support sustainable agriculture.
|Mission=The NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and managers to help conserve, maintain, and improve natural resources on their lands. It works to address natural resource challenges through voluntary conservation efforts that also support sustainable agriculture.
|ParentOrganization=Department of Agriculture
|TopOrganization=Department of Agriculture
|CreationLegislation=Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1935
|Employees=12000
|Budget=$883 million (Fiscal Year 2021)
|OrganizationExecutive=Chief
|OrganizationExecutive=Chief
|Employees=Approximately 12,000
|Budget=$883 million (Fiscal Year 2021)
|Website=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
|Services=Conservation technical assistance; soil surveys; financial assistance programs
|Services=Conservation technical assistance; soil surveys; financial assistance programs
|ParentOrganization=United States Department of Agriculture
|CreationLegislation=Originally established as the Soil Conservation Service by [[Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1935]], renamed to NRCS in 1994
|Regulations=Assists in implementing conservation compliance provisions under various Farm Bills
|Regulations=Assists in implementing conservation compliance provisions under various Farm Bills
|HeadquartersLocation=38.88685151731375, -77.0299511004896
|HeadquartersLocation=38.88685, -77.02995
|HeadquartersAddress=1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250
|HeadquartersAddress=1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250
|Website=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
|Wikipedia=Natural Resources Conservation Service
|Wikipedia=Natural Resources Conservation Service
}}
}}
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==History==
==History==
The agency was founded largely through the efforts of [[Hugh Hammond Bennett]], a [[soil conservation]] pioneer who worked for the [[United States Department of Agriculture|Department of Agriculture]] from 1903 to 1952.<ref name="Cook">{{cite web|last=Cook|first=Maurice|title=Hugh Hammond Bennett: the Father of Soil Conservation|url=http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/about/century/hugh.html|work=Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences|publisher=North Carolina State University|access-date=30 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720122812/http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/about/century/hugh.html|archive-date=20 July 2011}}</ref> Bennett's motivation was based on his knowledge of the detrimental effects of [[soil erosion]] and the impacts on U.S lands<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/history/bennett.html |title=Biography of Hugh Hammond Bennett |publisher=NRCS |access-date=2008-01-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227103851/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/history/bennett.html |archive-date=2007-12-27 }}</ref> that led to the [[Dust Bowl]] in the 1930s. On September 13, 1933, the Soil Erosion Service was formed in the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]], with Bennett as chief.  The service was transferred to the Department of Agriculture on March 23, 1935, and was shortly thereafter combined with other USDA units to form the Soil Conservation Service by the [[Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act]] of 1935.<ref>Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, P.L. 74-46, {{USStat|49|163}}, {{USC|16|590(e)}}, April 27, 1935.</ref><ref name="archives">{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/114.html |title=Records of the Natural Resources Conservation Service |publisher=[[NARA]] |access-date=2008-01-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207195045/http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/114.html |archive-date=2007-12-07 }}</ref>
The agency was founded largely through the efforts of Hugh Hammond Bennett, a soil conservation pioneer who worked for the [[United States Department of Agriculture|Department of Agriculture]] from 1903 to 1952.<ref name="Cook">{{cite web|last=Cook|first=Maurice|title=Hugh Hammond Bennett: the Father of Soil Conservation|url=http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/about/century/hugh.html|work=Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences|publisher=North Carolina State University|access-date=30 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720122812/http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/about/century/hugh.html|archive-date=20 July 2011}}</ref> Bennett's motivation was based on his knowledge of the detrimental effects of soil erosion and the impacts on U.S lands<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/history/bennett.html |title=Biography of Hugh Hammond Bennett |publisher=NRCS |access-date=2008-01-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227103851/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/history/bennett.html |archive-date=2007-12-27 }}</ref> that led to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. On September 13, 1933, the Soil Erosion Service was formed in the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]], with Bennett as chief.  The service was transferred to the Department of Agriculture on March 23, 1935, and was shortly thereafter combined with other USDA units to form the Soil Conservation Service by the [[Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act]] of 1935.<ref>Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, P.L. 74-46, {{USStat|49|163}}, {{USC|16|590(e)}}, April 27, 1935.</ref><ref name="archives">{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/114.html |title=Records of the Natural Resources Conservation Service |publisher=[[NARA]] |access-date=2008-01-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207195045/http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/114.html |archive-date=2007-12-07 }}</ref>


The SCS was in charge of 500 [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] camps between 1933 and 1942. The primary purpose of these camps was [[erosion control]].<ref>[http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1586.html Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530223246/http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1586.html |date=2013-05-30 }} ''U-S-History.com'', Online Highways LLC. Retrieved July 27, 2014.</ref> In the 1980s, there were around 3,000 local Soil Conservation Service districts throughout the United States, each with elected executive boards.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Assistance Available from the Soil Conservation Service |publisher=Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture |year=1988 |edition=Rev. Aug. 1988 |pages=4, 6-7}}</ref> These districts provided financial as well as technical support, such as assistance inventorying natural resources, to land owners in their [[Conservation movement|conservation]] efforts upon request.<ref name=":0" />
The SCS was in charge of 500 Civilian Conservation Corps camps between 1933 and 1942. The primary purpose of these camps was erosion control.<ref>[http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1586.html Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530223246/http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1586.html |date=2013-05-30 }} ''U-S-History.com'', Online Highways LLC. Retrieved July 27, 2014.</ref> In the 1980s, there were around 3,000 local Soil Conservation Service districts throughout the United States, each with elected executive boards.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Assistance Available from the Soil Conservation Service |publisher=Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture |year=1988 |edition=Rev. Aug. 1988 |pages=4, 6-7}}</ref> These districts provided financial as well as technical support, such as assistance inventorying natural resources, to land owners in their conservation efforts upon request.<ref name=":0" />


