Subject: INV – 2020 National Resources Inventory Grazing Land Onsite Data Collection
Expiration Date.  December 31, 2020

Purpose

To provide information about the 2020 National Resources Inventory (NRI) Grazing Land Onsite data collection on non-Federal land and on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Federal land, including plans for 2020 NRI Grazing Lands Onsite data collection training.

Background

States have the responsibility for coordinating, collecting, and reviewing NRI Grazing Lands Onsite survey data for non-Federal pastureland, non-Federal rangeland, and BLM-managed Federal rangeland. Lists of the sample sites selected for NRI Grazing Land onsite surveys are forwarded to State Resource Inventory Coordinators (SRICs) to assist with planning. The Farm Production and Conservation Business Center’s Employee Development Section (EDS) hosts national NRI Grazing Land Onsite trainings. Additional webinars are conducted by grazing land specialists to provide updates for the current year’s survey and an overview of data collection methods and survey applications.

Explanation

The 2020 NRI Grazing Land onsite data will be collected on non-Federal pasturelands in the forty-eight coterminous States, on non-Federal rangelands in twenty States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) and on BLM managed Federal rangeland in twelve States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming). Lists of sample segments for the 2020 NRI Grazing Land onsite data collection on non-Federal pastureland and, where applicable, non-Federal rangeland and BLM-managed Federal rangeland will be provided to State Resource Inventory Coordinators.

NRCS is committed to honoring its agreement with the Bureau of Land Management to carry out data collection on their land in accordance with established protocols in a timely manner.

Data collection will begin March 1, 2020, and continue through September 30, 2020, depending on location. There will be three collection “windows” as shown in the attachment.

EDS has tentatively scheduled four national 2020 NRI Grazing Land Onsite data collection trainings in Tucson, AZ, February 25–27; Columbia, MO, April 21–23; Billings, MT, May 19–21; and Springfield, VT, June 9–11.

In addition to the EDS trainings, webinars to provide updates for the 2020 survey and an overview of data collection methods and survey applications are scheduled for February 11, 12, and 13, 2020. Details and login information will be circulated by email.

Contact

Questions may be directed to Patrick Flanagan, Acting Grazing Land On-Site National Leader, Resource Inventory and Assessment Division, at patrick.flanagan@usda.gov.

/s/

MARY PODOLL
Acting Deputy Chief for Soil Science and Resource Assessment