Feature: Chinese Delegation Touring Plant Materials Centers

John Englert, Manager of the National Plant Materials Center, explains the Plant Materials Program to An Baoli, Ministry of Water Resources of China.

May 1, 2006 - A delegation from China of specialists in water, soil conservation and plant buffers is touring the country and visiting USDA NRCS Plant Materials Centers in Tucson, Arizona; Beltsville, Maryland and Lockeford, California to learn best practices in conservation from these PMCs.

The group consists of 16 water-resource specialists from the country’s providential and local government levels. The delegates have a variety of scientific backgrounds and is being led by Mr. An Baoli the vice division director for the Ministry of Water Resources for China.

After visiting the Tucson PMC, on Tuesday April 25, 2006, members of the delegation attended a two hour session at the National Plant Materials Center (NPMC) in Beltsville, MD where they were presented information on the NRCS conservation buffers used for national resource protection.  Additional information included:

• NRCS conservation standards

• Program delivery to landowners through field offices

• Integration of federal, state and county government to get conservation on the groun.

John Englert, manager of the NPMC, addressed and took questions from the delegation through an interpreter and later took the group on an extensive tour of the NPMC facility.

The delegation also expressed a keen interest in the administrative structure and procedures of the Program and the NRCS as a complete functioning unit.

The Chinese delegation’s next PMC stop will be the Lockeford, CA facility.

For more information contact: John Englert,  john.englert@md.usda.gov, 301-504-8175.