While new and innovative ideas may catch our imagination, we cannot overlook the tried and true conservation practices that are keeping our farmers on the land and aiding in the "greening" of America.  The concrete irrigation ditches of Socorro County, New Mexico and on the Dennis Harris Farm are prime examples.

Three Generation Farm Showcases Efficiency (PDF; 661 KB)

The work of NRCS takes us far from the thin walls of gray cubicles into the mountains and prairies and by-ways of New Mexico.  We share a love for its people as well as the land - and sometimes one of us takes pen in hand and shares that love with the rest of us.  That is the case of the following- written by Randy Donges, range management specialist in the Clayton field office as he talks about Union county's Billie Mock.  It is a lesson fellowship, stewardship, and range management.

Far From the Thin Walls of Gray Cubicles (PDF; 619 KB)

An unnaturally large amount of prickly cholla cactus on the Acoma Reservation has been cleared, allowing the land to begin restoring a natural plant community rich in native grasses.  With continued efforts to keep the cactus under control, the land can once again be utilized by cattle and wildlife for grazing.

Breaking Through a "Forest" of Cholla (PDF; 396 KB)

Watershed conservation, forest management, cooperative conservation, and inclusion of the historically underserved are all concepts that fit like a hand in a glove in the Tierra y Montes Soil & Water Conservation District in northern New Mexico.  Adoption of numerous conservation practices by the Alexander Milliken Ranch is a case in point.

Conservation Concepts Fit Like Hand in Glove (PDF; 1020 KB)

Mother Nature cooperated at the end of March 2009, enabling 28 NRCS New Mexico employees to become certified as prescribed burn planners.  This important service helps ranchers and other land mangers to reap the benefits of improved rangeland throughout New Mexico.

Prescribed Burn Planning Now Available (PDF; 748 KB)

Rio Grande Community Farm (RGCF), an agricultural collaborative at Los Poblanos Field Open Space in Albuquerque, is in the process of installing subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) on 16 acres of their organic farm.  With the use of both surface water and well water, RGCF hopes that drip irrigation will allow them to increase yield and volume of food crops and therefore establish and increased source of food for the Albuquerque Public Schools and customers like La Montanita Coop, Whole Foods, and various local restaurants.

Organic Farm Decides to Flood Less (PDF; 348 KB)

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is achieving success in grassland restoration at a site north of Deming, New Mexico.  The area is showing signs of plant succession that hold the promise of more quality grass species as the soil an seed bed are developing.

Creosote Out - A Case Study of Grassland Restoration Near Deming, New Mexico (PDF; 1359 KB)

The Sierra and Socorro Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) are introducing some innovative riparian restoration practices to the Armendaris Ranch at San Marcial, and in the process showcasing locally-led conservation at its best.

Innovations Mark Locally-led conservation Restoration (PDF; 239 KB)

The installation of wildlife watering facilities have enabled Kirk and JoAnn Cobb of the Estancia area to transform 1,100 acres of abused, overgrazed, and poached land into a safe-haven for wildlife.

If You Build It, They Will Come (PDF; 339 KB)

In the fall of 2008 the Corrales Farmland Preservation Committee succeeded in culminating work for the acquisition of a portion of the historic Gonzales family lands located within the Village of Corrales.  The purchase was possible through the partnership of the Village of Corrales bond funds, New Mexico NRCS Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, and New Mexico NRCS Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, and New Mexico Land Conservancy.

Corrales Benefits from NRCS Farm Bill Program (PDF; 644 KB)

The City of Albuquerque's Planning Department is charged with the responsibility to ensure the public's health, safety, and welfare.  Recently, before permits were issued to a new subdivision they turned to the soil scientists of NRCS to achieve this goal.

Soils Information Aids Albuquerque (PDF; 253 KB)

Meet Frank Blackmer, from the Aztec area, who is being a progressive conservationist, is turning river bottom into wildlife habitat that will be frosting on the cake of his successful farm.  NRCS is participating through its Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) which is part of the government's Farm Bill.

