NRCS‑Washington Leadership Delivers Statewide Training on Core Programs

By
NRCS-WA State Public Affairs Specialist

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - In Olympia, Wenatchee, and Spokane Valley over the last two weeks, all Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Washington employees gathered for an intensive, in-person, day-and-a-half programs training, to enhancing their ability to put Farmers First and support NRCS's Priorities.

Led by a five-person leadership team, the sessions aimed to ensure all employees received the same up-to-date information on program authorities, tools, and expectations the team learned during their attendance at a National Leadership Team meeting held in Indianapolis earlier in the month.

Roylene Comes At Night, Natural Resources Conservation Service in Washington's State Conservationist, wraps up a day and a half of Programs Training in Spokane Valley, Wash., March 3, 2026. NRCS-Washington staff from across the state attended one of three training sessions conducted, in-person, across the state, to learn about all the new tools, initiatives, and technologies under development and currently being implemented to help them help people help the land. (USDA/NRCS photo by Nate Gallahan.)

"We knew immediately upon attending the training in Indianapolis that these incredible improvements to our agency are of such vital importance, we needed to travel the state and train our team face-to-face," said Roylene Comes At Night, NRCS-WA State Conservationist.

The training included a wide range of topics, each of which supported one or more of the NRCS priorities. For example, one session trained staff on the Regenerative Pilot Program, which helps Preserve and Protect Agricultural Land, the agency's first priority. Portions of that session also touched on how the program will streamline processes and accountably, the agency's fourth priority.

"One of the biggest take aways for me in Indianapolis, and throughout all of my meetings up to this point, is that these agency priorities are not simply words on paper," Comes At Night said. "Each priority is pragmatic, tangible, and moving fast. We live in really exciting times and it's just incredible to see the work happening behind the scenes to improve the lives, and operations, of our farmers, ranchers, foresters and partners."

Other highlights of the training included updates to the conservation planning process, enhancements to the technical service provider program, and demonstration of new technologies under development aimed at revolutionizing NRCS operations.

"We are building a leaner, enhanced, and more efficient NRCS," Comes At Night said. "While it's not going to be easy, nothing worth this much ever is. This training was just one step in the right direction, and I can't wait for everyone to see the outcomes of all this work. It's going to be amazing."

To conduct the statewide training, Comes At Night was accompanied by Keith Griswold, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, Robert Evans, State Resource Conservationist, Jessica Humes, State Business Tools Coordinator, and Lauren Samaniego, RCPP Specialist. All of whom are subject matter experts, presented in their area of expertise and attended the sessions in Indianapolis.

"It's on our shoulders as the leadership team to ensure staff have all the tools, knowledge, and resources they need to take full advantage of the opportunity that has been opened to us." Griswold said.

A theme throughout the training was the desire to free staff from the obligations of computer screens and data input so they can spend much more time on the landscape supporting the producers that mean so much to them. The programs, processes, and technologies of NRCS' future are all aimed at that goal.

"Our staff want to be out there helping people help the land," Comes At Night said. "That's why they got into this line of work. Over the decades that ability has slowly eroded as bureaucracy and process has overwhelmed the amount of time they have in a day. Indianapolis changed all of that. I really feel like our national leadership is clearheaded, and dedicated, to freeing our staff of cumbersome burdens so they can get back to the basics of putting Farmers First."

More Information

To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don't have an account, sign up today.

For 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat. NRCS uses the latest science and technology to help keep working lands working, boost agricultural economies, and increase the competitiveness of American agriculture. NRCS provides one-on-one, personalized advice and financial assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.