Fiscal Year 2003: Performance Report U.S. Department of Agricultire Natural Resources Conservation Service

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Performance Results Overview Strategic Goal 1 Enhance the productive capacity of soil and water resources to enable a strong agricultural and natural resource sector. Privately owned cropland, grazing land, and forest land form the foun- dation of a substantial and vibrant agricultural economy that provides food and fiber for the Nation. Conservation helps maintain the productive capacity of these lands so that they can continue to support healthy and productive plant, animal and human communities. NRCS helps farmers, ranchers, and forest land owners to adopt environmen- tally sound management practices. The primary services we provide are assistance in planning and applying conservation systems that will allow producers to meet their economic and environmental goals. We help people focus on the natural sys- tems and ecological processes that main- tain the natural resource base. This comprehensive approach, which considers all of the aspects of a site and sees the site as a part of a larger landscape, is essential to sustainable, productive resource use. To indicate progress toward sustainable resource management, we measure the acreage of land on which producers, with our assistance, develop conservation plans and the acreage on which they apply con- servation systems and practices. The con- servation applied this year will continue to protect the resource base and environ- ment in future years. Annual Progress in Protecting Cropland and Grazing Land In FY 2003, NRCS met our annual per- formance goals for helping farmers and ranchers protect and enhance the produc- tive capacity of cropland, grazing land, and forest land. Contour farming in northeast Iowa. Fiscal Year 2003 Performance Report