NCC Creates Conservation Information Website

MEMPHIS -- The National Cotton Council has created “Conservation in Cotton Production,” a website portal that is intended to raise its producer members’ awareness and use of federal conservation programs.

“As conservation funding is expected to account for almost 30% of total spending on agricultural programs, the National Cotton Council is encouraging producers to learn more about the various programs available,” said NCC Chairman Eddie Smith. “The Council believes that quality conservation efforts not only improve the environment but can improve a producer’s bottom line.”

The multi-element portal contains information aimed at helping producers determine which conservation programs would be beneficial to their operations and to better understand those programs’ requirements and enrollment processes and even tips on improving producers’ acceptance rates into those programs.

The portal, available by clicking on the conservation icon on the NCC’s home page, www.cotton.org, offers a dynamic central information venue with program fact sheets and short educational videos outlining various conservation programs. The videos contain commentary, both from Bruce Knight, former chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and from cotton producers who have utilized the programs.

The portal also will be continually updated with information ranging from additional educational videos to the latest conservation news regarding sign-up deadlines and new programs offered through USDA. The NCC also is planning to add a link to the “Fieldprint Calculator” tool, a product of the “Field to Market” project. The Calculator allows growers to see their operation’s efficiency performance and to compare it with national and state performance averages.