Please review the materials below and complete the accompanying worksheets and activities prior to attending the Fundamentals of Conservation Planning training. 

These pre-course assignments will help to familiarize you with new topics and allow you to engage them more thoroughly than would be possible in the classroom. Reviewing these resources and completing the associated worksheets will also help set the stage for the material that will be covered during the training. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the materials, please contact Josh Vetter. 

Effective conservation work starts with strong communication and genuine trust. For this activity, begin by watching Active Listening: Building Trust with Farmers and Ranchers (NCPP) to see how listening with intention can open the door to better conversations with landowners. Then read Where Farmers Get Information and What It Means for Outreach About Conservation, which explains how farmers seek and trust information. After completing both, use your worksheet to reflect on how you build relationships, support decision‑making, and communicate conservation in ways that truly resonate with the people you serve.

Properly identifying and documenting resource concerns is the first fundamental step in conservation planning. We work with cooperators to solve these issues, and conserve soil and water. Watch the video and review the three Resource Concern Fact Sheets on common cropland resource concerns.