Importance of Conservation Stressed at Hearing

March 2, 2001

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Dick Lugar (R-IN) believes testimony from a committee hearing Thursday shows that supporting conservation "is advocating the best public interest for all of America."

Former National Resources Conservation Service chief Paul Johnson noted that agriculture is more important to America's environmental improvement and stewardship than all the programs of the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. The committee heard a broad range of suggestions for the structure of on conservation programs. All the witnesses encouraged more conservation incentives and support.

Lugar noted three critical questions he will pursue in writing new conservation policy during the farm bill debate over the next year: What environmental goals should the next farm bill attain through voluntary incentive-based programs? What will be the costs and benefits to landowners and producers of achieving these broad goals? What will be the cost and benefits to society of achieving these broad goals?

"One of the challenges facing agriculture today is how to provide food, fiber, and industrial raw materials without jeopardizing the future productivity of our natural resources," Lugar said. "Private landowners are the stewards of over 70% of our nation's land. Our nation's farmers and ranchers are facing increasingly complex environmental problems and regulations. Taxpayers have been demanding and expecting increased conservation achievements from farmers and the agricultural sector. Given this situation, we have another question to consider: Should there be a substantially larger investment by the federal government in conservation cost-share and incentive programs?" Lugar said.

John Hassell, of the West Lafayette, IN-based Conservation Technology Information Center urged the committee in his testimony to broaden farm conservation programs with the goals of better soil, cleaner water, greater profits and a brighter future – what the center calls the Core 4 Conservation.

"Promoting these goals demonstrates our recognition of the inextricable link between profitability and environmental protection in modern agriculture, something past federal programs have not always accomplished. Improving our nation's soil and water resources – the raw materials of agriculture – enables producers to realize short-term benefits as well as long-term sustainability of their operations. The Core 4 Conservation approach helps producers realize productive, profitable land operations today and increases the likelihood that the operation can be passed on to their heirs," Hassell said.

Hassell said their studies show that good conservation practices can reduce non-point source pollution from crop land by as much as 80%. "For example, no-till reduces soil erosion by up to 90% and pesticide runoff by up to 70% when compared to a more traditional, intensive tillage system. No-till has also been estimated to increase soil carbon by up to 20%. Conservation buffers, as a secondary practice used in the systems approach, remove 50% or more of nutrients and pesticides and 75% or more of sediment in runoff."

He also noted that the financial benefit to farmers is substantial. "Producers benefit economically with Core 4 Conservation as well. For example, on a 2,000-acre farm using 100% no-till, fuel savings could be 3.6 gallons per acre or 7,200 gallons in a year, according to Purdue University's ‘Energy Requirements for Various Tillage-Planing Systems.' That same farm would have improved soil quality and, as a result, may realize higher yields. Plus, with a more diversified crop rotation, producers can increase yields and/or profits and extend their production. Some farmers are capitalizing on their conservation practices by marketing their ‘green'/environmentally friendly production methods and selling crops at premium prices."

Lugar also noted that farmers may soon be realizing more money in conservation payments from private sources as industries are willing to pay farmers for their carbon sequestration to offset emissions.