Biography

Mr. Berg, was born March 14,1918 in Burlington, Iowa, and raised on a family farm in Pine County, Minnesota. In 1941 he received his B.S. from the University of Minnesota and then a Masters in Public Administration degree from Harvard University in 1956.

Appointed Chief of the Soil Conservation Service in September 1979, his career in SCS included work in Idaho and South Dakota. He has also served as Deputy and Associate Chief. In April 1982, he retired from SCS-USDA, after nearly forty years in USDA and as a U.S. Marine in World War II.

In May of 1982 be became Senior Advisor to the American Farmland Trust (AFT). AFT is a non-profit organization chartered in 1980, has over 50,000 members, and is dedicated to the protection of America's valuable agricultural resources.

On January 1, 1983 Mr. Berg became the Washington Representative of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS). He is a Charter member (1946), a Fellow (1963) of the Society and received the Hugh Hammond Bennett Award.  He also serves as liaison in Washington, DC.

In 1998 the Secretary of Agriculture named Berg Chief Emeritus of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Mr. Berg was given the USDA Distinguished Service Award in 1973. In 1980 he received the National Wildlife Federation's Conservation Award. In 1984 the Agricultural Marketing Association of America gave him their National Award for Agricultural Excellence. He was also charter member of the Senior Executive Service. Mr. Berg was one of the first to receive the Presidential Rank Award (Meritorious Executive) in September 1980.  Mr. Berg received an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Minnesota on November 5, 2000.

Norman A. Berg (1918-2008) died peacefully at his home, March 18, 2008. "Throughout his life, Norm was seen as the epitome of the professionalism SWCS stands for. He was a dedicated, smart, tireless, and passionate conservationist. His life, his career, and his spirit point the way for the rest of us in the conservation profession. He reminds me every day that conservation is truly more than a job." ~Craig Cox, Executive Director, Soil and Water Conservation Society

Additional links to Norman A. Berg accomplishments: www.farmlandinfo.org/norm_berg_collection/ and Norm Berg Conservation Calling - AFT Fall 2007