Farm Bill's Conservation Title Debated

May 25, 2001

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has called for the reauthorization of the farm bill's conservation title, supporting "voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs that past farm bills have created." The testimony was presented before the House Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research this week.

Bill Horan, an NCGA Corn Board member and a farmer from Rockwell City, Iowa, presented the testimony on behalf of a coalition of producers' groups composed of NCGA, the American Soybean Association, the National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Cotton Council and the National Barley Growers Association.

Horan told the committee that conservation programs must be voluntary and incentive-based and support working land as opposed to the inefficient land-idling programs of the past. He added that farmers have made good progress by way of the environment in the previous farm bills and now is the time for a new generation of conservation policy. There is an urgent need for additional funding for voluntary, incentive-based conservation spending in the next farm bill, he said.

He added, "We share the conservation goals outlined in this statement and the belief that the conservation title should work in conjunction with a fully funded commodity title. . . . USDA technical assistance, local watershed activities and cost-share programs are a proven approach to addressing environmental challenges. We support continuing this conservation commitment to help undertake conservation practices on productive farmland through the reauthorization of the conservation title of the next Farm Bill."

In addition to the traditional commodities farmers and ranchers provide, they can also produce and market a host of environmental benefits. And, with increased voluntary incentives from the government, growers can further improve the environment, the American Farm Bureau Federation told the subcommittee.

Just as market forces and government support prices provide sufficient incentives for farmers to produce abundant supplies of grains, fruit, vegetables, meat and more, "if a voluntary incentive is offered for a desirable environmental outcome, farmers will overwhelm America with improved soil conservation, water quality, air quality and wildlife habitats," John Lincoln, AFBF board member and president of the New York Farm Bureau, told the panel.

Lincoln urged a "new, more efficient and effective approach" to help farmers provide the public with valuable environmental benefits, such as open space, wildlife habitat, scenic vistas, diverse landscapes and recreational activities. "It should be voluntary, provide sufficient economic incentives and clearly define the benefits that society at large derives from agriculture."

Lincoln called for the continuation and reform of current environmental programs and encouraged the development of a new initiative. He urged continuation of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), through which growers are compensated for retiring environmentally-sensitive land from production for 10 years. To ensure that rural and agricultural infrastructure are not jeopardized, increases in the amount of county acreage eligible for the program should be limited, he said.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) "must be reformed to assist producers with the cost of meeting federal, state and local environmental regulations" and should be available to all livestock and crop producers.

Lincoln also said a new "voluntary environmental program that provides producers with additional conservation options for adopting and continuing conservation practices to address air and water quality, soil erosion and wildlife habitat" should be implemented.

"This could be a guaranteed payment to participants who implement a voluntary management plan to provide specific public benefits by creating and maintaining environmental practices," Lincoln told the panel. "The management plan would be a flexible contract designed and tailored by the participant to meet his or her goals and objectives while also achieving the goals of the program."

To increase conservation incentives and lay the base for responsible growth in the agriculture industry, Lincoln said lawmakers and farmers should "work together to find the right mix of policy options."

He called for policies that will allow the market to determine the value for the environmental benefits; provide voluntary participants with an annual guaranteed incentive payment; provide incentives for both implementation and maintenance of conservation and environmental practices; make incentives available to all growers, including livestock, poultry, aquaculture, timber, fruit and vegetable producers.

The American Farm Bureau Federation is encouraging lawmakers considering the new farm bill to "continue to improve the environment through expanded incentives to encourage voluntary soil conservation, water and air quality programs, and advance technological and biotechnological procedures that are based on sound science and are economically feasible."