A news release from the House Agriculture Committee announced that subcommittees will begin marking up several parts of the Food and Farm Bill next week. Coverage of the announcement at Agriculture Online and the Des Moines Register is indicating that Agriculture Committee Rep. Peterson (D-MN) is planning some significant changes to conservation programs. (At the same time he is ruling out cuts to subsidy programs for commodity crops, according to a press release from the Minnesota Project, via FarmPolicy.com–I cannot find their press release on-line.)
Rep. Peterson intends to scuttle an innovative but annually underfunded program–the Conservation Security Program (CSP)–in favor of the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
The Conservation Security Program (CSP) was created in the 2002 Food and Farm Bill (”The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002″). Unlike most other USDA conservation programs, it rewards ranchers and farmers for being good stewards of the land. That is, part of the land in the program continues to be used for ranching or farming instead of being retired. Also in sharp contrast to most other USDA programs, organic farmers and ranchers have an advantage in applying for the funds because they are already good stewards. However, each year since the CSP’s creation, Congress and the President have fallen substantially short of the funding target in the 2002 legislation (i.e., “flat-funded the program”). Much more on the CSP from this CRS report.
The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) has a mission to protect and restore wetlands through the use of long-term and permanent land retirement. I’m all for protecting wetlands, as they are tremendously important habitat for bird, fish and other life, but I’m not in favor of raiding a conservation program like CSP to increase WRP funding while commodity subsidies which only incentivize yield and production are untouched.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) helps farms, ranches, and CAFOs comply with clean water and air laws. Yes, CAFOs are eligible for EQIP funding to help manage their monstrous pits of manure, which can be a hazard to people and wildlife. Dan Imhoff’s Food Fight has more on this issue.
More about all conservation programs from the CRS report Agriculture Conservation Programs: A Scorecard.
Coincidentally–or perhaps not–the creator of the CSP is also the current Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). He is not happy about Peterson’s plan:
The House bill perpetuates the damage to conservation and the environment caused by the previous two Congresses and the Bush administration. Farmers need more conservation funding on agricultural land, yet the House bill doesn’t provide it. We need to devote funding to providing farmers the tools they need to produce the food, fiber and fuel America needs, while also producing the environmental benefits like clean water and abundant wildlife that come from good conservation.
The 2002 farm bill provided the greatest expansion of conservation funding in history. Yet the promised conservation initiatives — expanding EQIP, creating the CSP program, continuing to expand acres protected in the WRP [Wetlands Reserve Program] — were denied because funding was cut in subsequent legislation. This year’s farm bill provides an opportunity to reverse the damage of those budget cuts. That is more necessary than ever given the demands placed on conservation by the record planting this season and the need to produce more biofuels for national energy security.
In other conservation news, the EWG’s Mulch blog highlighted an advertisement from Environmental Defense that thanks almost 200 lawmakers for co-sponsoring legislation to improve USDA conservation and renewable energy programs. Is your representative on the list? (Addresses and phone numbers for Representatives and Senators)
Photo by Lynn Betts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, photo NRCSIA99058. Caption: “Riparian buffer along Bear Creek, in Story County, Iowa. The buffer was established for about four years at the time of photo in 1997. Bear Creek is a national demonstration area for conservation buffers.”
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