Remarks by Bruce I. Knight, Chief
Natural Resources Conservation Service

Media Roundtable and Demonstration
For the NRCS Electronic Technical Guide

Washington, DC

August 26, 2002

Good afternoon, everyone.  I’m glad you could be here today to see an amazing new electronic resource for conservation:  the NRCS electronic technical guide.

When most people look at conservation practices on the land, they aren’t aware of all of the science that went into determining which practices to use and how to apply them.  They may be aware of strips of farmland, some planted, some not, following the contours of the land.  Or they may see some kind of natural vegetation growing between cropland and the edge of a stream.  Or they may be aware that an earthen dam has created a picturesque pond somewhere on a farm or ranch.

Even as they notice these features, they may fail to notice many other conservation practices that simply look like part of the farm or ranch landscape – fences, windbreaks, stock tanks, animal waste management systems and other practices.

But good conservation is based on sound science – science that takes into account soils, climate, and other variables.  Over time, NRCS and others have developed the science that tells a landowner how wide those contour strips should be, what crops should be planted in what rotation, what species of native vegetation will work in a buffer, where to place – and how big to make -- erosion control structures.  In short, there is science available to guide virtually every conservation decision.

Until today, that science was on paper, on a shelf, in an NRCS office.  The science was contained in each State’s  Field Office Technical Guide, or FOTG.  We have one of those guides here for you to see.

Imagine what it is like to look up the information you need in these volumes.  And what it is like for an office staff to insert new material into these volumes every time there is a change.  Finally, imagine landowners and private-sector consultants having to come to the local NRCS office to look at the material or photocopy portions of it every time they need information.

Today we are demonstrating the new electronic version of our State technical guide.  Right here in this room, you will have access not to one State guide, but guides for all 50 states, the Caribbean area, and the Pacific Basin.

If a state makes a change to its guide, you will have immediate access to that change from anywhere in the world.  If the guide contains a reference to material that is not actually in the guide, live links to that outside material give you instant access.

We view the electronic technical guide as a real time saver, for NRCS employees, our partners in various conservation organizations, state and local governments, consultants, and landowners.

It has been said that the NRCS technical guide is the most comprehensive compilation of scientific knowledge in the world in matters of conservation.  I don’t know how you could measure that, but I haven’t run into anyone who disagreed.

As part of the Federal eGovernment initiative, we are making this resource available via the Internet.  Since it is already a world-class source of information, think how much more valuable it will be around the world now that it is electronic. 

In fact, our Deputy Chief for Science and Technology is in South Africa this week at the World Summit on Sustainable Development.  He will be talking about the new electronic technical guide during the Summit.

And we will demonstrate it for you, here and now.