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Senate Approach Would Speed Payments to Utah Farmers for Farmland Conservation
Fate of Funding Hangs on Key Farm Bill Negotiations
Utah’s considerable – and growing – farmland conservation needs on private lands have gone chronically underfunded for years. That could all change as a handful of Senators and Representatives decide whether or not to adopt the Senate’s $4.3 billion annual investment in farmland conservation programs during final farm bill negotiations this month.
Currently, there is over $19 million in unfunded applications from Utah farmers who want to implement conservation practices on their land that would protect farmland and enhance drinking water sources and wildlife habitat.
These programs, which pay farmers to take steps to boost conservation, provide a range of benefits to rural communities while boosting family farm incomes – particularly among smaller struggling family farm operations.
New analysis by EWG shows that the Senate’s approach to boosting funding for farmland conservation programs would immediately get much needed assistance to more farmers in the state than the House bill. In comparison, by waiting until 2007 to ramp up farmland conservation programs, the House bill would fail to meet the growing demand for farmers who want to reduce their farm’s impact on local rivers and streams, enhance wildlife habitat and prevent sprawl from consuming more farmland. And, the longer farmers and communities have to wait to enroll in conservation programs, the more expensive it will be for taxpayers to address conservation problems.
In short, adopting the Senate’s conservation strategy will help more farmers, provide benefits to society and save taxpayers money.
Meeting Environmental Challenges with Agriculture Conservation Programs in Utah
Cleaner Rivers and Lakes: In Utah, 32.1 percent of surveyed rivers and streams and 35.3 percent of surveyed lakes have been classified as impaired, due to dissolved oxygen, excess phosphorus and other impacts. Of this, agricultural pollution causes 14.3 percent of impaired river miles and 35.2 percent of impaired lake acres.
Efforts to increase funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in the next farm bill would help more Utah farmers adopt practices to reduce the level of sedimentation, nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into Utah waters. The current backlog of EQIP funding in Utah is $19 million. Increased funding for the Conservation Reserve Program, especially for grass and tree buffers near to water bodies, in the next farm bill would also help reduce agricultural pollutants in many Utah watersheds. Although soil loss is declining, Utah still loses approximately 5.2 million tons of soil per year from cropland. Through the CRP, farmers can retire highly erodible land without incurring economic costs.
Safer Drinking Water: Pesticide use in Utah is 1.0 million pounds per year and nitrate use is 37,000 tons per year. Through USDA technical assistance and EQIP, Utah farmers could implement practices to reduce the use of these chemicals and prevent them from contaminating Utah's water bodies and source drinking water areas.
Protected Working Landscapes: Every year Utah loses thousands of acres of farm and forestland to development and suburban sprawl. Converting prime farmland to housing developments and parking lots means lost production, open space and wildlife habitat. Unfortunately, funding for the federal Farmland Protection Program has not kept up with the interest coming from farmers nationally. Only one out of ten farmers who applied were accepted into the program over the last four years. If the Farmland Protection Program was adequately funded in the next farm bill it would help protect the natural resource base and open space in Utah for future generations. There is a backlog of over $27 million for forestry easements under the Forest Legacy program. H.R. 2375 would create a new program to help purchase forest easements in key watersheds for drinking water and other conservation goals.
Enhanced Wildlife Habitat: Utah farmland is home to many species of game and non-game wildlife, including deer, turkey, bear, elk, moose and bison. Although Utah farmers have enrolled over 229,000 acres in the Conservation Reserve and Wetlands Reserve Programs, lack of funding has created a backlog of farmers who want to enroll additional land in the programs. Utah farmers volunteered to enroll 806 acres in the WRP last year in permanent protection. At least $330,000 is needed to eliminate this backlog. Many more farmers are volunteering for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program to enhance wildlife habitat on their working farmland. Currently, $30,000 is needed for unfunded applications in Utah. Proposals to increase funding for these programs in the next farm bill would ensure that all farmers and ranchers who want to retire highly sensitive land for wildlife habitat or adopt new practices to create habitat can do so.
Healthier Food Supply: Many Utah producers are moving towards organic production, with 20,000 acres of farmland now growing organically. Since organic food is one of the fastest growing segments in the U.S. food industry, Utah could create a healthier food supply and farm economy by increasing organic production. Proposals to include organic transition payments in the next Farm Bill would help those Utah farmers who want to switch to organic farming. H.R. 2375 would also help promote access to fresh, locally grown food through several new direct marketing programs to boost farmer's market sales and value-added agriculture.
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