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Senate Approach Would Speed Payments to North Carolina Farmers for Farmland Conservation
Fate of Funding Hangs on Key Farm Bill Negotiations
North Carolina’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 $24 million in unfunded applications from North Carolina 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 North Carolina
Cleaner rivers and lakes
Efforts to increase funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in the next farm bill would help more North Carolina farmers adopt practices to reduce the level of sedimentation, nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into North Carolina waters. Since 1996, over 979 farmers have been turned away from the EQIP program due to lack of funding. Increased funding for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), especially for grass and tree buffers near water bodies, would cut agricultural pollutants in North Carolina watersheds. Although soil loss is declining around the state, North Carolina still loses approximately 26 million tons of soil per year from cropland. Through the CRP, farmers can retire highly erodible land without losing money.
Safer drinking water
In North Carolina, 19 drinking water systems serving 2,720 people and 3 percent of shallow wells failed safety standards for nitrate pollution. Pesticides in water are also a concern, leading the state to install water-monitoring systems in potentially problematic areas. Pesticide use in North Carolina is 36 million pounds per year and fertilizer use is 174,000 tons per year. Through U.S.D.A. technical assistance and the EQIP program, North Carolina farmers could cut the use of these chemicals to lower contamination of North Carolina's drinking water sources.
Protected open space and working landscapes
Every year North Carolina loses an average of 37,000 acres of prime farmland to development and suburban sprawl, according to government data. Converting prime farmland to housing developments and parking lots means is a permanent loss of our ability to meet future food needs, as well as for open space. The current backlog of North Carolina farmers wanting to enroll 890 acres into the Farmland Protection Program -- a program that should be adequately funded in the next farm bill to help protect our natural resource base and our open space for future generations.
Enhanced wildlife habitat
North Carolina farmland is home to a variety of wildlife. Although North Carolina farmers have enrolled over 133,000 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. At least $506,000 is needed to eliminate the Wetlands Reserve Program backlog. Many more farmers are volunteering for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program to enhance wildlife habitat on their working farmland. Proposals to increase funding for these programs in the next farm bill would ensure that all farmers who want to retire highly sensitive land for wildlife habitat or adopt new practices to create habitat can do so.
Healthier food supply
North Carolina is a producer of certified organic food, with 980 acres of farmland in organic production. Organic food is one of the fastest growing segments in the U.S. food industry, North Carolina 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 more farmers switch to organic farming.
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