Last month I argued that there is no need for a specific sustainability
title in the next farm bill, but that there is a definite need to consider the impact
of other titles on sustainability as we advance further into the 21st
Century. This month, I want to examine another aspect of sustainability that we
need to bear in mind as we look at American agriculture in the coming decades.
Recently I spoke to a gathering of agricultural economists at
Mississippi State University in Starkville about sustainability. I reminded
them of the three pillars of sustainability—environmental, economic and social
impacts of producing food and fiber. I noted the need to double our productive
capacity by 2050. And I shared my personal definition of sustainability—leaving
my land and my cows in better shape than when I took over the ranch.
What struck me as I was preparing for that talk was that
conservationists and environmental organizations have done their job of
stressing the importance of minimizing environmental impacts of production. And
we can count on animal rights advocates and those concerned with labor and
human services to ensure that social impacts receive due consideration. But who
is looking out for the financial welfare of the farmer? Who is tracking whether
the policies and programs we implement make it possible for those living on the land to actually make a living from the land?
So I challenged those agricultural economists to make this part of
their mission as they think about the next farm bill. If the agricultural
community doesn’t make sure that the policies that ensure sustainability for
our natural resources also ensure economic sustainability for those who work
the land and care for the livestock, no one else will.
Farmers and ranchers who install conservation practices or adopt new
technologies that sustain the land must receive a return on their investment. Further,
we need to ensure that the safety net in Title One of the farm bill, the
traditional farm program benefits and payments, remains in place. Those in the
Cotton and Corn Belt understand this all too well after experiencing at best a
break-even year. Having vibrant farm programs as a safety net is a key support
to economic sustainability for farmers and ranchers.
Crop insurance has become a critical risk management tool for farmers
and an important component of sustainability policy in the farm bill. It’s time
we recognize that role in supporting sustainable farm operations. Sometimes
overlooked is the vital role that free and open trade play in the incomes of
American producers. If we are going to feed the world in the future, we’ve got
to have in place the trade rules and agreements that permit food and fiber to
flow from farms here to those who need it wherever in the world they may be. We
need to make certain that those agreements don’t distort planting decisions or
limit our opportunities to sell what we’ve produced to Asia, Canada, Africa,
South America or Europe. Farmers and ranchers must speak out for access to
world markets. It’s also time the environmental community recognizes that free
trade is a vital component of sustainability objectives, understanding that
production on the best lands in North America protects vulnerable lands around
the globe.
In short, if we want to sustain our private agricultural resources
along with our public natural resources, we must take a broad view of
sustainability and make certain it includes the opportunity for producers to
receive a return on conservation investments and a profit on what they produce.
That requires taking a holistic view of the farm bill and recognizing that
sustainability depends on the economic viability of individual farmers and
ranchers as supported and encouraged by the separate but interlinked programs
the bill includes.
About the author: Bruce I. Knight, Principal, Strategic Conservation
Solutions, was the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 2006 to 2009. From 2002 to 2006,
Knight served as Chief of Natural Resources Conservation Service. The South
Dakota native worked on Capitol Hill for Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, Rep.
Fred Grandy, Iowa, and Sen. James Abdnor, South Dakota. In addition, Knight
served as vice president for public policy for the National Corn Growers
Association and also worked for the National Association of Wheat Growers. A
third-generation rancher and farmer and lifelong conservationist, Knight
operates a diversified grain and cattle operation using no-till and rest
rotation grazing systems.
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