National
Corn Growers Association:Farm Bill Issues
History of the Farm Bill Actors Forming Farm Bill Conservation Programs Farm Bill Policy Process
Introduction:
Since their official introduction in 1985 Farm Bill, conservation
programs have been a driving force for conservation on private lands in the
An end to these programs would be devastating not only to the environment but also the landowners, many of whom rely on the land for their livelihood. Many organizations such as the National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership have realized this threat and have taken action to produce documents such as white papers, position statements, and policy briefs that are able to convey their recommendations for these programs in the 2007 Farm Bill. The following sections will outline the recommendations by these organizations such as renewal and amendment options to specific programs.
National
Corn Growers Association:
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) “is a federation of state organizations, corn boards, councils and commissions developing and implementing programs and policies on a state and national level to help protect and advance the corn producer’s interests (“About Us” NCGA).” The NCGA’s publication stated that changes to the current farm bill should focus mainly on programs proven to provide the most environmental benefits to local areas of concern. The specific program they mentioned was CRP.
NCGA’s Farm Bill
Recommendations:
The NCGA recommends that small wetlands connected to CRP acres be
eligible for enrollment into the program. Currently
these acres are not included in CRP which either results in them being farmed or
degraded beyond environmental value. The
NCGA also desires to maintain a 36.4 million acre cap to CRP not including land
enrolled in continuous CRP. They
feel that by excluding these acres, CRP will be able to encompass more marginal
land and provide environmental benefits to that land (National).
National
Association of Wheat Growers:
The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) “is a nonprofit partnership of U.S. wheat growers who, by combining their strengths, voices and ideas, are working to insure a better future for themselves, their industry and the general public (“About NAWG”).” The NAWG’s publication deals mainly with CRP, but their recommendations toward this program and other conservation programs seem to be biased more toward wheat production than conservation. One possible reason for this could be that most of the conservation programs currently in use are focusing heavily on the Great Plains states where much of the United State’s virgin prairie remains. Much of this land is being converted to wheat production so they see conservation of this area as a threat to their economic well-being.
NAWG’s Farm Bill
Recommendations:
The NAWG believes that complete funding of conservation programs should not result in inadequate funding for commodity support programs such as Federal Crop Insurance and LDPs. They also believe that private land enrolled in conservation programs should be excluded from public use. Their specific opinions about CRP state that this program should be renewed in the next farm bill, but it should only include the most highly erodible land and payments should be based on local land rental rates rather than a national average. They also recommend the nation acreage cap for CRP be set at 39.2 million acres including those in continuous CRP (“Road”).
Associations
of Fish and Wildlife Agencies:
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) “represents the
fish and wildlife professionals in the 56 states and territories, and the
federal agencies of the
AFWA’s
Farm Bill Recommendations:
The AFWA wants CRP to be renewed under the 2007 Farm Bill, but they want the acreage cap to be increased to 45 million acres which would include continuous CRP but exclude buffer strips currently being counted. They also support retaining the date certain clause of the 2002 Farm Bill which protected native prairie from being plowed under and farmed for only a short time in order to make it eligible for CRP enrollment. Finally, the AFWA wants CRP to be a prescriptive program that addresses priority issues on land that affect water quality and key wildlife habitat.
According to the AFWA, CSP should not be intended as a program to replace the more prescriptive programs, but act as a complement to them. Since it encompasses a wide range of practices it can accomplish conservation goals thru partnerships with various conservation organizations and State and Federal fish and wildlife agencies. The AFWA suggests that by working in cooperation through this program and by incorporating other programs, there is no limit to the environmental benefits that may be gained in the future.
The AFWA also desires WHIP to be renewed in 2007 to continue that programs efforts at targeting priority habitats for threatened and endangered species. They also feel that through cooperation of organizations working with teams of fish and wildlife professionals that this program may be more successful in the future. However this success also relies heavily on continued funding to continue conservation efforts such as the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and the State Wildlife Action Plan.
EQIP is another program that the AFWA wants renewed. Their highest priority recommendation for this program includes prohibiting practices, such as tiling, that result in wetlands being drained on eligible land. They feel that by adding this amendment to the program it will be more successful at increasing ground water levels in drier regions where this is an important issue. Increased available water will not only benefit the environment and wildlife, but also the farmers and ranchers that depend on that water for their livelihood.
