NRCS Grant for Prescribed Grazing Management and Technical Assistance to Hawaii Ranches

Upon contract award, one 8-hour field training session on the Big Island will be scheduled for the grantee(s), at which the NRCS State Rangeland Management Specialist will guide the grantee through each procedure, worksheet, and monitoring method. This training session is required only if the grantee or their representative(s) has not completed the training under a prior NRCS contract to provide such services on grazing lands.

All documentation collected on selected ranches will be provided to the NRCS State Rangeland Management Specialist, the individual producer, and the local NRCS field office providing assistance to the producer. This project will help alleviate the field office workload, serve as a training opportunity for NRCS staff and producers, and provide documentation for 528-Prescribed Grazing certification for payment under Farm Bill programs such as EQIP.
b. Technical assistance
The ranches selected for this project will benefit from enhanced technical assistance specific to grazing management opportunities and recurring resource assessments. Project ranches will represent a cross-section of the highly variable forage types, rainfall zones, elevations, etc found in the state of Hawaii.

The grantee(s) will provide assistance in the development of a grazing management plan when asked to do so by the NRCS field office. All grazing plans will be written by NRCS with input from the landowner and the grantee(s), as determined necessary by the NRCS conservation planner. The grantee(s) will supply a written summary to the NRCS conservation planner, outlining the key grazing management issues specific to each ranch, and the recommended solutions to be considered when developing the prescribed grazing plan.

Each project ranch will work with the grantee(s) to install at least one rain gauge. Rainfall data will be collected by the rancher and/or grantee after each rainfall event or once monthly, whichever is most practical. Data will include:
1. Calendar date(s) of each rainfall event
2. Inches of rainfall received during each event
3. Elevation of rain gauge location
4. Geographic coordinates of each rainfall gauge location (NAD83 datum; UTM)

This assistance serves to improve communication between NRCS and producers on grazing management opportunities related to plant, soil, and animal health. As often as possible, the grantee(s) is expected to invite the local NRCS conservation planner to the ranch visits. This will serve as additional training to the NRCS conservation planner, and improve the working relationship between the rancher and the grantee(s).

c. Ecological site description and Forage suitability group reviews
The grantee(s) agrees to review ecological site descriptions and forage suitability group descriptions with the NRCS State Rangeland Management Specialist. Each description will be reviewed for quality and accuracy of the state-and-transition model, plant community, and animal management considerations.

The NRCS will supply the grantee(s) with a set of descriptions to review. The review workload will be limited to not more than 5 descriptions per year.
d. Reporting
The Grantee is responsible for preparing and submitting:
1. Monthly written reports summarizing ranches worked on, total hours spent on project items, list of NRCS individuals accompanying the grantee, and a brief list of planned activities.
2. Quarterly written reports summarizing completed items, plus all data collection worksheets and digital photography.
3. Summary of rain gauge data from each ranch, provided in an Excel spreadsheet format.
4. When providing assistance for the development of a prescribed grazing plan, the grantee(s) will provide a written summary of key grazing management issues and recommended solutions to the NRCS conservation planner to use in their development of the prescribed grazing plan. This written summary will be provided to the NRCS conservation planner via email within 5 days of pertinent site visit(s) and assistance date(s).

All reports outlined above will be submitted to the NRCS State Rangeland Management Specialist as the technical services are completed in order to receive payment.

Aside from the initial training session and incidental ranch visits with the grantee(s), NRCS anticipates not being substantially involved in carrying out the work covered by this grant agreement. NRCS will provide program oversight and will provide forms, databases, and other resource information. It is expected that the work will be accomplished at the grantee(s) facility and with the grantee(s) personal vehicle and equipment.

All projects are located in the state of Hawaii. Location of project ranches may be statewide, not limited to a specific island or county, as determined by the NRCS State Rangeland Management Specialist.