With a Little Help from My Friends (PDF; 479 KB)

A Story Inside An EWP Story (PDF; 860 KB)
 

SWCD and RC&D Team to Fight Noxious Weeds (PDF; 604 KB)
 

Role of Soil Health Promoted (PDF; 579 KB)
 

Beginning Rancher Achieves in Bootheel (PDF; 811 KB)
 

Being Kind is Not Always the Answer (PDF; 532 KB)
 

Tribes, Pueblos Explore Native Plants (PDF; 780 KB)
 

Conservation Innovation Grant Researches Soil Moisture Issues (PDF; 446 KB)
 

Take miles of New Mexico mesquite and counter them with a watershed initiative, and you have the Lovington Field Office working at its best.  In 2007 NRCS New Mexico challenged its field offices to devote funding on a landscape or watershed scale, and it would match dollar-for-dollar monies that were set aside for such purposes.  The Lovington Field Office along with the Portales Field Office, and its locally-led work groups, accepted the challenge and set aside funds to manage brush in the Lost Draw Area.  These funds were matched by the NRCS New Mexico State Office under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

Big Problems Get Big Solutions (PDF; 687 KB)
 

To ensure healthy watersheds in New Mexico it takes public landowners, private landowners, Natural Resources Conservation Service, soil and water conservation districts, State Forestry, private non-profits, other federal and state agencies, and a whole cadre of individuals and organizations to make it happen.  And, the Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is taking this mission to ehart in the east mountain communities of Bernalillo county with healthy forest funding provided by the U.S. Forest Service and administered by the New Mexico State Forestry.

Ciudad SWCD Takes Health Watershed Mission to Heart (PDF; 406 KB)
 

Pressures such as higher commodity prices are being placed on producers to take Conservation Program (CRP) fields out of grass and put back into production.  The New Mexico NRCS is taking an innovative approach to stem the flow of CRP fields going back into crop production, which at the same time helping ranchers by using Farm Bill programs not normally associated with CRP.

NM NRCS Program to Protect Expiring CRP Acres (PDF; 324 KB)
 

The grasslands that the Lesser Prairie Chicken needs, also responds to Causey rancher Jim Weaver's goal of developing wildlife habitat while operating an economically viable ranch.  Cattle thrive in the wide open spaces that meet the Lesser Prairie Chicken's requirements.

What's Good for the Prairie Chicken is Good for Cattle (PDF; 460 KB)
 

To plow or not to plow, that is the question for farmers like Rick Ledbetter of Portales. The answers all stack up on the side of conservation tillage for Ledbetter, however - resulting in production costs savings and soil improvements at the same time.

Fuel, Fertilizer Prices Drive New Technology for Portales Farmer (PDF; 462 KB)
 

One of the passions of New Mexico's soil and water conservation districts is the control of noxious weeds.  And, control of Russian Knapweed is a particular passion for Alfred Saavedra of the Lava Soil & Water Conservation District.

Lava SWCD Farmer Tackles Russian Knapweed (PDF; 201 KB)
 

Farmers in the Mimbres River area are benefitting from a revetment fence that slows floodwater, thanks to the initiative and desire of staff from the New Mexico Environment Department and NRCS Silver City field office to make cooperative conservation happen.

Mimbres River Farmers Benefit from Natural Combination (PDF; 430 KB)
 

Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Councils are known for their ability to pull together divergent entities or resources when the tasks at hand require the involvement of a number of organizations or facets.  The Sureste RC&D proved this out in July when they spearheaded an outreach initiative to gain greater participation in USDA programs from minority landowners and limited resource and beginning farmers and ranchers.

Pulling it Together as RC&Ds Can (PDF; 257 KB)
 

A couple of years ago when a levee broke, depositing yards of sediment on a field at Gilles Farms near Arrey, New Mexico, the teamwork of NRCS and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) came into play.  NRCS offered the support of its technical assistance program, and FSA utilized the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to answer the needs of this vegetable and crop producer.

FSA, NRCS Team Up to Help Restore Gilles Farms Cropland (PDF; 676 KB)
 

This spring, NRCS New Mexico, in major push, carried its riparian restoration technology into the field. In a series of four workshops, the NRCS New Mexico riparian restoration team introduced its "Guide for Planning Riparian Treatments in New Mexico," and offered key information about assessing alternatives and arriving at sound decisions when planning for these unique ecosystems.

Riparian Restoration Team Pushes Knowledge Into the Field (PDF; 778 KB)
 

Claunch-Pinto, East Torrance, and Edgewood SWCDs Respond to Threat (PDF; 642 KB)
 

Coordination Assistance Aids Navajos (PDF; 228 KB)
 

Do you remember racing around the farm yard as a kid playing the Lone Ranger or Gene or Roy?  Many of today's kids lack the opportunity to learn about the kind of rural life you may have known back then.  Several of the state's soil and water conservation districts (SWCD) are setting out to change that.

SWCDs, Others Bring Conservation to Kids (PDF; 1005 KB)
 

Water tanks, troughs, and ponds that New Mexico ranchers build and maintain for livestock, also become critical sources of water for a large array of wildlife. Taking some simple measures to create escapes routes for birds, bats, squirrels, and other small animals that fall into these structures not only helps valuable wildlife survive, but prevents livestock water degradation caused by decaying animals.  

