About the National Technology Support Centers

Updated 03/10/2005

NRCS reorganized to meet challenges presented through major changes in agriculture. Conservation issues have grown from changing agricultural business practices and farm and forest management practices, and the public's greater concern for conservation. Since the 1985 Farm Bill, farm policies greatly expanded NRCS' technical assistance role on the Nation's private land.

The reorganization served to strengthen multi-disciplinary technology support to States; consolidate similar functions to enhance communication and coordination; align human capital resources with mission, goals, and organizational objectives; streamline processes and procedures; improve the career ladder for technical employees; and better balance Deputy Chief areas and workload at the national level.

The reorganization realigns functions and staffs of the former seven Institutes — grazing lands, natural resources inventory and analysis, social sciences, soil quality, watershed sciences, wetlands science, and wildlife habitat — and cooperating scientists into three new National Technology support Centers (NTSCs). Center functions include: direct technical assistance to States and the Pacific Basin and Caribbean Areas, technology acquisition and development and emerging technology, technology transfer and training, and development and maintenance of national technical standards and references.

Periodically, NRCS managers will assess emerging conservation issues to determine whether these special emphasis areas appropriately address the public's and land operators' concerns and needs and whether changes are needed.

Staffing

Each NTSC is staffed with core technical disciplines: agricultural and environmental engineers; agronomist, biologist; cartographer/GIS specialist; environmental compliance specialist; economist; forester; plant material specialist; rangeland management/pasture specialist; sociologist; soil scientist; and water management specialist. Each NTSC also has three teams to lead NRCS' acquisition and/or development of science-based technology for natural resources conservation. These strategically located teams address prescribed special emphasis areas:

• West – air quality/atmospheric change, bioenergy; and water quality/quantity;
• Central – grazing lands, wetlands, and wildlife; and
• East – animal waste utilization, social sciences, and soil quality.

Three NTSCs provide direct technical assistance, as follows: