Conservation groups bullish on new Farm Bill

Feb. 09–The Farm Bill that President Barack Obama signed Friday after a House-Senate conference committee hammered out a long-awaited compromise is playing well with conservation groups across the country.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Bill on Jan. 29, and the U.S. Senate followed suit Tuesday. Obama signed the measure Friday at Michigan State University.

Reauthorizing the Conservation Reserve Program, re-linking conservation compliance to federal crop insurance and implementing a “Sodsaver” provision to protect existing prairie grasslands all were part of the new Farm Bill and heralded by conservation and sportsmen’s groups.

Dale Hall, CEO of Ducks Unlimited, called the legislation the best Farm Bill for conservation in several years.

“This bill includes proactive and common sense conservation programs that will help deter wetland and other habitat loss, incentivize habitat conservation and keep working farmers and ranchers on their land,” Hall said in a statement.

Sodsaver is a regional provision to protect native prairie lands in the top duck-producing states of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

In an interview with the Herald, Dave Nomsen, vice president of governmental affairs for Pheasants Forever, said the Farm Bill caps CRP enrollment at 24 million acres during the next five years. That’s down from 32 million in the previous farm bill. National CRP enrollment peaked at 36.7 million acres in 2007.

According to Nomsen, slightly more than 26 million acres currently are enrolled in CRP, which reimburses landowners who set aside marginal agricultural land for grassland and wetland habitat. Nomsen said the conference committee members who drafted the compromise Farm Bill emphasized they’d like to see CRP prices become more competitive with land rental and commodity prices.

“We’re concerned about the loss (of CRP acreage), but we’ve tried to also make this program more attractive and make every acre count, so to speak,” Nomsen said.

The reduction in CRP acreage means landowners will have to do more to raise the score of the Environmental Benefits Index the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses to determine whether land qualifies for CRP.

“Clearly, I think it’s going to take kind of the best-of-the-best offers,” Nomsen said. “The competitive signups like the general CRP are going to be smaller in size, so people are going to have to maximize their EBI points where they can.

“Hopefully, the acres we have will do a better job for wildlife.”

Here’s a look at some of the other conservation provisions in the Farm Bill:

— Conservation compliance: The new Farm Bill requires farmers to engage in conservation compliance practices in order to receive federal crop insurance benefits. The agreement ensures crop insurance will remain strong while conserving millions of acres of vulnerable lands and natural resources.

— Sodsaver: The bill includes a provision to encourage farmers to protect critical grassland and prairie habitats for wildlife and migratory birds.

— Conservation Reserve Program: The bill calls for capping CRP at 24 million acres by fiscal year 2018. A new provision in the Farm Bill establishes a 2-million-acre grasslands enrollment option to encourage farmers to conserve critical grasslands.

— Regional Conservation Partnerships program: The bill significantly expands opportunities for conservation organizations and local communities to partner with farmers to maintain watersheds and wildlife habitats.

— Public access to private land: The bill continues to encourage private landowners to allow public access to their land for recreational uses such as hunting, fishing and bird watching. The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentives Program — popularly known as “Open Fields” — receives $40 million in mandatory funding in the bill.

— Greater focus on wildlife habitats: The bill strengthens the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to increase support for wildlife habitats. At least 5 percent of the program funding is directed to projects that support wildlife habitat, and wildlife considerations can be included in the application selection process. The conservation compliance provision will ensure that sensitive wildlife habitat is conserved.

— Conservation Stewardship Program: The bill increases flexibility for wildlife habitat priorities to be included in the Conservation Stewardship Program, creating additional opportunities for conservation activities that benefit wildlife species.

Nomsen of Pheasants Forever said the Farm Bill gives conservation groups reason to celebrate, but the work’s not over.

“The last couple of years have been tough, so it’s good news to move it forward,” Nomsen said. “I don’t view this as an end point. The real test is as these programs are available to landowners — will they take advantage of them?

“We’ve been given some tools now to help farmers and landowners, and I’m convinced there’s a place for conservation on every farm and every ranch out there,” Nomsen added. “Let’s get them educated about what’s available.”