Carrizozo Area Strives to Save Stock Water, Wildlife (PDF; 877 KB)

Navajo Code Talker Honors NRCS Personnel

Producer Joe Vandever’s Navajo name is ta-de-yhi which means ‘going places’. Little did this child of the land know when he was born west of Grants, New Mexico in 1923 that he was going to play an important role in United States history, as a Navajo Code Talker in World War II.

Navajo Code Talker Honors NRCS Personnel (PDF; 2 MB)

"Basin Absolutely Did Its Job"

Basin Absolutely Did Its Job (PDF; 782 KB)

Locally Led Work Group Acts to Save Playas

Locally Led Work Group Acts to Save Playas (PDF; 782 KB)

Cleaning Up Yesterday's Trash

Cleaning Up Yesterday's Trash (PDF; 782 KB)

Conservationist Creates Awesome Ranch

Wanting the best for his family's ranch near Mora, New Mexico, Mike Reardon has embarked on a conservation journey. He has employed many types of conservation practices, including using controlled fires to eradicate invasive brush and trees, planting native species that attract and support wildlife, and streambed restoration. 

Conservationist Creates Awesome Ranch (PDF; 818 KB)

Tallpot and Hydrogel Technologies Team Up in Semi-Desert Climate

Planting shrubs alongside a semi-desert road near Santa Fe, then only watering them twice and expecting them to thrive sounds like an impossible mission. Yet, that is exactly what the group of innovators at the NRCS Los Lunas Plant Materials Center are doing.

Tallpot and Hydrogel Technologies Team Up in Semi-Desert Climate (PDF; 818 KB)

Instilling "Tried and True" into Technology

NRCS has a reputation for bringing "tried and true" technology to New Mexico's farms and ranches. One of NRCS New Mexico's recent innovations currently undergoing a real-world trial is a plastic-lined steel water tank with a false bottom.

Instilling "Tried and True" into Technology (PDF; 614 KB)

Study Yielding Initial Answers to Water Depletions in Sacramentos

The Otero Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is tackling water depletion problems in a 750 square mile area of south-central New Mexico, and instituting a scientific approach to watershed management that they and others can use.

Study Yielding Initial Answers to Water Depletions in Sacramentos (PDF; 695 KB)

Conservationists Nearly Double Water Flow in the Abo Arroyo

The eradication of salt cedar and the reintroduction of native plants to the banks of the Abo Arroyo have initiated the return of a healthy landscape. This conservation effort is significant because the Abo Arroyo, as a tributary of the Rio Grande is a seed source for both invasive plants, like salt cedar, and beneficial vegetation for large areas downstream. 

Conservationists Nearly Double Water Flow in the Abo Arroyo (PDF; 695 KB)

Dam Rehab Achieves Goals

Through a partnership between local, state and federal entities, the Piedra Liza Dam, originally built in the late 1950s, has been brought up to modern-day standards. This successful project will ensure the continued protection of the land and people of the Bernalillo area from potentially devastating flooding.

Dam Rebab Achieves Goals (PDF; 923 KB)

PMC Makes Rancher's Crop a Mission

Striving to making more drought-tolerant grasses commercially available to New Mexico ranchers has become one of the many pursuits of the Plant Materials Center (PMC) in Los Lunas. 

PMC Makes Rancher's Crop a Mission (PDF; 308 KB)

Sometimes it Takes Tweaking

As New Mexico’s innovative farmers and ranchers seek new and better ways to conserve our natural resources, resounding successes do not always happen the first time. Sometimes it takes tweaking.

Sometimes it Takes Tweaking (PDF; 308 KB)

Warm Pecan Pie has Roots in Deming

When you are sitting around the kitchen table after supper immersed in that delectable piece of warm pecan pie dripping with melting ice cream, think of Rick Holdridge and subsurface drip irrigation.

Warm Pecan Pie has Roots in Deming (PDF; 757 KB)

Old Ways Die Hard

The Los Lunas Plant Materials Center staff finds a challenge in spreading the word about new riparian restoration technology that runs counter to traditional wisdom.

Old Ways Die Hard (PDF; 750 KB)

Sichler Farms Produce Introduces Subsurface Drip Irrigation to Socorro County

Sichler Farms Produce is pioneering drip irrigation systems in their operation this spring near San Antonio.

