Farm Bill

Renewal of federal farm and food policies this year creates an opportunity to reward more farmers and ranchers when they take steps to protect or enhance vital bird habitats. Currently, more than 100,000 agriculture producers – or roughly three-out-of-four eligible applicants – are annually rejected when they offer to share the cost of cleaner water, air and wildlife habitat or to serve as the frontline against sprawl.

Federal lawmakers will soon introduce several versions of legislation that would expand and improve programs to addresses these economic and environmental challenges and opportunities. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Peterson’s staff has indicated the House and Senate committees will markup a bill by late April - early May.

It is my recommendation American Bird Conservancy offer its endorsement to Farm bill legislation that seeks to expand conservation spending from its current $4 billion to $7 billion over the life of the next bill – and by modifying its programs to:

• Increase cost-sharing assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to $2 billion annually; reserve EQIP funds for the stewardship of small, private forest lands.

• Expand the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) to $300 million annually and improve WHIP by providing incentive payments to protect state or federally listed threatened or endangered species and by linking WHIP funding to state wildlife action plans.

• Reserve 20 percent of working lands conservation funds to promote cooperative conservation agreements that link together groups of farmers to meet regional, landscape-level environmental challenges.

• Provide sufficient funds to protect at least 5 million acres of farm and pasture land from development through the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRP) and the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP); provide mandatory funding for the Healthy Forest Reserve Program; and create a new program to help local governments and land trusts acquire community forests and other open spaces.

• Reform the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) by enrolling more streamside buffers and other environmentally-sensitive lands that can filter runoff and provide habitat for birds. Reform the Healthy Forests Reserve Program to provide a permanent easement option for landowners.

• Expand the Wetlands Reserve Program to 5 million acres and improve WRP by recognizing the water quality benefits of enrolled lands.

• Make the Conservation Security Program available to more producers who meet high levels of environmental performance, including more forest landowners.

• Expand forestry incentive programs, including the Forest Land Enhancement Program, to $250 million annually.

• Expand the ability of conservation districts, cooperatives, state agencies, and others to deliver needed technical assistance to farmers (expanding conservation programs requires an equally significant investment in our region’s program delivery system.)

• Expand efforts to help farmers make the transition to organic production systems (for the reduced application of pesticides on agriculture lands.)

Background and Details of the Farm bill’s Conservation Programs

CRP
WRP
GRP
WHIP
EQIP
CSP