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USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service

Mayra C. Navarro

California State University Channel Islands

Internship Time Period: December 2014- July 9, 2015

Advisor: Dawn Afman

District Conservationist

USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service

Report Submission:

July 10, 2015

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 3

Executive Summary 4-5

Project Objectives 5-6

Project Approach 6-9

Project Outcomes 9-10

Conclusion 10-11

Appendices 12-15

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no.

2011-38422-31204 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. First and

foremost I would like to thank my family for the great support system they have provided me

with. Their strong words of encouragement and continuous help have been my source of

motivation throughout my journey with this internship and pursing a degree. I would also like to

give thanks to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for giving me the

opportunity to participate in this internship and providing me with advanced training and

knowledge on their agency. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Donald Rodriguez for informing me

about this wonderful opportunity and supporting me through the time period of the internship.

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Executive Summary

Over the past seven months I have been working with the USDA Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS) as their student intern. The NRCS is a government agency which

offers financial and technical assistance to farmers nationwide. By assisting farmers with the

implementation of best management practices, the NRCS works in a professional and team

oriented environment to fulfill its tasks in developing a sustainable agriculture community. I had

the privilege of dedicating my WRI internship to the NRCS if Ventura County as I learned of the

various tasks involved in any position with the agency. Amongst these positions, I received

advanced training from the District Conservationist, Soil Conservationists, Engineer, Soil

Scientist, Irrigation Water Management Specialist, and Farm Bill Analyst of the NRCS office in

Oxnard CA, where my internship took place. Most of the tasks I performed involved field work,

office work, and some outreach as well.

The NRCS is an agency responsible for working with landowners through conservation

planning and assistance. This is designed to benefit the soil, water, air, plants, and animals that

provide productive lands and healthy ecosystems. Employees of the agency are well trained

individuals who possess the knowledge and skills in soil, water, and resource conservation. All

positions involved in the NRCS consist of very educated individuals with knowledge regarding

resource conservation, technical assistance, as well as financial assistance for our farmers and

growers in order to maintain a healthy and sustainable farm. As part of my internship, I along

with the NRCS worked very closely with the Ventura County agricultural community as I

learned and familiarized myself with the federal government and how it functions in order to

conserve and protect our resources.

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During my training as an intern, I had the opportunity to make a lot of field visits. This

gave me the opportunity to learn and experience what a field visit is like for the agency. The

days I would stay in the office however, I did a lot of clerical or administrative work such as

answering phones, organizing files, reading articles to learn more about the agency, organizing

supplies, and other such tasks that came up while I was in the office. In the office I was also able

to work with contracts and develop Web Soil Survey Reports or GIS maps for certain properties.

The Web Soil Survey Reports were developed to identify the soils physical and chemical

properties for specific sites that were usually under contract with the NRCS or in the process of

being under contract. GIS maps were conducted to identify various factors of the properties

under contract or to become under contract. Some of these factors included location maps,

identifying any species of concern near the site, topographic maps, cultural resource maps, and

such.

Project objectives

As I searched for an internship of my interest and to best fit my area of study, I

encountered several different organizations that worked closely with areas that I found to be very

interesting. Since prior to my time with the NRCS I had the privilege of working with the

Ventura County Resource Conservation District (VCRCD), I already had knowledge and prior

experience working with the Ventura County agricultural community and during that time I

obtained a high interest for agriculture and natural resources. Therefore, I decided to intern with

an agency which also works with the agricultural community and so I chose the USDA NRCS.

My original goal as I came in to work with the NRCS was to further enhance my knowledge on

soil and water conservation and how to develop our ag community by implementing best

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management practices. Through the course of my internship, I dedicated the majority of my time

to learning various roles and tasks that would further enhance the skills I already obtained.

After interning with the NRCS, I feel highly motivated and enthusiastic about obtaining a

career pertaining to the United States Department of Agriculture. I would like to seek a potential

career with USDA agencies that work with resource conservation and helping our farmers

implement practices that will help their farm develop as they practice efficient conservation

roles. This internship has broadened my knowledge of the different employment opportunities

available that are related to my field of study.

Project Approach

As I worked on my internship, my supervisors were Dawn Afman along with Emmanuel

Gonzalez-Hinojosa, and Whit Haraguchi. The first task that I was introduced to was the initial

field visit that is provided by the NRCS. When a farmer is interested in the programs offered by

the agency, they call to set up an appointment for an initial field visit. In this event, I would

accompany either Emmanuel or Whit to the farm to meet the grower, view the property, and

establish the best management practices that were to be implemented on the farm. This was

usually a short visit in which we asked the grower a series of questions previously established, to

better understand the farmers goals with NRCS. Examples of reasons growers were interested in

working with the NRCS were if they were in need of a new irrigation system such as an upgrade

or more efficient system. In such cases, examples of the questions asked during the initial field

visit were “why do you think you need a new irrigation system, upgrades?”, “how long have you

been farming?”, “what do you grow?”, and ‘how many acres is the property?” By accompanying

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the Soil Conservationist to the initial field visit, I was exposed to how to go about talking with

the growers, learning their techniques and practices, and identifying possible solutions.

Another task I was able to learn about was the irrigation evaluations conducted usually by

the Soil Conservationist. After an appointment was set up for an evaluation on a property, I

would accompany Emmanuel to the site of the irrigation system. On certain occasions, the

Engineer, Haejin Lee would accompany us to the evaluation. The site visits usually took place

early in the afternoon, between 12 and 2pm. At the site visit, we would perform the field work in

order to test the irrigation efficiency of the system on that specific site. I was responsible for

placing the measuring equipment along the row of the crops where water could be collected at a

stable rate of time, in this case 30 seconds. I would then take notes of the amount of water which

was collected within the time frame. Then I would note the pressure of the irrigation system. My

final task was to take waypoints of the area that was evaluated using a GPS. I would then give all

the information which was collected to my supervisors who would then submit to the engineer to

calculate efficiency. I took my job very seriously and performed my tasks in the most

professional manner.