Sichler Farms Produce Introduces Subsurface Drip Irrigation to Socorro County (PDF; 750 KB)

Weeds Meet Their Match in Southeastern New Mexico

Multiple agencies formed the Cooperative Weed Management Area to establish countywide organizations to tackle week infestation.

Weeds Meet Their Match in Southeastern New Mexico (PDF; 215 KB)

Deming Producer Sold On Subsurface Drip Irrigation

Kevin Penn is using 30 to 40 percent less water on his crops due to drip irrigation systems.

Deming Producer Sold On Subsurface Drip Irrigation (PDF; 452 KB)

Dad Had the Paperwork Everywhere

Dad Had the Paperwork Everywhere (PDF; 417 KB)

So You’re Thinking About an Easement Program

To some, conservation easements are controversial while to other landowners they answer a strong desire. Seth Fiedler, NRCS resource conservationist, recently took a minute to explain a little about the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP).

So You're Thinking About an Easement Program (PDF; 374 KB)

Solar Smarts Turn Forest Area into Prime Habitat

Solar panels that power a water well are making a portion of the Smokey Bear District in the Lincoln National Forest habitable during dry periods for wild turkey, mule deer, elk, and an occasional javelina thanks, in part, to the efforts of the South Central Mountain RC&D, their NRCS RC&D coordinator, and the U.S. Forest Service .

Solar Smarts Turn Forest Area into Prime Habitat (PDF; 646 KB)

Brine Rehabilitation Poised to Revolutionize

If it would cost you 30 cents a barrel to reinject unusable oil brine back into the ground or 10 cents to clean it up and irrigate a pasture, what would you do?

Brine Rehabilitation Poised to Revolutionize (PDF; 326 KB)

NRCSers On Mission To Spread Word

The Los Lunas Plant Materials Center is on a mission to spread the word about riparian planting techniques that work. Their recent demonstration illustrates their efforts to spread the technology they have developed over the past two decades.

NRCSers on Mission to Spread Word (PDF; 308 KB)

Bunchgrass Demo Launched

Giant sacaton is a native warm season bunchgrass that can reach heights in excess of seven feet and more than four feet wide. The PMC has been evaluating giant sacaton since 1999, by installing windstrip plantings to help protect areas from wind erosion.

Bunchgrass Demo Launched (PDF; 1 MB)

Restoring Grasslands

Grassland/watershed restoration in the Mangus Watershed meant prescribed burns and erosion control structures – lots of them. The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service assisted throughout the process with technical expertise and some funding.

Restoring Grasslands (PDF; 254 KB)

Takes One to Know One

The old adage “It takes one to know one” couldn’t be truer when it comes to farmers. It takes a farmer to know what a farmer really needs. That is why when a farmer like Jimmie Fisher from Aztec speaks up and tells his neighbors how conservation improvements have worked for him, people listen.

Takes One to Know One (PDF; 332 KB)

Flipping the Power Switch

Do you want to save energy on your farm? You bet – who doesn’t? Do you have an operation that uses irrigation pumps, a greenhouse, or refrigeration?

Flipping the Power Switch (PDF; 214 KB)

Awkward Buzz Word Yields Answers

Collaborative conservation may be a new and somewhat awkward buzz word in New Mexico conservation circles, but to Stacy Mills of the JC & Frances Mills Family Ptr. LTC of Carlsbad it means finally being able to access the benefits of USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in a way that makes sense for his operation.

Award Buzz Word Yields Answers (PDF; 219 KB)

Cowboy Ingenuity Aids Lovington Rancher

Southwestern ranchers know the need for being inventive and finding practical solutions for issues on the range.

Cowboy Ingenuity Aids Lovington Rancher (PDF; 127 KB)

Conservation Proves Itself at Cuba Fire

Don Moore's continuing drive to improve his rangeland near Cuba, New Mexico is attributed to restricting a wildfire that would otherwise have spread into the Los Pinos area.

Conservation proves itself at Cuba Fire (PDF; 444 KB)

WHIP Used to Capitalize on Fly-Zone in Tome

Andrew Hautzinger's small farm south of Tome and east of Los Lunas, New Mexico is in a major fly-zone for many migratory birds.

WHIP used to capitalize on fly-zone fire (PDF; 662 KB)

Entrepreneur Eyes PMC Products

Giant Sacaton was originally developed by the Plant Material Center for non-woody windbreaks in area vegetable fields. Breeding by the PMC has made a dramatic difference – resulting in a large grass that surpasses Pampas grass in stature and is much bigger and showier than its unimproved native forms.

Entrepreneur eyes Plant Materials Center products (PDF; 476 KB)