News Releases - 07

Last Modified: 01/08/2008

NRCS Supports 2007 Census of Agriculture Efforts

Temple, Texas – The USDA-NRCS is urging farmers and ranchers to participate in the 2007 Census of Agriculture. While the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is responsible for conducting the 2007 Census of Agriculture, the Census is a priority for all agencies within the Department of Agriculture.

News Release, December 19, 2007

NRCS Provides $4 Million for Flood Damage Repairs

Temple, Texas – The USDA -NRCS has received $4 million through its Emergency Watershed Protection program to fulfill some of the requests for assistance in repairing streambanks and waterways damaged in spring floods in eight counties in central Texas.

News Release, December 6, 2007

Native Plant Releases Adaptable, Competitive in South Texas

Kingsville, Texas – Two recent native plant releases from the South Texas Natives project, coordinated by the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute of Texas A&M-Kingsville, were developed for their adaptability to soil and climate conditions in south Texas and ability to compete with introduced species.

News Release, December 6, 2007

NRCS Texas Recognizes Earth Team Volunteer

Temple, Texas –The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has named Roy Mills of Nacogdoches, Texas, as its Earth Team Volunteer of the year for 2007.

News Release, December 5, 2007

USDA-NRCS Awards Dam Rehabilitation Contract for Site No. 15 of the Nolan Creek Watershed in Bell County

Temple, Texas – The USDA-NRCS has awarded a contract to rehabilitate floodwater retarding structure No. 15 in the Nolan Creek Watershed, Bell County, Texas. The $1.08 million rehabilitation project will began in mid-October and will be completed in April 2008.

News Release, November 5, 2007

EQIP Application Deadline in Texas Draws Near

Temple, Texas – NRCS in Texas is reminding agricultural producers interested in participating in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) that the deadline to apply for 2008 funding is Nov. 16, 2007.

News Release, November 5, 2007

NRCS Texas Accepts Applications for EQIP Funding

Temple, Texas – Texas agricultural landowners interested in participating in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) need to apply by Nov. 16, 2007, if they have not already done so to be eligible for the next round of funding, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

News Release (September 12, 2007)

NRCS Provides $480,000 for Conservation Innovations

Temple, Texas – The USDA-NRCS has approved more than $480,000 in grants to groups in Texas that will develop innovative technologies and solutions to environmental issues on working agricultural lands.

News Release (July 31, 2007)

Gohmert to Lead Natural Resources Conservation Service in Texas

Temple, Texas – Don Gohmert recently assumed the position of state conservationist for USDA’s NRCS in Texas.

News Release (July 24, 2007)

NRCS Watershed Structures Prevent Greater Flood Damage in Bell, Falls, McLennan Counties

Temple, Texas – Late May and June rains brought more flooding and flood damage to central Texas. Damage in Bell, Falls, and McLennan counties, according to estimates by the USDA-NRCS, could have been nearly $4 million worse if not for the floodwater retarding structures located in those counties.

News Release (July 16, 2007)

NRCS Watershed Structures Prevent Greater Flood Damage in Brown, Comanche, Mills Counties

Temple, Texas – Late June rains brought more flooding and flood damage to central Texas. Damage in Brown, Comanche, and Mills counties, according to estimates by the USDA-NRCS, could have been $5.1 million worse if not for the floodwater retarding structures located in those counties.

News Release (July 13, 2007)

NRCS Watershed Structures Prevent Greater Flood Damage in Bexar, Comal, Kendall Counties

Temple, Texas – Late June rains brought more flooding and flood damage to south central Texas. Damage in Bexar, Comal, and Kendall counties, according to estimates by the USDA-NRCS, could have been nearly $1 million worse if not for the floodwater retarding structures located in those counties.

News Release (July 13, 2007)

NRCS Watershed Structures Prevent Greater Flood Damage in Cooke, Grayson and Collin Counties

Temple, Texas – Storms that produced heavy rains on June 18, 2007, brought flooding and flood damage to north Texas. Damage in Cooke, Grayson and Collin counties, according to estimates by the USDA-NRCS, could have been $7 million worse if not for the floodwater retarding structures located in those counties.

News Release (July 9, 2007)

NRCS Watershed Structures Prevent Greater Flood Damage

Temple, Texas – May rains brought flooding and flood damage to central Texas. Damage in Lampasas and Bell counties, according to estimates by the USDA-NRCS, could have been $4.4 million worse if not for the floodwater retarding structures located in those counties.

News Release (July 5, 2007)

NRCS to Provide Federal Funds to Protect Texas’s Working Farms and Ranches

Temple, Texas—The USDA-NRCS is accepting proposals until April 27, 2007, for the approximately $1 million now available to protect agricultural land in Texas through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program.

“This program helps communities preserve open space, wildlife habitat, and cultural resources,” said Walt Douglas, NRCS acting state conservationist for Texas. “This is an excellent way to keep prime farmland in agriculture and, at the same time, keep farming and ranching communities striving by relieving development pressures.”

News Release (March 30, 2007)

Protect Your USDA Program Eligibility: Remember Conservation When Making Planting Decisions

Officials with the USDA-NRCS are urging farmers to consider USDA compliance and program eligibility before changing their current crop rotation to include corn to take advantage of current high corn prices.

“Don't forget to check your conservation plan before making final planting decisions this spring,” said Walt Douglas, NRCS acting state conservationist for Texas. “It’s a good idea to review your conservation plan before changing a crop rotation, in order to stay eligible for USDA programs,” he said.

News Release (March 12, 2007)

New Web Site Features Texas Flood Protection Information

If you’ve never heard of a flood water retarding structure, you are probably not alone. But not being able to define it does not mean you haven’t benefited from one or from several.

Flood water retarding structures are just that – structures, usually dams, which temporarily hold back flood waters, reducing the threat and intensity of flooding. For the past 60 years, the USDA-NRCS has worked with sponsors across Texas to construct nearly 2,000 floodwater retarding structures in 145 watershed projects in the state.

News Release (March 6, 2007)

Well Deserved Honor

Texas Tech University Recognizes NRCS State Conservationist as Distinguished Alumni

Dr. Larry D. Butler, state conservationist for the USDA-NRCS in Texas, was honored Feb. 19 as one of six 2007 Distinguished Agricultural Alumni recipients for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR), Texas Tech University.

News Release (February 22, 2007)

Wetlands Program Sign-up Deadline February 16

Texas landowners who are interested in cost-share funding for restoring degraded wetlands need to sign-up for the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) at their local USDA-NRCS office by Feb. 16, 2007.

News Release (January 30, 2007)

New Website All About Plants

The NRCS plant materials program provides native plants that can help solve natural resource problems.

“Once a problem is identified, it is our job to seek out plants that show promise for meeting the conservation need,” said Rob Ziehr, NRCS plant materials specialist in Temple, Texas. “We then test the plant’s performance and, once proven, we release it to the private sector for commercial production.”

News Release (January 29, 2007)

NRCS Texas State Conservationist Announces Retirement

Dr. Larry D. Butler, state conservationist for the USDA-NRCS, Texas, has announced his retirement effective March 2, 2007.

News Release (January 19, 2007)

< Back to Texas News