Land EKG Rangeland Monitoring Training for EQIP Standards.

Project objectives are to teach producers a rapid, user-friendly, semi-quantitative rangeland monitoring system to increase ecological knowledge, documentation, and management direction for agricultural businesses. The training provides producers with “hands-on” skills, rangeland data and photo forms, and a complete tool kit to establish and maintain an on-going rangeland monitoring program. NRCS and Extension collaborators will participate with the producers to build common knowledge and support for future range assistance as well as EQIP information support. Implementing and self-maintaining an innovative Land EKG monitoring program will enhance management decisions, animal health and conception rates, reduce weeds, increase desired production, and improve wildlife habitat and water quality. Each participant will establish a minimum of 4 monitoring sites on their own lands within a 10-month period, complete with finished reports. Participants will also be taught to develop an annual monitoring program, understanding the five-year cycle of selecting new sites while maintaining previous data sites. The Project Director will organize and conduct 3 trainings in three local areas, providing customized data collection forms and information pertinent to each area’s rainfall and soil type. A monitoring field manual, report notebook, and tool kit will be assembled and distributed to each producer/participant. Management direction based from the monitoring analysis will be available to the producer from both the Project Director and the NRCS/ Extension collaborators.