The Natural Resources Conservation Service is pushing forward with plans to modernize operations and improve service delivery, even as staffing shortages persist.
According to NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt, federal workforce cuts and lingering vacancies from the previous administration have left field offices thin. But Bettencourt says the agency is turning to technology to close the gap.
She points to investments in broadband and mobile infrastructure as key to making NRCS more efficient and responsive.
“We’re committed to getting NRCS the underlying infrastructure that they need to be back in the field where they belong, and not stuck behind a spinning wheel of death on a computer screen,” Bettencourt says.
The agency is reviewing its programs with an eye toward simplifying procedures while maintaining integrity. Bettencourt says the goal is a more nimble, modern NRCS — one that’s better equipped to meet the needs of producers on the ground.
