State Technical Committee and Local Working Groups - Colorado

CO State Technical Committee (STAC)

The State Technical Committee (STAC) is an advisory group to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and other USDA Agencies. Members serve to provide feedback on the implementation of conservation provisions within the Farm Bill. The committee provides recommendations to the State Conservationist for criteria and guidelines regarding the implementation of conservation programs and initiatives in Colorado. The committee is chaired by the NRCS State Conservationist.

The STAC also includes various subcommittees that focus on agronomy, animal feeding operations, conservation easements, forestry, grazing, irrigation, urban, water resources, wildlife and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Members are a diverse group of natural resource and agricultural stakeholders and partners and include representatives from federal and state agencies, Tribes, local agricultural and environmental organizations, as well as farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.

Interested in participating as members on the Colorado State Technical Committee, please contact Clifton Simmons, Administrative Support Assistant: clifton.simmons@usda.gov.

Colorado STAC Sub-committees: 

• Source Water Protection (SWP)
• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
• Air Quality 
• Wildlife

Colorado's Local Working Groups

Local Working Groups assist the USDA in matters relating to the implementation and technical aspects of conservation programs under Title II of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill). The Local Working Group may be composed of the local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), agricultural producers representing the variety of crops and livestock or poultry raised within the local area, nonindustrial private forest land owners, and other professionals representing relevant agricultural and conservation interests and a variety of disciplines in the soil, water, plant, wetland, and wildlife sciences who are familiar with private land agricultural and natural resource issues in the local community.

The USDA Conservation Program Delivery process relies on the products from the locally led process to provide USDA with priority resource concerns and recommendations regarding program administration and implementation. NRCS constantly reviews and considers feedback from our local partners and producer to more effectively implement financial assistance programs in Colorado. One of the greatest feedback tools that NRCS considers in future program development and implementation is the information that is provided through the LWG meeting. Not only are these meetings required by policy annually, but it is a great opportunity for our conservation partners, including agricultural producers, to provide feedback and input.