Reward — Don't Reject — Good Stewards

Fresh Idea #2

Three out of four farmers offering to help the environment are rejected.



Expanding voluntary USDA conservation programs and reforming farm subsidies would help reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous loss from farms—improving water quality and reducing the costs of farming.

Farmers, ranches and forest landowners manage more than half of the American landscape. So it’s no surprise that farming, ranching and forestry practices impact the environment.

One-third of America’s river miles, 45 percent of lakes, and 44 percent of bays fail to meet water quality standards and agriculture is one leading cause. In particular, fertilizers can contribute to oxygen-starved “dead zones” and can seep into groundwater, threatening public water supplies. Soil washed off of farm fields carries these nutrients and can smother the underwater habitats fish and other species need to survive. Farms can also be a significant source of air pollution— including the release of fine particulates that contribute to asthma—and farms consume 80 percent of the nation’s freshwater. Animal waste can contain pathogens that can pose a threat to human health.

Many farmers, ranchers and forest land owners have already taken steps to address these environmental and public health challenges by using chemicals and water with greater efficiency, restoring wetlands to filter runoff, and creating habitat for wildlife. For example, farmers have changed the way more than 20 percent of Iowa cropland is plowed to reduce the amount of soil being washed into nearby creeks.

Many more producers would take steps to help meet these challenges. Unfortunately, most farmers seeking assistance from USDA to help the environment are turned away due to inadequate funding. In 2004, more than 135,000 farmers— or roughly 75 percent of qualified applicants—were rejected when they asked for support from USDA’s primary working lands incentives program. Large numbers of farmers, ranchers, and family foresters are being rejected from other USDA conservation programs when they offer to share the cost of cleaner water, cleaner air, wildlife habitat, or to serve as the frontline against sprawl.

Renewing farm and food policies creates an opportunity to reward—rather than reject—farmers, ranchers and family foresters when they offer to help solve our environmental and public health challenges. Policymakers should increase overall USDA conservation spending from today’s $4 billion to $7 billion annually. Combining this increase in conservation spending with reforms of America’s outdated farm subsidy system would dramatically improve the health of our rivers, lakes and bays.

Although water pollution comes from many sources, the nutrients in fertilizers and animal waste that help plants grow also set off a chain reaction that reduces the amount of oxygen in water, contributing to “dead zones.” Incentives for farmers and ranchers to protect drinking water and reduce runoff into America’s lakes, rivers, and bays need to be expanded. Policymakers should also create a special program to help our farmers meet their air quality challenges. Farms can release a wide variety of materials into the air, including fine particulates that contribute to asthma. In some cases, pesticides can be blown far from the intended target, posing threats to human health. Congress should improve the Environmental Quality Incentives Program by reserving funds to share the cost of air quality measures and technologies with farmers in regions with serious air quality problems.

With USDA’s help, many more farms, ranches and private forests could be managed to produce wildlife as well as food and fiber. Most of America’s rare species now depend upon private farm, ranch and forest land for their survival. By expanding conservation incentives targeted to wildlife habitat restoration to $300 million annually and by increasing support to protect native grasslands, policymakers can better ensure that our common wildlife stays common and that rare species do not disappear.

Posted: 27-Jul-2007; Updated: 27-Jul-2007