Archive on U.S. Agricultural Conservation Launched Honoring the Work of Norm Berg
News Date October 17, 2007
American Farmland Trust (AFT) has announced the availability of the Norm Berg Special Collection, an online archive of speeches and writings by and about Norm Berg that can be found at http://www.farmlandinfo.org.
Berg is a living link to the beginnings of agricultural conservation in the United States. He worked for the first chief of the USDA's Soil Conservation Service (SCS), Hugh Hammond Bennett, considered the "father of soil conservation," and then steadily rose through the ranks serving as chief from 1979 until 1982. Berg advocated for a broader understanding of agricultural conservation, recognizing, before most, that development posed a serious threat to the nation's agricultural resources.
Today, at nearly 90 years old, Berg remains a committed conservationist. He serves as senior advisor for AFT and as the Washington, D.C., representative for the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS).
The Norm Berg Collection assembles documents written by or about Berg, and key laws and reports that represent milestones in agricultural conservation. At the collection's core are nearly 200 speeches and articles written by Berg from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, when he was in leadership positions at the SCS. These papers demonstrate Berg's commitment to farm and ranch land protection and his role in steering the agency and its partners toward a broader understanding of agricultural conservation. In addition, the collection includes examples of congressional testimony delivered by Berg, federal laws, biographical sketches, a list of awards and honors and, last, tributes prepared by esteemed colleagues and friends.
The collection--dedicated to Berg's family--was assembled by AFT with help from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, formerly SCS) and is housed on AFT's Farmland Information Center (FIC) website, http://www.farmlandinfo.org. Ralph Grossi, AFT president and longtime colleague of Berg's said, "We hope this collection will make Berg's wisdom available to current and future farmland protection advocates and serve as a fitting tribute to his greatly respected leadership in the conservation field."
Jennifer Dempsey, who manages the collection, evaluates and accepts additional materials such as publications, photographs, and manuscripts that the public may wish to contribute to the Norm Berg Collection. Dempsey can be reached at the Farmland Information Center at 800-370-4879 x13 or via e-mail at jdempsey@farmland.org.
The project was made possible with support from the NRCS, SWCS, Anne Arundel Soil Conservation District and Norm Berg's friends and colleagues. (Contact: Rick Kirchhoff)