The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s conservation arm is asking the public to chime in on what practices they think could be more streamlined.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is taking input on its more than 150 practices from now until April 25.
It’s part of implementing the 2018 Farm Bill.
The NRCS has programs that help farmers and ranchers cover costs for doing more conservation.
Valentino Reyes is a state public affairs specialist with the NRCS.
“This is an opportunity for agricultural producers, conservation partners and other groups to be able to provide some input on how to basically refine and enhance them, basically improve our practice standards now,” he said.
The NRCS priorities in Arizona include monitoring water amount and quality, snowpack measures and livestock production.
Those practices also include include monitoring air and soil quality in Arizona.
“What these standards basically tell us is they’re guidelines for the planning, designing, installation, operating and maintaining of the conservation practices that we use,” Reyes said.
Public comments can be made by mail or at regulations.gov, typing in "NRCS" and clicking on the first search option that appears. At the time of writing, 16 comments had been received.
