2. INTRODUCTION Goal: To make conservation planning more accessible for planners, farmers and landowners

3. The “BIG PICTURE” overview Development of a planning tool to assist with conservation planning. LATIS / FarmLATIS Hydrologic modeling tool Interface with GIS Grocery list of conservation practices (BMPs) Grocery list of incentive programs

4. The “BIG PICTURE” overview What Why A G R I C U L T U R EU R B A N

5. METHOD survey design

6. METHOD survey design The Survey Survey design followed Dillman’s Tailored Design Method (Dillman 2007) 32 total questions (plus sub-questions)

7. METHOD survey implementation The Survey Web-based survey following Dillman’s Tailored Design Method (Dillman 2007) 1) Prenotice e-mail 2) Questionnaire 3) Replacement Questionnaire (Reminder 1) 4) Replacement Questionnaire/Thank You Letter (Reminder 2) QuestionPro: Web-based survey software (www.questionpro.com) Chosen as the host Web site for the questionnaire

8. METHOD survey implementation The Survey Distributed to 253 Mississippi NRCS employees 187 Started 156 Completed 61.6% Completion Average completion time: 21 minutes

9. NEEDS ASSESSMENT web-based survey

10. DEMOGRAPHICS gender & age range

11. DEMOGRAPHICS education

12. DEMOGRAPHICS nrcs

13. DEMOGRAPHICS conclusion “Soil conservation is multidisciplinary and relies on numerous specialists…to develop mutually supporting soil and water conservation measures” (Helms 1992) –Hugh Hammond Bennett founder SES, SCS, & NRCS +All educational degrees +Over 13 educational backgrounds +Over 13 job positions -Low gender diversity -Heavy emphasis on ‘soil’

14. INCENTIVE PROGRAMS overview CCPI Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative a voluntary program established to foster conservation partnerships that focus technical and financial resources on conservation priorities in watersheds and air sheds of special significance CRPConservation Reserve Program encourages farmers to convert highly erodible cropland or other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover CSPConservation Security Program identifies and rewards those farmers and ranchers who are meeting the highest standards of conservation and environmental management on their operations CTA Conservation Technical Assistance Program a voluntary program that provides technical assistance supported by science-based technology and tools to help people conserve, maintain, and improve their natural resources EQIP Environmental Quality Incentives Program a voluntary program that provides assistance to farmers and ranchers who face threats to soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land 12 incentive programs included in survey Comprehensive (Broad Scope)

15. overview GLCI Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative collaborative process of individuals and organizations working to maintain and improve the management, productivity, and health of the Nation's privately owned grazing land by providing technical assistance to help the landowners use the latest and best technology to make grazing land management decisions GRPGrassland Reserve Program a voluntary program that helps landowners and operators restore and protect grassland, while maintaining the areas as grazing lands HFRPHealthy Forests Reserve Program a voluntary program established for the purpose of restoring and enhancing forest ecosystems to promote the recovery of threatened and endangered species, to improve biodiversity, and enhance carbon sequestration RC & D Resource Conservation and Development Program encourage and improve the capability of volunteer local elected and civic leaders in designated RC & D areas to plan and carry out projects for resource conservation and community development WHIPWildlife Habitat Initiatives Program a voluntary program that encourages the creation of high quality wildlife habitats that support wildlife populations, and provides technical and financial assistance to landowners and others to develop upland, wetland, riparian, and aquatic habitat areas on their property WRPWetlands Reserve Program landowners receive financial incentives to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring marginal land from agriculture INCENTIVE PROGRAMS 12 incentive programs included in survey EWPEmergency Watershed Program to undertake emergency measures, including the purchase of flood plain easements, for runoff retardation and soil erosion prevention to safeguard lives and property from floods, drought, and the products of erosion on any watershed whenever fire, flood or any other natural occurrence is causing or has caused a sudden impairment of the watershed Specific

16. INCENTIVE PROGRAMS ccpi: cooperative conservation partnership initiative How often are the following incentive programs recommended vs How often do the farmers enroll

