In the spring of 1935, the skies of New York and Washington, D.C., were darkened by windblown soils from farms of Texas and Oklahoma. Congressmen could taste the grit in their mouths as they listened to Hugh Hammond Bennett testify about the need for a national soil conservation program. Conservation districts, local units of government designed to guide soil and water conservation work, led the action to get soil erosion under control. "For Love of the Land" tells the story of their founding, recounting how they built a national organization, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), to represent them in the fight for a sound national conservation program. "For Love of the Land" also describes the people whose bold ideas sparked the conservation movement. The characters are strong: Hugh Bennett, charismatic leader of the Soil Conservation Service; E. C. "Mac" McArthur, the dedicated first president of NACD from South Carolina who didn't see why World War II equipment shouldn't go to conservation districts; Water Davis, the burly Texas rancher who tackled conservation with the same energy that he used to organize his timber, cotton, cattle, and grain holdings. Additionally, this book provides a track record of the accomplishments -- and the unfinished agenda -- of the conservation movement in this country. Keeping soil on the land, and out of our waters, is a goal everyone agrees upon. But how to get that job done is another matter. Should the federal government mandate erosion and pollution control standards? Who should set the priorities for resource conservation work? What happens when the goals of environmentalists conflict with the economic needs of farmers? Author R. Neil Sampson introduces us to the complex array of conservation programs that have grown as our national answer to those questions. Woven into the texture of the book are the many quieter achievements of NACD: the founding and growth of its conservation awards programs, its weekly newsletter, "Ladies Auxiliary," and the programs that reach out to districts with needed services to get conservation on the land and protect the nation's waters. This book provides an inside look at how the soil and water conservation programs and policies in the United States were developed, and why they work as they do. About the Author R. Neil Sampson operates a natural resource consulting firm in Alexandria, Virginia. He was executive vice president of the National Association of Conservation Districts from 1978 to 1984. A native of Idaho, he has degrees in agronomy from the University of Idaho and public administration from Harvard University. He is the author of "Farmland or Wasteland: A Time to Choose" and "With One Voice: The National Association of Conservation Districts." He has also published dozens of book chapters, professional papers, and popular articles about natural resource concerns and policy issues.

How can the United States meet demands for agricultural production while solving the broader range of environmental problems attributed to farming practices? National policymakers who try to answer this question confront difficult trade-offs. This book offers four specific strategies that can serve as the basis for a national policy to protect soil and water quality while maintaining U.S. agricultural productivity and competitiveness. Timely and comprehensive, the volume has important implications for the Clean Air Act and the 1995 farm bill. Advocating a systems approach, the committee recommends specific farm practices and new approaches to prevention of soil degradation and water pollution for environmental agencies. The volume details methods of evaluating soil management systems and offers a wealth of information on improved management of nitrogen, phosphorus, manure, pesticides, sediments, salt, and trace elements. Landscape analysis of nonpoint source pollution is also detailed. Drawing together research findings, survey results, and case examples, the volume will be of interest to federal, state, and local policymakers; state and local environmental and agricultural officials and other environmental and agricultural specialists; scientists involved in soil and water issues; researchers; and agricultural producers.

Though Congress has consistently developed conservation programs in recent years, it has also failed to provide the funding necessary to accomplish its goals. As a result, achievements in protecting America's land and water resources have been accompanied by significant frustration and burnout on the part of employees and volunteers. "With One Voice" tells the story of America's national soil and water conservation efforts through the eyes of the National Association of Conservation Districts, providing a reference for people who seek to refine and implement these programs. Since 1980, five major farm bills have dramatically changed the soil and water conservation program in the United States. From a program based entirely on education, voluntary action, and incentives aimed at assisting private landowners with soil-conserving practices, regulatory elements have been added. Long-term planning and contracting has largely replaced single-practice approaches. Soil and water conservation districts have changed in response. These local, state-chartered organizations provide much of the outreach to the farmers, ranchers, and forest owners that manage two-thirds of America's land. As those landowners continue to face new opportunities and challenges, conservation programs must constantly adjust. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has also changed dramatically in twenty-five years. As personal computers moved from novelty to essential tool, electronic communications replaced printed materials, and political activity in Washington became more partisan and divisive, NACD had to adapt. This book describes, in careful detail, how one organization has tried tomaintain a basic vision and commitment in the face of tumultuous change. Readers who work with or within today's conservation programs will gain needed insight into how those programs emerged, and why they work the way they do today.