Arkansas Conservation Partnerships Series

by Rita Watson - October 27, 2022

A new virtual education series launched in Arkansas connects conservation partners to programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS).

Hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (UADA), the first webinar took place Sept. 15. The webinar focused on roles and responsibilities.

Watch the webinar on YouTube:

State Conservationist Mike Sullivan with the USDA-NRCS briefly talked about the agency’s history, and some of its programs and partners.

Lee Riley, a program associate in the Cooperative Extension Service’s Crop, Soil and Environmental Science department, served as host.  

The webinar is part of a grant designed to educate NRCS employees in Arkansas, along with landowners, conservation partners, and extension employees. The series integrates the efforts of the Arkansas Discovery Farm, NRCS, Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts and the Arkansas Soil Health Alliance with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Dr. Julie Robinson of the Community, Professional and Economic Development unit at the Cooperative Extension Service received the NRCS grant to produce the Arkansas Conservation Partnerships series.

Program content is pulled directly from the 2019 ACP Conservation Training Needs and Methods Survey Results that was completed by more than 100 hundred NRCS partners and employees. As we collect content from upcoming webinars and podcasts, we will build an online certification course that is designed to increase knowledge and understanding of NRCS programs. Thus creating a well-rounded, fact-based learning tool for new hires and current employees.

For more information or to be added to our email distribution list, please contact Rita Watson, virtual education program associate in Community, Professional and Economic Development at rwatson@uada.edu.