The impacts of climate change are almost daily headlines both in the U.S. and around the globe. Extreme weather events are more frequent throughout the world and the country with coastal and arid regions being affected most. Agriculture has been identified as a sector that can make a positive impact on climate change by sequestering carbon in soil and plants. The USDA has taken the initiative to work with the nation’s farmers and forest owners to combat climate change.

Here in Michigan, we just completed a sign-up for the USDA Climate-Smart initiative and obligated $1 million in financial assistance to help landowners implement practices that will help combat climate change. Good soil health practices including cover crops and conservation tillage help take carbon out of the atmosphere and sequester it in the soil. In addition to providing financial assistance for climate-smart conservation practices, the USDA is also supporting research to better manage agricultural land to combat climate change.

In October, the USDA announced funding for Climate Change Mitigation Assessment Initiative projects utilizing land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. The projects will include soil carbon sampling on three categories of CRP practice types: perennial grass, trees, and wetlands. Michigan State University will assist with the perennial grass project by sampling and measuring soil carbon and bulk density of CRP grasslands at sites across the U.S. with a focus in the central states over the five-year project.

In September, NRCS signed an agreement with a new wetland bank sponsor, Wetland Mitigation Bank II. Soon farmers with wetland compliance violations will be able to purchase credits from this new sponsor.

Wetland Mitigation Bank II is Michigan’s second agricultural wetland mitigation bank. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources created the first agricultural wetland mitigation bank in partnership with the Michigan Municipal Wetland Alliance in 2017.

When a producer converts a wetland to make a commodity crop production possible, they can lose eligibility for USDA programs. To regain eligibility for USDA programs, a producer must either restore the converted wetland or mitigate the violation by restoring a wetland at another location. A third option allows producers to purchase credits from a wetland mitigation bank if the converted wetland is within the bank service area. Bank service areas are typically defined by HUC-8 watersheds. Farmers who want to purchase wetland mitigation credits will first need to contact their local NRCS District Conservationist to initiate the approval of wetland bank credits to resolve wetland compliance violations.

Wetland Mitigation Bank II is restoring wetlands and seeking NRCS approval to sell credits in several southern Michigan watersheds: Black River (Port Huron), Cass River, and the Flat River/Lower Grand River. For more information regarding Wetland Mitigation Bank II, contact Bob Swick, Executive Director, at (989) 670-1349 or at bobs@wetlandmitigation.net.

The Michigan DNR – Michigan Municipal Wetland Alliance recently announced the availability of approved sites in the Muskegon River Watershed, Lower Grand River Watershed, and the St. Joe River Watershed. Farmers who are out of compliance with USDA wetland conservation regulations may purchase wetland bank credits in these watersheds. The Michigan Municipal Wetland Alliance can be contacted through their website: www.michiganwetlands.com.

• The first fiscal year 2022 application cut-off date for conservation financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives program in Michigan is Jan. 14, 2022. Applications for the current round of EQIP funding must be submitted by the deadline to be considered for funding. The deadline also applies to two Regional Conservation Partnership Program projects. Additional sign-ups may be held in fiscal year 2022 if funding is available.
• Public comments are sought regarding a draft cultural resources mitigation plan for the removal of dams on the Grand River near Grand Rapids. The dam removal is part of the Lower Grand River Watershed Habitat Restoration​ Project, which receives funding through the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The public notice and additional information are posted on the NRCS Michigan website.

