| Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (Farm Bill) |
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The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the Farm Bill) is along, complex law dealing with everything from farm loans, credit and subsidies, trade, energy, nutrition and research to rural development,forestry and agricultural conservation programs which amended the Food Security Act of 1985. Renewed every six years, the Farm Bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish and fund environmentally friendly practices on forested and non-forested agricultural land and to establish conservation reserves. While not specifically designed to support collaborative efforts, Farm Bill funding and technical advice can support public-private partnerships for conservation.
Farm Bill
Key Concepts Eligible Lands Applying for Benefits Conservation of Private Grazing Land Program Conservation Reserve Program Conservation Security Program Environmental Quality Incentives Program Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program Fire Protection Forest Land Enhancement Program Grassland Reserve Program Sustainable Forestry Outreach Initiative Wetlands Reserve Program Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program Farm Bill Reauthorization Controversies Farm Bill Legislation in the 110th Congress Links Key ConceptsEligible LandsIn the Farm Bill, "farmland" refers primarily to crop-rotation lands. It does not include lands that could be farmed or that have been farmed in the distant past. For the Conservation Reserve Program, for instance, farmland must have been cropped in four of the six years prior to 2002 (the year of the bill's passage). The Farm Bill defines "working lands" much more broadly. Working lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture, and range land, as well as forested land that is an incidental part of an agriculture operation. Both types of land may be eligible for a particular conservation programs, like the Conservation Security Program.Applying for BenefitsThe United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the Farm Bill and its conservation programs. Applicants to the program generally submit applications to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or to the Farm Service Agency in the USDA.To find your state NRCS office or the National Technology Support Center in your region, visit the NRCS web site or click on the map below.
Click here to see a map of state-by-state allocation of benefits for several programs. Conservation of Private Grazing Land ProgramThe Conservation of Private Grazing Land Program (CPGL) is a voluntary program that helps owners and managers of private grazing land address natural resource problems while enhancing the economic and social stability of grazing land enterprises and the rural communities that depend on them. Through CPGL, NRCS provides technical assistance to owners and managers of private grazing land to voluntarily conserve or enhance their resources to meet ecological, economic, and social demands.For more information on the CPGL, see www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cpgl/ Conservation Reserve Program
CREP for MT, OR, WA, CA
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) protects highly erodible lands,providing cost-share, rental payments and incentives to farmers who restore and protect erodible farmland, farmed wetlands and riparian buffers. Under this program, farmers can receive up to half of the cost of conservation projects (50% cost-share assistance) and rental payments for ten to fifteen years if their lands are accepted during the standard "general enrollment" period. In exchange, the farmers plant resource-conserving cover crops. Farmers with environmentally sensitive lands can receive additional incentive payments for using practices designed to reduce wind and water erosion, including cultivation of grassed waterways, filter strips, living windbreaks and riparian buffers. The Farm Service Agency administers the program with NRCS providing technical land eligibility determinations, conservation planning and practice implementation.The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is an offspring of the CRP. This unique state-federal partnership offers landowners incentive payments for installing specific conservation practices on eligible lands. For more information on the CRP, see the FSA CRP web site. For more information on CREP, see the FSA CREP web site. Conservation Security ProgramThe Conservation Security Program (CSP) provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private working lands. This newly authorized program offers tiered levels of income support to farmers who incorporate stewardship practices on their working farms. Support payments are based upon the type of conservation practice and the degree of investment. NRCS is implementing the program on a watershed basis to reduce the administrative burden on both the agency and applicants.For more information on the CSP, see www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp/ Environmental Quality Incentives ProgramThe Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the largest conservation program under the Farm Bill, provides funding to farmers and ranchers throughout the United States, to help them address a of locally-identified natural resource problems. EQIP gives high priority to agricultural improvement projects that will help meet Clean Water Act water quality objectives. For example, EQIP provides incentive payments, cost sharing and technical assistance for conservation practices implemented in accord with a plan approved by the local conservation district.With an approved plan, EQIP may cost-share up to 75 percent of the costs of certain conservation practices and up to 90 percent for limited-resource producers and beginning farmers and ranchers. For more information on the EQIP, see www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/ Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
To qualify for an easement, land must:
Designed to protect agricultural lands that would otherwise be swallowed up by urban sprawl, the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) offers farmers and ranchers 30-year to permanent easements to keep their land in production. Working through existing programs, USDA provides up to50 percent of the costs of purchasing easements based on fair market value. Non-governmental organizations may hold easements under this program.
