Bruce Knight

Thereðs no sustainability title in the 2014 Farm Bill, and there probably shouldnðt be one in the 2018 bill either. But as the next farm bill develops, we need to keep sustainability in the forefront of our thinking as we envision agriculture in the 21st Century.

The 2014 Farm Bill included a number of measures to encourage and support beginning farmers along with others such as socially disadvantaged, limited resource and returning military veteran farmers. There are a plethora of well-intended programs and special provisions or exceptions acr

Last week the Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) announced updates to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) including more than 200 enhancements, nearly double the previous number. These are the specific conservation management activities that farmers an

Although the presidential debates are ahead of us, the debate on increasing the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage cap has already begun. My concern is that we donÀt expand conservation on idle lands at the expense of environmental protection on working lands.

Turning again to the next farm bill, I want to focus on soil health. We need to be asking,  Do we need to change agricultural policy or research emphasis or programs to address soil health more effectively? 

The three pillars of agricultural sustainability include environmental, economic and social impacts. WeÐve done a good job of calculating environmental impacts with life cycle analyses and other measures. Increasingly, we are finding the balance between achieving environmental

Over the years, rural development programs have multiplied and morphed to the point where it`s difficult for farmers, small businesses, entrepreneurs and rural communities to determine which programs are appropriate for the projects they need help with. The 2018 Farm Bill offer

I want us to consider carefully the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which has become the largest USDA conservation program for private working lands.

I am continuing to encourage folks to begin thinking about the 2018 Farm Bill. It seems a long way off. But now is the time to start considering how we want to modify and build farm programs for the future

Wheres your focus? Is it on the 2018 farm bill? Not likely. The topics of the day are the upcoming presidential caucuses and primaries. Fighting ISIS. Addressing immigration and refugee issues. And on the East Coast, dealing with Snowzillathe record