Groups Urge Changes to Conservation Programs in Next Farm Bill

More funding, with fewer strings attached for agricultural conservation programs in the next farm bill was urged by conservation-focused farm groups testifying February 28 before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.The groups cited what they said is a successful model of locally driven, voluntary programs financed through USDA. To that end, they urged Congress to boost federal funding for conservation initiatives including the Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)."Without this valuable funding, we would see less uptake of conservation practices, and in turn, we would see fewer conservation benefits," Jeremy Peters, chief executive officer for the National Association of Conservation Districts, said. He testified on behalf of Lee McDaniel, the association's former president.Congress should increase funding for the conservation programs in the upcoming farm bill, Peters and others argued. They noted that the 2014 Farm Bill consolidated conservation programs from 23 to 13 and reduced conservation spending by almost $6 billion over 10 years, including sequestration.Bipartisan support in Congress exists for voluntary conservation programs, but not for mandates, Ferd Hoefner, former federal policy director for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, told Bloomberg BNA before the hearing. Hoefner's observation was echoed by Timothy Gertson, a member of the USA Rice Federation, who said “voluntary conservation works.”Witnesses also highlighted their concerns about federal agriculture officials “inundated in paperwork” who as a result are unable to provide the technical advice farmers and ranchers need to improve soil and water quality on their lands. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), part of USDA, provides technical and financial assistance to farmers in all 50 states through its voluntary conservation programs. Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., who chairs the subcommittee, agreed that conservation programs can only have value if people are available to provide technical assistance on how to implement them.