For more information on the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, see www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp/ Fire ProtectionThe Farm Bill amended the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 to allow cooperation between the USDA and State foresters to enhance community protection from wildfires. USDA and the states can work together to:
Community and Private Land Fire Assistance Program
The Forest Service and State officials and private landowners can work together on:
Forest Land Enhancement ProgramTitle VIII of the Farm Bill created the Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP) to replace the Stewardship Incentives Program (SIP) and the Forestry Incentives Program (FIP), which were both created under the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978. FLEP is an optional, voluntary program for non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners. It provides for technical, educational, and cost-share assistance to promote sustainability of the NIPF forests. Under FLEP, State forestry agencies coordinate with their State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committees to develop a State priority plan. This plan prescribes how and on what lands FLEP funds can be used. To be eligible for cost-share payments, landowners must have a forest management plan. Cost shares are limited to 1000 acres per year or 5000 acres if the landowner shows that there will be significant public benefit from the project.For information on FLEP, see www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/programs/loa/flep.shtml Grassland Reserve ProgramThe Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) helps landowners restore and protect grassland, rangeland, pastureland, shrubland and certain other lands. The program- designed to restore and protect up to two million acres - protects vulnerable grasslands from conversion to cropland or other uses and helps maintain viable ranching operations. The program makes cost-sharing payments to help landowners restore or preserve at least 40 contiguous acres of grazing land. The program will also pay landowners for easements to voluntarily limit future use of the land while retaining the right to conduct common grazing practices; produce hay, mow, or harvest for seed production; conduct fire rehabilitation; and construct firebreaks and fences. Each state establishes ranking criteria to prioritize enrollment of working grasslands.For more information on the Grassland Reserve Program, see www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/GRP/ Sustainable Forestry Outreach InitiativeThe Forestry title of the Farm Bill also authorized the Sustainable Forestry Outreach Initiative, to educate landowners on the:
Wetlands Reserve ProgramThe Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) provides funding to restore farmed wetlands, wet pasture and range lands, flooded farmland and lands that border or link to protected wetlands. The goal of the WRP is to realize the greatest wetland functions and values, along with optimum wildlife habitat, on every acre enrolled in the program. Under this program, NRCS provides technical and financial support to help landowners with their wetland restoration efforts. Participating farmers may receive up to 100 percent cost-share assistance for restoration projects and payments for 30-year to permanent easements if the landowner voluntarily limits future use of the land.
For more information about the WRP, see www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp/ Wildlife Habitat Incentives ProgramThe Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is a voluntary program for private landowners who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat.Through WHIP, NRCS provides both technical assistance and up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat. WHIP agreements between NRCS and the participant generally last from 5 to 10 years. By targeting wildlife habitat projects on all lands and aquatic areas, WHIP provides assistance to conservation minded landowners who are unable to meet the specific eligibility requirements of other USDA conservation programs.For more information on the WHIP, see www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip/ Farm Bill ReauthorizationMany of the provisions of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the Farm Bill) will expire in 2007. Congress and the Department of Agriculture are already working on passing a new law before the 2002 law provisions expire. Following several public forums on Farm Bill reauthorization in 2005, Department personnel categorized and summarized the comments received and prepared 41 public comment summary papers, including several on conservation issues. Each paper contains three sections:
Controversies: Who Benefits?According to Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense, less than twenty percent of federal government farm spending goes to conservation, and a majority of farmers and ranchers applying for conservation assistance are rejected. Those applications that are accepted meet with approval only after the USDA has sifted through along backlog. Of those who are eligible for assistance, a majority receive less than $2,000 per year.To make matters worse, a majority of funding goes to large agricultural operations. According to Environmental Defense, more than eighty percent of federal farm spending subsidizes the income of large farms in just a few states. Indeed, the 2002 revisions of the Farm Bill removed safeguards that prevented EQIP, the largest conservation program under the Farm Bill, from being used by large confined animal feeding operations. Up to 60% of EQIP funds can now be used by large feedlots to build manure handling technologies. Despite these problems, recent legislation aims to get more money to more farmers. One 2004 amendment to the Farm Bill will free up more than $100 million per year for payments to farmers by preventing farmland conservation funds from one program from being used to pay the administrative costs of other programs. A new bill aims to limit annual commodity subsidies to $250,000 per year, per farm.