We welcome these new employees to NRCS - Michigan

Angela Dietrich - Biologist, Bay City

Last Position: Technical Assistant – Midland Conservation District
Home Town: Clio, Michigan
Education: B.S. in Environmental Science – Southern New Hampshire University
Family: My husband Jeff and I have a daughter, Brooke. Our family also has 2 dogs, 2 cats and 1 horse.
Hobbies and Interests: Spending time with family, Hunting, Sporting Clays, Horses, Car Shows, Antique Tractor Shows

Darcy Hansen - Soil Conservationist, Sandusky

Last Position: Agronomy Consultant with Star of the West Milling Company
Home Town: Minden City, Michigan
Education: Bachelor of Science with a major in Crop & Soil Sciences from Michigan State University
Hobbies and Interests: Farming, Volunteering, Making Ceramics

Jeremiah Hepner, Biologist, East Lansing

Last Position: HELWC contractor, East Lansing
Home Town: Troy, Michigan
Education: B.S. in Natural Resource Management - Grand Valley State University
Family: Wife Katie, son Theo, cat Zeke
Hobbies and Interests: We enjoy rock climbing, hiking, camping, movies, and anything else we can do as a family

Misty McGinnis - Financial Resources Specialist, East Lansing

Last Position: Auditor with the Michigan Army National Guard, 20+ years with Army National Guard
Home Town: Stanton, Nebraska
Education: B.S. in Accounting from Grantham University
Family: Married 23 years to my husband, Danny; son, Dillan; dog, Chloe; cat, Cletus; and lots of saltwater fish.
Hobbies and Interests: Boating in the summer, and quilting in the off season

Orlizzie Negron Pererz - Soil Conservationist, Petoskey

Last Position: Area Agronomist
Home Town: Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
Education: BSA in Animal Science- University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Campus.
Family: Husband Angel Domenech; two girls, Alessandra & Adrianna. One pet, a dog named Donatello.
Hobbies and Interests: Travel, Family, Netflix.

Ashley Scholten - Biologist, East Lansing

Last Position: Team Lead for the HELWC contractors at USDA NRCS East Lansing
Home Town: Laingsburg, Michigan
Education: B.S. in Biology from Central Michigan University
Family: boyfriend and two cats
Hobbies and Interests: kayaking, camping, and baking

Earth Team volunteers under the supervision of NRCS State Archeologist Duane Quates had the opportunity to study a historic homestead in Cass County. The group used a ground penetrating radar unit to look for features of earlier structures on the grounds of the Newton House near Marcellus.

Newton House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is located on a 400-acre parcel of land donated to Michigan State University for forest research. Several MSU students enrolled in the NRCS Earth Team program took part in the survey looking for features including a log cabin that is believed to have preceded the 1860s era Newton House.

MSU Associate Professor of Anthropology Stacey Camp also took part in the survey. The activity was a great opportunity for the undergraduate archeology students to do field work, Camp said. The students did not have the opportunity to do any field work through MSU during the Covid shutdown.

The afternoon’s work yielded results, said Quates. Using the ground penetrating radar unit they were able to locate features of the earlier log cabin as well as privy, he said. MSU students enrolled in the Earth Team program also have participated in cultural resources field work at the Rose Lake Plant Materials Center in East Lansing. The experience has given them the opportunity to gain valuable field experience as well as learn about the role of cultural resources in conservation planning.

November

5 - Michigan Grassfest, 3 - 6:30 p.m., Reed City Depot - Reed City, register at eventbrite.com or call 231/465-8012

9 - Farmer Toolkit: Map of Beginning Farmer Programs Demo, noon to 1 p.m., online event, for more information go to canr.msu.edu/events

9 - Tuning into Soil Biology, 8 to 9:30 a.m., online webinar, for more information and to register go to nature.org/mievents

17 - 2021 MiCorps Annual Volunteer Monitoring Conference, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., online event, for more information go to canr.msu.edu/events

December

7 - Cass County Conservation District Annual Meeting & Election, 3pm-6:30pm, Cass County COA Lowe Center - Cassopolis, call 2169-445-8641 x 5 for more information or an absentee ballot if needed

7-9 - Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo, Devos Place - Grand Rapids, for more information go to glexpo.com

20 - Integrated Crop and Pest Management Update 2021, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., MSU Livestock Pavilion - East Lansing, for more information go to www.canr.msu.edu/events