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Central National Technology Support Center

The Central National Technology Support Center (CNTSC) is located in Fort Worth, Texas. 

CNTSC Central States

About the Central National Technology Support Center

The Central NTSC is part of an USDA-NRCS direct-service national technical leadership network. This network includes the West NTSC in Portland, OR, the East NTSC in Greensboro, NC, the Science and Technology Division in Washington, D.C., and other specialized teams across the United States.

The CNTSC staff members, that aside from the Director, include a Technology Transfer and Assistance Team consisting of technical disciplines to support the States. In addition, a technology development team, the National Grazing Lands Team, is assigned to lead NRCS acquisition & development of science-based technology for prescribed special emphasis areas in natural resources conservation.

Technology Transfer and Assistance Team

The multidisciplinary Technology Transfer and Assistance Team provides direct technical assistance and technology transfer to NRCS and partner customers across the US. The team acquires and develops new technology, develops, and maintains national technical standards and references, and builds collaboration and partnerships that lead to cutting-edge technology support and training.

National Grazing Lands Technology Acquisition and Development Team

The National Grazing Lands Technology Acquisition and Development Team (NGLTADT) provides technical leadership for ecologically based technology development in all areas of grazing lands management and conservation.

See CNTSC Directory


About the National Grazing Lands Technology Acquisition and Development Team

South Dakota Rangeland

Our Mission:

To provide technical excellence to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and other appropriate customers in the acquisition, development, coordination, and transfer of technology that meets the needs of grazing land resources, landowners and managers, and the public.

There are approximately 600 million acres of non-Federal (privately owned, State and local publicly owned, and tribally owned) grazing lands in the United States. Non-Federal grazing lands occur in every State. These rangelands, pasturelands, hay lands, grazed forest lands, grazed croplands, and naturalized pastures constitute about half of the total lands on which the NRCS provides technical assistance. They have many uses and produce an array of ecosystem services and benefits not only to their land managers, but also to society at large. Healthy grazing lands provide a social and economic base for agriculture, provide sources of clean water and air, power production, fish and wildlife habitat. These lands are the source of forage for cattle, sheep, goats and many other types of animals that producer food and fiber to meet human needs. They provide essential habitat and are home to many wildlife and pollinator species, while also being used for recreation and providing aesthetic value. Landowners and managers provide these multiple benefits when comprehensive resource management is applied using appropriate grazing land technologies.

Our Functions:

  • To provide agency technical leadership in all areas of grazing lands management and conservation.
  • To locate, acquire, develop, coordinate, and transfer the appropriate grazing land technologies to NRCS for use in providing technology to farmers and ranchers for their use in making economically and ecologically sound management decisions on grazing lands.
  • To conduct workshops, paper presentation, and symposia to transfer the latest technologies.
  • Support States and partner with the NRCS National Technical Support Centers.