Items Tagged with 'conservation'

ARTICLES

Opinion: Now’s your chance

04/04/19 8:18 PM By Bruce I Knight

If you’d like to see changes in conservation practice standards, now’s your chance. Until April 25, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting comments as part of its review of conservation practice standards mandated by the 2018 Farm Bill and designed to improve the standards and increase flexibility.

USDA prepares for national on-farm soil health demo

03/27/19 5:25 AM By Ed Maixner

The farm bill mandates a Soil Health Demonstration Trial, paying farmers to experiment with ways to build soil carbon and then record their results for potentially new markets in the future.

Farm bill offers more conservation tools in EQIP

03/20/19 6:15 AM By Ed Maixner

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program will take on a broader role, with more dollars and longer contracts, as it emerges under 2018 farm bill provisions.

Conservation districts cultivating their urban profile

02/06/19 6:30 AM By Ed Maixner

The urban side of soil and water conservation is becoming a major player at the National Association of Conservation Districts' annual conventions.

New farm bill bolsters the old, funds the new

12/12/18 6:50 AM By Philip Brasher

The new farm bill expected to head to President Donald Trump’s desk within days is making history with the breadth of support inside and outside Congress. The reason is plain to see in its 540 pages.

Farm bill upgrades commodity programs, boosts most conservation initiatives

12/10/18 9:55 PM By Philip Brasher

A compromise farm bill ready for final congressional votes melds a variety of Senate and House improvements to the major commodity programs, boosts spending on several major conservation programs while also creating a new $30 million a year program to fight animal diseases.

Opinion: Conservation Needs Farm Bill Compromise

10/29/18 10:00 AM By Brent Van Dyke

This summer, the U.S. House and Senate passed their versions of the 2018 Farm Bill.

Fiscal ax looms over Conservation Stewardship Program

10/24/18 6:35 AM By Ed Maixner

Whatever version of the farm bill finally emerges, USDA's largest working lands conservation program appears destined for at least a substantial cut.

States' roles in species conservation explored

10/10/18 4:48 PM By Steve Davies

States need to play a larger role in protecting and recovering endangered species, the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee said at a hearing Wednesday that looked at federal, state and local efforts to collaborate on wildlife conservation.

Farm bill expiration impact varies

10/03/18 6:47 AM By Philip Brasher

The average farmer probably won’t notice anytime soon that the 2014 farm bill has expired, but producers who try to sign up for some conservation programs could be turned away, and some commodity groups will have to go without some trade promotion funding on which they have counted.

More Articles Tagged with 'conservation'

Rep. Collin Peterson, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Representative Collin Peterson, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. The Minnesota Democrat believes agriculture is headed for some “serious tough sledding” and is concerned about whether the 2018 farm safety net will be adequate to protect the industry. He worries that market facilitation payments may undermine future needs for additional price supports. Peterson wants answers from the Environmental Protection Agency about the small refinery waivers that are negatively impacting the ethanol industry and farmers and expresses skepticism about farm support for legislation to address climate change.

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Opinions

Opinion: What do poor balance sheets, trade wars, Impossible Burgers and trial lawyers have in common?

I’m flat busted. My Missouri corn and soybean farm is bankrupt, financially incompetent, a lousy credit risk, upside down--you pick the financial euphemism for a balance sheet that is downright ugly. I’m still paying my bills on time and eating good, due to some profitable years in the recent past, but any honest appraisal of my farm’s future income and liabilities is dark indeed. Of course, if there is any comfort to be found in shared misery, every other producer of corn and soybeans in the U.S. is in the same position.