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Natural Resources Conservation Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

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About NRCS
farmers.gov
USDA.gov
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Conservation Basics
Conserving our natural resources is a vital part of creating and maintaining healthy ecosystems on our nation’s lands.

View All Conservation Basics
Soil

Water

Plants

Animals

Land

Air

Energy

Wildlife Habitat

Invasive Species and Pests

View All Natural Resource Concerns
Featured

Soil Science

NRCS delivers science-based soil information to help farmers, ranchers, foresters, and other land managers effectively manage, conserve, and appraise their most valuable investment — the soil.
Getting Assistance
For 90 years, we’ve helped America’s farmers, ranchers, and landowners conserve our nation’s resources through our voluntary programs and science-based solutions.

View All Getting Assistance
Conservation Technical Assistance

Helps producers identify conservation objectives and a roadmap for conservation on their operation.

Conservation Concerns Tool

Use this tool to learn about natural resource concerns that may impact your ag operation (farmers.gov).

Engineering

NRCS applies sound engineering tools and principles to plan, design, and implement conservation practices and systems through delegated approval authority.

Technical Service Providers

Technical service providers offer planning, design, and implementation services to agricultural producers on behalf of NRCS.
Featured

Conservation Technical Assistance

Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) provides our nation’s farmers, ranchers and forestland owners with the knowledge and tools they need to conserve, maintain and restore the natural resources on their lands and improve the health of their operations for the future.
State Offices
Explore State-specific resources, updates, and contact information to support your conservation efforts.

View All State Offices
Programs & Initiatives
Our natural resource conservation programs help people reduce soil erosion, enhance water supplies, improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat, and reduce damage caused by floods and other natural disasters.

View All Programs & Initiatives
Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Provides assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program

Brings together partners to expand the reach of NRCS conservation programs.

Conservation Innovation Grants

Brings together partners to innovate on conservation approaches and technologies.

Conservation Stewardship Program

Helps agricultural producers take their conservation efforts to the next level.

Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program

Helps state and tribal governments improve public access to private lands for recreation.

Agricultural Management Assistance

Helps agricultural producers manage financial risk through diversification, marketing or natural resource conservation practices.

Wetland Mitigation Banking Program

Offers competitive grants to support wetland mitigation bank for agricultural producers.

Conservation Reserve Program

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides a yearly rental payment to farmers who remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.
Featured

Regional Conservation Partnership Program

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land.
Resources
The technical resources and references NRCS provides uses science-based technology to aid conservation planning and benefit soil, water, air, plants, and animals for productive lands and healthy ecosystems.

View All Resources
Field Office Technical Guides

Conservation Practice Standards

How to Get a DUNS Number

National Soil Survey Handbook

Keys to Soil Taxonomy

Soil Survey Manual

Soil Taxonomy

Technical Soil Services Handbook

View All Guides and Instructions
Featured

Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG)

Technical guides are the primary scientific references for NRCS. They contain technical information about the conservation of soil, water, air, and related plant and animal resources.
News & Events
Welcome to the NRCS newsroom! Here you’ll find the latest information on USDA’s conservation agency, including news releases, feature stories, downloadable media files and more.

View All News & Events
- News
  View All News
  The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reducing red tape around the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)-related reviews, which will improve conservation delivery to America’s farmers and ranchers.
  
  Featured
  
  USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Adopts Categorical...
  
  Read more
- Events
  View All Events
  Hear from a Conservation Innovation Grants project focused on using AI to forecast evapotranspiration and rainfall.
  
  Featured
  
  Conservation Innovation Grants AI Webinar
  
  Jul 31, 2025
  
  Read more

Full Menu

Conservation Basics
Conserving our natural resources is a vital part of creating and maintaining healthy ecosystems on our nation’s lands.

View All Conservation Basics
Soil

Water

Plants

Animals

Land

Air

Energy

Wildlife Habitat

Invasive Species and Pests

View All Natural Resource Concerns
Featured

Soil Science

NRCS delivers science-based soil information to help farmers, ranchers, foresters, and other land managers effectively manage, conserve, and appraise their most valuable investment — the soil.
Getting Assistance
For 90 years, we’ve helped America’s farmers, ranchers, and landowners conserve our nation’s resources through our voluntary programs and science-based solutions.

View All Getting Assistance
Conservation Technical Assistance

Helps producers identify conservation objectives and a roadmap for conservation on their operation.

Conservation Concerns Tool

Use this tool to learn about natural resource concerns that may impact your ag operation (farmers.gov).

Engineering

NRCS applies sound engineering tools and principles to plan, design, and implement conservation practices and systems through delegated approval authority.

Technical Service Providers

Technical service providers offer planning, design, and implementation services to agricultural producers on behalf of NRCS.
Featured

Conservation Technical Assistance

Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) provides our nation’s farmers, ranchers and forestland owners with the knowledge and tools they need to conserve, maintain and restore the natural resources on their lands and improve the health of their operations for the future.
State Offices
Explore State-specific resources, updates, and contact information to support your conservation efforts.

View All State Offices
Programs & Initiatives
Our natural resource conservation programs help people reduce soil erosion, enhance water supplies, improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat, and reduce damage caused by floods and other natural disasters.

View All Programs & Initiatives
Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Provides assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program

Brings together partners to expand the reach of NRCS conservation programs.

Conservation Innovation Grants

Brings together partners to innovate on conservation approaches and technologies.

Conservation Stewardship Program

Helps agricultural producers take their conservation efforts to the next level.

Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program

Helps state and tribal governments improve public access to private lands for recreation.

Agricultural Management Assistance

Helps agricultural producers manage financial risk through diversification, marketing or natural resource conservation practices.

Wetland Mitigation Banking Program

Offers competitive grants to support wetland mitigation bank for agricultural producers.

Conservation Reserve Program

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides a yearly rental payment to farmers who remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.
Featured

Regional Conservation Partnership Program

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land.
Resources
The technical resources and references NRCS provides uses science-based technology to aid conservation planning and benefit soil, water, air, plants, and animals for productive lands and healthy ecosystems.

View All Resources
Field Office Technical Guides

Conservation Practice Standards

How to Get a DUNS Number

National Soil Survey Handbook

Keys to Soil Taxonomy

Soil Survey Manual

Soil Taxonomy

Technical Soil Services Handbook

View All Guides and Instructions
Featured

Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG)

Technical guides are the primary scientific references for NRCS. They contain technical information about the conservation of soil, water, air, and related plant and animal resources.
News & Events
Welcome to the NRCS newsroom! Here you’ll find the latest information on USDA’s conservation agency, including news releases, feature stories, downloadable media files and more.

View All News & Events
- News
  View All News
  The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reducing red tape around the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)-related reviews, which will improve conservation delivery to America’s farmers and ranchers.
  
  Featured
  
  USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Adopts Categorical...
  
  Read more
- Events
  View All Events
  Hear from a Conservation Innovation Grants project focused on using AI to forecast evapotranspiration and rainfall.
  
  Featured
  
  Conservation Innovation Grants AI Webinar
  
  Jul 31, 2025
  
  Read more

Subscribe
About NRCS
farmers.gov
USDA.gov
Contact Us

Iowa NRCS Instructions: 420-SSC-Social Sciences

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Natural Resources Conservation Service

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