The AFWA also recognized GRP as another very important current conservation program that needs to be renewed. Their recommendations for this program includes expanding the program to a national level rather than limiting it only to Great Plains states and allow continuous enrollment of land eligible. However by expanding the program, the AFWA warns that enrollment eligibility may be stricter. Land enrollment limitations may be based on the number to grazing operations in a state, the immediate threat to conversion of native grasslands to pasture, and the biodiversity that may be negatively impacted by grazing.
Finally, the AFWA stated their support for the reauthorization of WRP maintaining the allocation of funding for 250,000 acres per year but increasing the national acreage cap to 3.5 million acres. They recommended that funding priority be based on the North American Waterfowl Management Plan which identifies critical habitats for not only waterfowl but also fish, shorebirds, and other wildlife relying upon these ecosystems. The AFWA also urges that in order for this program to ensure success in the future that funding will also have to place priority on land eligible for easements greater than the current 30 year limitation (“Association”).
Theodore
Roosevelt Conservation Partnership:
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) “is a coalition of leading hunting, fishing and conservation organizations, labor unions and individual grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing by expanding access to places to hunt and fish, conserving fish and wildlife and the habitats necessary to sustain them, and increasing funding for conservation and management (“Inside”).” Their white paper contained sections with specific recommendations for CRP, CSP, EQIP, GRP, and WRP.
TRCP’s
Farm Bill Recommendations:
The TRCP’s recommendations for CRP include its reauthorization in 2007 to ensure that any current environmental and wildlife benefits are not lost. They also want to increase the nation acreage cap to 45 million acres which will allow land to be enrolled in the program that not only benefits wildlife but also soil and water. The TRCP also placed emphasis keeping CRP lands productive throughout its enrollment period. In order to accomplish this they recommended that management practices such as limited haying and grazing be permitted outside of critical time periods such as nesting season.
CSP is another program that the TRCP requests to be renewed under the 2007 Farm Bill. They want this fairly new program to succeed in the future so they recommended key amendments such as removal of annual funding caps and implementation of acreage caps. The TRCP also recommended that not only soil and water practices be the determining factor for tier classification, but also fish and wildlife habitat improvements.
Next, the TRCP acknowledged the importance of EQIP by recommending that it too be reauthorized. Specific changes to the program included the requirement of a minimum of 10% of the annual funding be spent on priority habitat to protect species identified by a state’s comprehensive wildlife plan. They also placed emphasis on fair rental payments to landowners calculated according to local rental rates of property rather than by a national standard.
GRP was also mentioned as a priority for renewal in 2007. According to the TRCP, in order for this program to gain some notoriety among landowners GRP needs an acreage cap. By allowing in only a select few landowners during each enrollment period, more interest may be gained in certain areas where grasslands are most at risk. The TRCP also recommends that priority be placed on native grasslands and shrub lands to protect habitat for priority species identified by a state’s comprehensive wildlife plan.
Finally the TRCP advised reauthorization of WRP to maintain current and
enhance current benefits being reaped by this program.
Specific changes to WRP include raising the national acreage cap to 4
million acres and defining priority areas to receive much of the allocated
funds. These areas include the
Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great Plains and the Playa Lakes Region
of the
References:
“About NAWG.” National Association of Wheat Growers. 2006. Accessed 16 Nov. 2006. <http://www.wheatworld.org/html/info.cfm?id=2>.
“About Us.” Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 2006. Accessed 17 Nov. 2006. <http://www.iafwa.org/about.html>.
“About Us.” National Corn Growers Association. 27 June 2005. Accessed 16 Nov. 2006. <http://www.ncga.com/aboutus/main/index.asp>.
“Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill.” Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 31 Aug. 2006. Accessed 17 Nov. 2006. <http://www.iafwa.org/Members%20Only/Agri06/AFWA%202007%20Farm%20Bill%20Policy%20Position-draft-31Aug2006.doc>.
“Inside the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.” Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. 2006. Accessed 17 Nov. 2006. <http://www.trcp.org/insidethetrcp.aspx>.
Images Courtesy of:
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
United States Geological Survey