Farm Bill Legislation of the 110th CongressThe following is a subset of bills introduced in the House and Senate to reauthorize the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (the "Farm Bill"). The bills selected focus on land conservation and the use of forest land for the production of alternative fuels. Other proposed revisions include emergency forest restoration, conservation programs for wetlands and grasslands, revisions to EQIP, and promotion of market-based alternatives. Text and summaries of all proposed revisions, including important committee action, are available on the House of Representatives web site. For a more complete list of 110th Congress actions on the Farm Bill, see American Forests’ Legislation Tracker.S1029 Stream Habitat Improvement Program ActS1029 would amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to create a partnership between the Department of Agriculture and private landowners such that if a landowner undertakes a project to preserve or improve stream habitat, the Department would compensate the landowner for a portion of the cost of the project.
S1346/H1766 Chesapeake's Healthy and Environmentally Sound Stewardship of Energy and Agriculture Act of 2007 (or CHESSEA Act of 2007)S1346/H1766 would amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to create cost-share programs and incentive payments for private forest owners who engage in conservation activities. The bill would also extend the conservation reserve program, the conservation security program, and the wetlands reserve program through the year 2013 and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into water quality initiative agreements with states and establish a conservation planning pilot program in the Chesapeake Bay area.
H2473/S1502 Voluntary Public Access and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program Act of 2007H2473/S1502 would amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to allow states and tribal governments to apply for grants to encourage private owners of farm, ranch, and forest land to open their land to the public for wildlife-related recreation such as hunting and fishing.
S36 Biofuels Innovation Program Act of 2007S36 would amend the Farm Bill to create a biofuels innovation program to encourage farmers to shift to crops that can be used for biofuel production. The bill includes a process through which private owners of forest land can receive grants if they produce biofuel while maintaining the ecological structure of the forest.
S1422 and HR2720 FARM21 — The 2007 Food & Agriculture Risk Management for the 21st Century ActThis bill would transition the current farmer safety-net to a modernized system of income stabilization accounts. The bill would also expand nutrition programs, expand rural development and conservation programs, and expand renewable energy research and programs.
HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007Farm Bill Extension Act of 2007 - Extends and revises agricultural and related programs respecting: (1) commodities; (2) sugar; (3) dairy; (4)conservation; (5) exports and trade assistance; (6) food stamps and nutrition; (7) agricultural credit; (8) rural development; (9) rural electrification; (10) agricultural research; (11) forestry; (12)energy; (13) specialty crops; and (14) livestock.
S2242 Chairman's Mark of the Heartland, Habitat, Harvest and Horticulture Act of 2007This bill has not been introduced in the Senate to receive a bill number, but been reviewed and passed by the Senate Finance Committee. It includes provisions for:
For more information — Description of the Chairman's Mark of the Heartland, Habitat, Harvest And Horticulture Act of 2007
LinksPublic LawFarm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, Public Law 107-171.For a copy of the bill, conference reports and other legislative documents, see the NRCS web site. READ MORE >> U.S. Department of AgricultureFarm Service Agency (FSA)Established in 1994 to stabilize farm income, help farmers conserve land and water resources, provide credit to new or disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, and help farm operations recover from the effects of disaster. READ MORE >> Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Since 1935, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (originally called the Soil Conservation Service) has provided leadership in a partnership effort to help America's private landowners and managers conserve their soil, water, and other natural resources.NRCS employees provide technical and financial assistance for many voluntary conservation activities. For information on all NRCS Farm Bill conservation programs, CLICK HERE >> For a copy of the NRCS Manual on Conservation Programs, CLICK HERE >>
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 11 June 2008 ) | |||||||
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