17. INCENTIVE PROGRAMS crp: conservation reserve program

18. INCENTIVE PROGRAMS csp: conservation security program

19. cta: conservation technical assistance program INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

20. eqip: environmental quality incentives program INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

21. ewp: emergency watershed program INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

22. glci: grazing lands conservation initiative INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

23. grp: grassland reserve program INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

24. hfrp: healthy forests reserve program INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

25. rc&d: resource conservation & development program INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

26. whip: wildlife habitat initiatives program INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

27. wrp: wetlands reserve program INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

28. What are the farmers’ reasons for choosing not to participate in the incentive programs? conclusion “Some programs are not funded in our county and others are not adequately funded such as EQIP and WHIP” “No funding available in the County” “The cost share rates are not up-dated to reflect the actual cost of the material” “Some mistrust of the Government” “Not totally trusting in the Government” “Don't want to get involved with the Government” “Some are afraid of the government” “Distrust or indifference by office managers” “Some folks just don't trust the government still”

29. conclusion INCENTIVE PROGRAMS Reasons for correlation: Increased recommendations = increased enrollment High financial incentive = high enrollment vs Small financial incentive = low enrollment “Umbrella” programs Are the real enrollment numbers similar to the NRCS agents’ estimation? Conclusion High Rec/Enrollment rateLow Rec/Enrollment rate CRPCCPI CTACSP EQIPGLCI WHIPGRP HFRP

30. conservation practices RESOURCE CONCERNS List of multiple Conservation Practices (BMPs) summarized by the NRCS into 20 Resource Concerns 1.Soil Erosion 2.Soil Health 3.Soil Contaminants 4.Soil Structure 5.Water Quantity (non-irrigated land) 6.Water Quantity (irrigated land) 7.Water Quality 8.Plant Condition (Productivity, Health & Vigor) 9.Plant Condition (Wildfire Hazard) 10.Plant Pests 11.Fish & Wildlife (Inadequate Habitat Quality) 12.Plants, Fish, & Wildlife (Declining Species-Species of Concern) 13.Livestock Nutrition & Husbandry 14.Air Quality (Particulate Matter) 15.Air Quality (Ozone Precursors) 16.Air Quality (Greenhouse Gasses) 17.Air Quality (Ammonia) 18.Air Quality (Odor) 19.Depletion of Fossil Fuel Resources 20.Energy Production

31. RESOURCE CONCERNS soil With what regularity are the conservation practices related to the following resource concerns recommended to farmers/landowners whom you have advised?

32. water quantity RESOURCE CONCERNS

33. water quality RESOURCE CONCERNS Water quality testing associated with non-point source pollution

34. plant condition RESOURCE CONCERNS

35. wildlife RESOURCE CONCERNS

36. livestock RESOURCE CONCERNS

37. air quality RESOURCE CONCERNS

38. air quality (continued) RESOURCE CONCERNS

39. fossil fuels & energy production RESOURCE CONCERNS

40. conclusion RESOURCE CONCERNS The SCS was reorganized into the NRCS: “ to focus on the fact that the agency’s [NRCS] mission encompassed water, air, plants, and animals in addition to soil” (Helms 1992) Soil and water are the primary resources of concern Through increased awareness by the NRCS, other resource concerns will receive more attention in the future NRCS employees identified the importance of water quality testing, but how can we implement more monitoring programs?

41. CONCLUSIONS FarmLATIS should: (Demographics) meet the needs of end users who are not likely to be familiar with advanced digital technologies such as GIS and hydrologic modeling (Incentive Programs) promote the less common comprehensive programs in order to encompass a broader range of natural resources -promote the use of water quality testing -streamline the enrollment process for farmers/landowners (Resource Concerns) increase the awareness of conservation practices associated with the less common resource concerns (beyond soil and water)

42. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank: Mississippi Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES) Mississippi State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Mississippi State University Department of Landscape Architecture Advisor: Dr. Tim Schauwecker