|
The responsibilities of the Research & Technology
Committee are to:
-
Encourage and assist in implementing
the expansion of conservation research programs and funding to
promote new technology in the field of soil and water
conservation
-
Conduct needed programs that will
encourage the use of new conservation technology or that
demonstrate the need for increased research
-
Hold meetings before and during the
annual meeting of the Association
2009 Committee Members
-
Bill Yarborough,
(Haywood), Chair
-
George Teague
(Guilford), Vice-Chair
-
Candy Bohmert
(Pamlico), Recorder
| Area |
Delegate |
District |
Alternate |
District |
| 1 |
Greg Hoyt |
Henderson |
|
|
| 2 |
Gerold Authur |
Avery |
Denny Norris |
Watauga |
| 3 |
George Teague |
Guilford |
Kate Campau |
Rockingham |
| 4
|
Renee Long |
Edgecombe |
|
|
| 5 |
Tracy Warren |
Beaufort |
Earl O'Neal |
Hyde |
| 6 |
Kirby Braxton |
Craven |
Franklin Williams |
Duplin |
| 7 |
William Gore |
Columbus |
|
|
| 8 |
Jim Summers |
Rowan |
Robert Ross |
Brown Creek |
Resource Contacts
-
Sandra Weitzel Division of Soil and Water Conservation
-
Michelle Raquet
Division of Soil and Water Conservation
-
Tommy Cutts USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Matt Flint
USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service -
Andy
Miller N.C.
District Employees' Association
Action Items
1. The Research and Technology
Committee will take the following actions regarding
educational opportunities
a. The committee will
help the Association develop a partnership on-going
training program to address employee training needs.
The primary intent of this program will be to build
the technical knowledge base among conservation
employees. The soil and water conservation districts
will not be able to implement technology if our
employees do not know how to use the technology.
Technical training is also necessary to get and retain
‘job approval authority’
b. The committee will
continue to explore the possibility of sponsoring
educational opportunities in the greater community
this year.
2009
2. The committee chairman with other
help will write letters for the Association President,
with his permission, to the United States Senators and
Congressmen of North Carolina to appropriate budgetary
support for the following.
a. Support an increase
of funding for technical assistance monies for NRCS in
their role of assistance to soil and water
conservation districts. The letter should point out
how the technical assistance funds help SWCDs and
local landowners, municipalities, and overall
environmental quality.
b. Support on-going
research at the USDA-ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water &
Plant Research Center, Florence, SC. And support NCSU
Extension and Research staff in pursuing formula
funding for IPM.
2009
3. The Research & Technology Committee
will continue to develop a list of the priority
research needs related to soil and water conservation
and related research concerns. This list will be
presented, through the Association President, to the
Dean of CALS at NC State University, N.C. A&T State
University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service
for consideration when developing their respective
research agendas. This list will be compiled and
presented by the June following the approval of this
document by the Association.
2009
4. The Research and Technology
Committee of the NC Association of Soil and Water
Conservation Districts concur with the report by the
Ag Task Force Work Group as presented to the NC Soil
and Water Conservation Commission Sept. 17, 2008. We
feel, as did the authors of the report, that the
actions being considered by the NC Environmental
Management Commission (EMC) concerning water
monitoring of all animal waste permitted operations is
beyond any reasonable research objective and has
minimal possibility of obtaining interpretable data.
We feel this effort will yield minimal results at
tremendous expense and should be abandoned. If not
abandoned, the current rule should be further delayed
until the Environmental Management Commission can more
thoroughly consider the economic impact on agriculture
and the potential benefits of the rule. It is the
recommendation of this committee to request the
President of our Association
•
Write a letter to the EMC
of our concerns;
•
Write a letter to the SWCC
asking for them to write a similar letter to the EMC;
•
Request each District
Chairman to write a similar letter to the EMC as well
as to each of their state legislators; and,
•
Encourage each District
Supervisor to attend a public meeting.
2009
5. The Research and Technology
Committee recommends the use of approved compost for
soil remediation for critical area treatment. The
Association should ask the Technical Review Committee
& the NC Ag Cost Share leaders to consider a new BMP
that would include the use of compost as an approved
erosion control practice.
