Conservation workshops planned at Tifton Campus Conference Center

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September 14, 2012

Conservation workshops planned at Tifton Campus Conference Center

Anonymous CNHI The Tifton Gazette Fri Sep 14, 2012, 11:52 PM EDT

TIFTON — The Conservation Reserve Program Readiness Initiative kicks off a series of online and in-person workshops at 9 a.m. Oct. 23 with a one-day classroom and field workshop focusing on developing a Conservation Reserve Program plan.

Co-sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the one-day “CRP Plan: Start to Finish” course will be held at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center, 15 RDC Road, Tifton (Exit 64 on I-75).

Additional online courses, including CRP Online Core Training, RUSLE2, WEPS and Web Tools, will be available in October through CRPRI’s new website: FacesOfCRP.info.

The workshops are part of the national CRP Readiness Initiative, a nationwide effort to train conservation professionals and independent consultants to provide the planning, implementation, and management services associated with the Conservation Reserve Program.

Since March of this year, over 325 professionals in 20 states have completed the basic CRP Core Training. The conservation trainings offered through the CRPRI will also be useful to conservation professionals working in other NRCS conservation programs outside of CRP. Professionals from nonprofits, conservation districts and state agencies with ties to NRCS and its programs are invited.

“Students taking these courses will dig deeper, learning about advanced planning concepts and conservation tools and practices, like soil and wind erosion modeling prediction. After completing the training, they will be able to help landowners plan for and implement sound conservation practices that will enhance water quality and wildlife habitat, while keeping nutrients in soil where they can boost yields,” said Kevin Erb, CRP Readiness Initiative Project co-director and a Certified Crop Advisor.

Course descriptions

   •   CRP Plan: Start to Finish is a one-day course designed to walk students through the CRP conservation planning process step by step. Students in this course will learn how to: develop NRCS-required maps; use online tools to evaluate soils and choose the best conservation practices; assess installation and maintenance specifications; and develop a timeline so landowners can meet all CRP program requirements.

   •   Online Core Training is designed for new CRP Readiness Initiative participants. The self-guided, web-based course provides a comprehensive overview of the Conservation Reserve Program and CRP conservation plan development. Learning modules focus on topics like the history of CRP, the contracting process, CRP conservation plan development (including tools and resources), CRP plan implementation, and CRP plan followup management. Core Training will be offered free of charge.

   •   The Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) course covers the WEPS computer model, wind erosion process and its effects on agricultural production and the environment. This basic course takes students from software installation to basic use of WEPS to compare a variety of conservation practices to reduce wind erosion

   •   The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE2)

course will teach students to use the RUSLE2 model to understand and compare practices to reduce soil erosion caused by rainfall and runoff.

   •   The Online Web Tools course provides a hands-on exploration of the Web Soil Survey and electronic Field Office Technical Guide (eFOTG), two tools used by conservation professionals in a variety of conservation programs.

For more information, contact David Ferrell, CRP Readiness Initiative Southern Media Contact, at (912) 337-5548 or ferrell2302@gmail.com. To register for the Georgia workshop or online courses, or to learn more, visit http://facesofcrp.info/training/. Directions to the Tifton Conference Center are available at http://www.ugatiftonconference.org.

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