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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