2009
Policies & Positions
* Priority items are noted in the text of this
section, under “Policies & Positions.”
1.
The Association encourages and should seek
new funding to enable the North Carolina
Agricultural Research Service, the N.C. Cooperative
Extension Service, and USDA - Agricultural Research
Service to continue and expand research and
technology transfer in soil and water conservation.
Research and technology shall:
a.
Evaluate nutrient and soil
amendment value and potential toxicity of waste
materials; match application with soil
characteristics and crop needs; monitor and predict
the movement of contaminating chemicals toward
surface and ground waters; develop methods such as
Geographic Information Systems to aid in
prioritizing areas suitable for land application of
animal municipal and industrial wastes.
b.
Develop models and procedures (commonly known
as Precision Farming) to assess nutrient and pest
management, particularly of nitrogen, phosphorus,
and pesticides during crop growth; establish methods
to better manage application of nitrogen and
phosphorus fertilizers, organic sources, animal
waste and herbicides; establish methods to select
environmentally safe herbicides to use in each
crop/soil system; develop methods such as Geographic
Information Systems to assess nutrient herbicide
impacts on surface and ground waters; and develop
procedures to determine the economic viability of
alternative production practices.
c.
Continue development and evaluation of
effective, economical and environmentally safe crop
and pasture management systems including the use of
lagoons, crop residues, animal manures, processed
by-products, municipal and industrial residuals,
Integrated Pest Management, Integrated Crop
Management and/or Integrated Resource Management;
evaluate the use of biotechnology to control
disease, insects and weeds and reduce environmental
impacts.
(Priority # 1)
d.
Continue development and
evaluation of best management practices for
agricultural and silviculture water management
systems including irrigation and drainage systems,
to meet plant needs, minimize runoff and leaching of
farm chemicals, conserve water and energy, preserve
natural and wildlife habitats, and protect surface
and ground water quality, to include abandoned well
head identification; and address the economic
feasibility of these best management practices.
e.
Evaluate aquacultural production systems
based on production efficiency, profitability, water
and energy conservation, impacts on natural habitats
and potential for contamination of surface and
ground water.
f.
Evaluate aquatic weed management techniques
based on effectiveness, impacts on natural habitats
and potential for contamination of surface and
ground water; and develop new application
technology, biological control, and non-chemical
procedures that reduce dependence on herbicides for
aquatic weed management.
g.
Evaluate techniques for wellhead protection
and proper management of surrounding land to
eliminate ground water contamination and assure safe
drinking water.
(Priority # 2)
h.
Evaluate soils based land use planning and
evaluation techniques, including Geographic
Information System, remote sensing, and photo
interpretation to develop total watershed
management strategies, including critical area
delineation, based on effectiveness in protecting
surface water supplies.
i.
Evaluate and demonstrate alternative
techniques for on-site wastewater treatment, land
application systems and other procedures that use
soil as a receiving medium.
j.
Determine the impacts of agricultural and
silvicultural practices on wetland ecology and
hydrologic values and water quality functions and
evaluate the economic impact of current and proposed
wetland protection regulations on agricultural and
forestry production.
k.
Evaluate soils with respect to the leaching
potential of chemicals; and methods of
handling pesticides on farm to minimize
environmental impacts of accidental spills.
l.
Encourage and evaluate solid waste management
techniques that recycle nutrients (compost) or
detoxified materials (renovated petroleum
contaminated soils) to productive soil-plant
systems; and determine the economic benefits of
these techniques.
m.
Review the extent to which existing tax laws
are contributing to the conversion of farmland to
other uses.
n.
Promote research on restoration of native
soils and community types through the application of
restoration ecology.
2003
2.
The Association strongly urges that
methodology be developed that will quickly and
accurately identify water quality problems,
determine the cause and establish the source or
sources of the problems.
2003
3.
The Association strongly urges scientists and
practicing professionals to increase sustainable
agriculture and long term conservation tillage
(no-till) research and technology transfer in the
various regions of North Carolina.
2003 |
