NRCS Presentation

1. Gary O’Neill
State Conservationist
1
NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE

2. Why we did it:
• Reduced staff numbers within the
agency and the partnership,
• Variability in workloads between
Service Centers,
• Increased Farm Bill workload,
• Desire to have specialized staff,
• Reduced supervisor – employee ratio
Oklahoma NRCS Field
Structure

3. Field Office Restructure
• First Team began meeting in early 2014
• Second Team (Implementation Team)
started meeting in March 2015 and
developed the plan in September 2015
• The final plan was approved in April 2018

4. The proposed plan was sent to all Oklahoma
NRCS employees and Districts with the
opportunity to submit comments or
suggestions
Based on the comments the following
were made:
1. Position Title Changes
2. Team Boundary Changes
3. Establishment of TSO Boundaries
4. Adjustment to Workload Model

5. Oklahoma NRCS Field Structure
• This plan gives us the opportunity to:
 Effectively deliver services with a shrinking workforce.
 Base decisions on an improved workload model.
 Reduce administrative burden and overhead.
 Allowing people to work to their strengths by streamlining
job duties.
 Increase the synergy of the conservation partnership by
sharing employees over a greater geographic area.

6. Workload Analysis
Used to determine staff per
team
• 20 metrics
• Easily measured
• Data will be updated
annually

7. David Hungerford Brent Pannell Chad Kacir

8. Alan Messenger Shelly Oliphant
Stanley Irving
Will Brock
Karla Stephens
Rylan West
Brandon Burns
Nick Jones
JeffDavis
Dana Davis
Cord Colwell
Michael
Ramming
Chris Best
Donna
Neumeyer
Scott Pace
RustyNorrie
Mark Benton
Robert McBride
ValerieHannon
DavidHungerford
BrentPannell ChadKacir
DanielleMetz
RoderickDukes
West Zone Central Zone East Zone

9. Next Steps
• The new team DC will be effective
November 11 and the realignment of our
employees underneath this structure will
occur on November 25
• Team DC Training for new DCs is
scheduled for 2019
• Workforce planning for team staffing
• Begin to utilize existing staff’s strengths

10. What will not change for Conservation
Districts
• Partnership relationship between
NRCS and Conservation Districts
• Importance of the locally led process
• Local staff won’t be relocated or
moved
• Local support from NRCS will
continue
• State Cost Share technical assistance
will continue

11. Impact to Districts
What will change for Conservation
Districts
• Team DC will provide supervision
for the entire Team
• Team DC will attend Conservation
District Board meetings
• Local staff could be working in
other counties

12. Rollout of Farm Bill
Programs
• Consistent ranking for each Team
• Flexibility to maintain county fund
pools
• Do not have a new Farm Bill