Bennett continued as chief until his retirement in 1952.<ref name="Cook"/>  As part of the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994, the agency was renamed the Natural Resources Conservation Service during the tenure of Chief [[Paul Wesley Johnson|Paul Johnson]].<ref name="archives"/><ref>Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994, {{USStat|108|3223}}, October 13, 1994.</ref>
Bennett continued as chief until his retirement in 1952.<ref name="Cook"/>  As part of the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994, the agency was renamed the Natural Resources Conservation Service during the tenure of Chief Paul Johnson.<ref name="archives"/><ref>Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994, {{USStat|108|3223}}, October 13, 1994.</ref>


== Programs and services ==
== Programs and services ==
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=== National Association of Conservation Districts ===
=== National Association of Conservation Districts ===
[[National Association of Conservation Districts]] (NACD) is a non-profit agency that serves 3,000 conservation districts across the United States. There are about 17,000 individuals who serve on the governing boards of conservation districts. Local conservation districts work with landowners to help manage land and water resources. The mission of NACD is to provide leadership and a unified voice for natural resource conservation in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nacdnet.org/about/index.phtml|title=About NACD|publisher=Nacdnet.org|access-date=2013-10-31|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020055920/http://www.nacdnet.org/about/index.phtml|archive-date=2012-10-20}}</ref> The NACD grew in the 1930s from a statewide operation in Oklahoma, and many independent districts, to a unified National organization in 1946.
[[National Association of Conservation Districts]] (NACD) is a non-profit agency that serves 3,000 conservation districts across the United States. There are about 17,000 individuals who serve on the governing boards of conservation districts. Local conservation districts work with landowners to help manage land and water resources. The mission of NACD is to provide leadership and a unified voice for natural resource conservation in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nacdnet.org/about/index.phtml|title=About NACD|publisher=Nacdnet.org|access-date=2013-10-31|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020055920/http://www.nacdnet.org/about/index.phtml|archive-date=2012-10-20}}</ref> The NACD grew in the 1930s from a statewide operation in Oklahoma, and many independent districts, to a unified National organization in 1946.
==Partnerships==
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) engages in a variety of partnerships to enhance conservation efforts across the United States. These partnerships are instrumental in extending the reach and impact of conservation efforts, leveraging both federal and non-federal resources to address natural resource concerns on a broader scale. They illustrate NRCS's commitment to collaborative, locally-led conservation initiatives.
=== Regional Conservation Partnership Program ===
The [[Regional Conservation Partnership Program]] (RCPP) funds partner-driven solutions to conservation challenges on agricultural lands. It includes partnerships with:
* State agencies, like the Illinois Department of Agriculture for projects like the "Infield Conservation for Operationalizing Vital Ecosystems Resilience" (iCOVER).
* Non-profit organizations, such as Sand County Foundation for "Advancing Farmer-Led Incentives in the Midwest".
* Land trusts, like Texas Agricultural Land Trust for conservation in the Coastal Prairie region.
=== Joint Chiefs' Landscape Restoration Partnership ===
The [[Joint Chiefs' Landscape Restoration Partnership]] is a collaborative effort with the USDA [[Forest Service]] to mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality, and restore forest ecosystems.
This includes projects in various states, with significant investments in forest health across public and private lands, involving county, state, non-governmental, Tribal, utilities, or private individual stakeholders.
=== Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP) ===
[[Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership]] (WREP) is part of the [[Agricultural Conservation Easement Program]] (ACEP), focusing on wetland conservation.
Partners can include:
* State agencies
* county and local governments,
* non-governmental organizations, and
* American Indian tribes to leverage resources for high-priority wetland projects.
=== Equity Conservation Outreach Cooperative Agreements ===
These partnerships focus on expanding conservation outreach to underserved communities, including:
* Projects involving organizations like Advocates for Urban Agriculture in Illinois, First Nations Development Institute in Colorado, and many others aimed at climate-smart agriculture and forestry, particularly for new, low-income, socially disadvantaged, or veteran farmers.
=== Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) ===
[[Conservation Innovation Grants]] is a competitive program for developing new conservation tools, often involving partnerships with:
* Universities, non-profits, and private sector entities to innovate conservation practices.
=== Partnerships with Conservation Districts ===
NRCS works closely with local conservation districts across states to deliver conservation programs and technical assistance. Examples include:
* Collaborations with the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts and specific county Soil Conservation Districts.
=== Partnerships for Specific Initiatives ===
Such as the Partnership with the U.S. Forest Service for urban agriculture and innovative production, or with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to support wildlife habitat restoration.


==See also==
==See also==
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