What’s happening with
conservation programs for 2013? Will
there be sign-ups? Is money available
for agricultural conservation in the midst of sequestration?
The answer to these questions comes
under the “no news is good news” category.
The sign-up for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program is mostly
complete for this year. The Farm Service
Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Natural Resources
Conservation Service’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Grassland
Reserve Program (GRP) and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) should all be available
this year, albeit with reduced funding and timing for sign-ups that may prove
challenging for farmers and ranchers.
Several months ago, I encouraged
producers to review their operations to determine what conservation
improvements they wanted to make. At
that time, we thought that Congress would avoid sequestration. Unfortunately, the automatic funding cuts
went into effect, and agencies are now beginning to move forward with plans
under reduced budgets. Yes, there will
be less money. Yes, there will be fewer
contracts offered. Yes, fewer acres will
be accepted. But conservation programs
will continue.
On February 16, USDA announced
the 45th general sign-up for CRP to take place May 20 to June 14;
additional sign-ups for continuous CRP programs such as Highly Erodible Land
Initiative and Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands and Wildlife are to
be announced later this spring.
Currently, 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP with 3.3 million acres
set to expire on September 30, 2013.
Mysteriously, the Office of Management and Budget has yet to actually
grant the funding for the program to USDA (one of the bean counters must want
to try to make the pain of sequestration worse).
Spring sign-ups are likely for the
NRCS programs, even though this timing may be tough for farmers in the midst of
spring planting. That mysterious bean
counter at OMB is also sitting on the apportionment for the GRP and WRP
acreages. I expect that whenever the
hostages are released NRCS will be enabled to announce to announce sign-ups for
GRP and WRP soon. The good news for
thousands of conservationists is that the most recent deal to fund the
government through the end of this year also means that there will be now be a
sign-up for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The sign-up dates have not been announced, but
it will likely be this spring. So
farmers and ranchers need to take advantage of rain delays or other down times
to consider applying to place croplands, wetlands or grazing lands in one of
these programs.
It may be difficult to believe,
but CSP has become the largest agricultural conservation program, now covering
more than 50 million acres. More acres will
be added (perhaps around 12 million acres or less due to sequestration) with
contracts signed between now and September 30.
The program is complicated and paperwork-intensive, but it does give one
the chance to get funding to embrace some of the more innovative practices
available in conservation. I encourage
farmers to take a look at this program—don’t listen to the coffee shop chatter—and
see if it will work for your operation.
Finally, don’t let fear-mongering
or the fact that the programs will have less money or cover fewer acres stop
you from applying. Now is the time to
visit your local office and begin the application process. You don’t need to wait for the announcements. Make your plans and get your name on the list
for consideration as soon as possible.
Then whenever program announcements are made your application will be
ready.
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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