Conservation Security Program

Auburn, Jan. 30, 2003 --- The 2002 Farm Bill, touted as the most significant conservation legislation in more than 30 years, has fallen on hard times.

Signed by President Bush in May 2002, the bill encompassed an almost 80-percent increase in spending on land conservation programs – for the first time, including livestock producers and fruit and vegetable growers who, historically, have gotten little federal cash.

But as many of these producers have learned, the devil often lies in the details. How these conservation measures ultimately will be translated into practice is one of the biggest questions on Capitol Hill as a cash-strapped Congress begins debate on what actually can be spent on the bill.

Budget shortfalls, partly stemming form the recent tax cuts, and U.S. military deployments in the Middle East have prompted Congress to take a more critical view of these provisions within the last few months.

At one point, there was even talk about severely cutting back the program and limiting it to a pilot program in only one state.

“How this works out is anyone’s guess at this point,” says Dr. James Novak, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System farm economist. “We were supposed to have a bill passed by January 28, but they’re still working on it.”

“We could end up with a fully funded program or one that’s been substantially stripped down. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

While previous farm bills have contained conservation measures, the 2002 Farm Bill represented something entirely new – the growing sentiment on Capitol Hill that payments should be based on criteria other than simply production.

Under the 2002 Farm Bill’s Conservation Security Program, producers who historically have practiced good stewardship on their agricultural lands would receive payments as well as incentives in cases where they want to do more. The first contract payments were authorized to be made under the new farm bill and would have covered all agricultural lands, including specified areas of forest land associated with farming and ranching operations.

One of the key phrases farmers will have to learn under this new program is “resources of concern.”

Producers and their local NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) representatives will decide which sources of concern apply to their farm and which parts of your production system can, or already, address these concerns.

The CSP is based on a three-tiered approach that allows farmers to participate at the level at which they feel the most comfortable. Funding under each tier would be subject to payment limits.

Even though funding levels for the program are still in doubt, Novak says it behooves producers in the meantime to learn as much as they can about the program. He also says it’s worthwhile to make an assessment of your operations, noting the areas of most concern.

Finally, Novak says, there’s no harm in paying a visit to your local NRCS office to talk with personnel about the program and to tell them about environmental improvements that already have been made on your operation. This also would be an opportunity to learn about some of the areas of environmental concerns in your area so that you will be better equipped to assess your own needs, he adds.

(Source: Dr. Jim Novak, Extension Economist, 334-844-3512.)

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