One of the technical assistance programs which I had the opportunity to work on

was a program that focuses on helping farmers and landowners manage and improve irrigation

efficiency for the conservation of water. It provides an analysis of irrigation efficiency for

agricultural producers in Ventura County. The NRCS assists landowners and farmers in using

best management practices to develop water quality on their land. The Irrigation Water

Management (IWM) program was an area which I focused on and spent a large amount of my

time working with and training for. The task of the Irrigation Water Management Specialist

provided me with the opportunity to help farmers implement irrigation water management

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practices on their farms. This was a great opportunity and an important project to perform

considering the drought that has impacted California over the last few years. Careful and critical

monitoring of the use of our resources and the implementation of irrigation water management

has become even more critical as farmers and growers fight against the impacts of the drought

and having the opportunity to help with such an important event is a rewarding activity I

benefited from.

Implementing the IWM practice under NRCS involves three levels of irrigation

scheduling actions that have been defined in order for the producers to meet the practice

requirements. These levels are defined as Low Intensity, Medium Intensity, and High Intensity.

Starting with Low Intensity Level, the producers under contract work with NRCS to prepare an

Irrigation Scheduling Assessment. This is done to facilitate the conversation between the planner

and the producer about the producer’s current irrigation methods. The producer under this IWM

level is also responsible for monitoring and recording crop or soil water status, keep a record of

when irrigations are applied as well as the amount applied , and submit crop and or soil water

status and irrigation application records to their local NRCS office. Under the Medium Intensity

Level of IWM, the producers are responsible for the previously stated requirements along with

establishing threshold moisture readings, cumulative daily climate based water use estimate, and

or plant stress device readings to trigger the start of each irrigation. They must also measure and

record all irrigation amounts and dates. Under High Intensity Level of IWM, the producer does

the previously stated practices along with calculating or determining and recording the required

inches, gallon/plant or system run time prior to each irrigation. In all cases, NRCS assists the

producers through the level processes making sure they are aware and understand the

requirements.

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When I performed tasks for IWM, it usually took place in the field. I would assist farmers

in the field with the implementation of IWM by explaining to the farmers the way in which the

implementation functions. The main goal of assisting farmers with this practice was to make the

connection between the amount of water applied and the amount the soil can hold. Using graphs

as illustrators, I had the opportunity to demonstrate to the growers the root zone drying and

wetting cycle. Knowing the root zone water content allowed the ability to compare to the

allowable dryness level and the field capacity. Since farmers irrigate on a time and amount basis,

my role was to encourage farmers to quantify and record irrigation events after they occur in

order to make irrigation decisions with the resulting change in soil moisture.

Project Outcomes

There were several results which I came to as I finalized my internship with the USDA

Natural Resources Conservation Service. Ventura County holds a highly productive agricultural

community that produces much of our fruits and vegetables nationwide. With that said, it is

crucial to maintain and use our natural resources at a stable rate, preventing loss, contamination,

inefficient use, and such factors that impair our resources. Implementing best management

practices in farms has provided significant impact in the community. On average, farmers and

landowners under contract with NRCS are irrigating efficiently and using best management

practices when irrigating their land. However there are still landowners and farmers who chose

to not change or modify their methods for farming therefore, leaving some room for

improvement within Ventura County. The fact that there are still farmers and landowners who

choose not to use newer irrigation technology or follow best management practices implies that

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more outreach is necessary in order to make others be aware of the potential consequences of

inefficient practices.

In working on the various projects held by the NRCS, I learned the importance of team

work. I strongly believe that team work or collaborating with others is necessary in the

professional world because it is best to always have feedback and support from your colleagues.

There are times when one may struggle with finding an answer but when more than one person is

providing support it is easier to reach a solid answer and conclusion. I’ve also learned of the

importance of networking as it was a great part of my internship as well. From doing so I gained

an extreme amount of confidence as well as knowledge of the different groups and organizations

within Ventura County that are aiming to protect our natural world. Along with the opportunity

to network, I gained experience in working with a federal agency. This is a factor that will

benefit me in the future as I attempt to pursue a lifelong career with the USDA.

Conclusion

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service continues to work very closely with

the Ventura County Agricultural Community. After my internship, I would highly advice any

other students or anyone seeking an internship in which they will benefit from as well as make a

difference in their community, to consider the USDA NRCS. I strongly believe that the Natural

Resources Conservation Service has a great amount of potential to develop from. One can begin

as an Earth Team Volunteer which is a volunteer program for the NRCS that anyone can apply

for and participate. After this opportunity, I am highly motivated in pursuing a position within a

USDA career. I would like to be a part of an agency or organization which makes a difference

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within their community. My next step will be to pursue a career with NRCS. The agency has

grasped my attention and become a great interest to me as the work is related to something that I

find extremely interesting to do. I strongly feel that the skills which I gained from my internship

with the NRCS will benefit me in my future career. Overall, I plan to take action in a way that

will make a positive difference on our environment.

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Appendices

Performing a Soil Moisture by Feel and Appearance exercise with District Conservationist Dawn Afman

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Performing a Soil Moisture by Feel and Appearance exercise with District Conservationist Dawn Afman

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Conducting an initial field visit of this farm.

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Inspecting a pipeline for micro irrigation system installation