Taking a closer look at the numbers

Proposed funding “framework” by negotiators makes deepest cut to conservation

Even though House and Senate farm bill negotiators are hailing an “80% increase” in farmland conservation funding as a “conservation win” — it’s not. In little over a month, the Senate retreated from $21.3 billion in new farmland conservation spending to $17.1 billion or only $1.3 billion more than what the widely criticized House bill provided. Although the House also tried to cast their conservation spending the same way, many Senators, the White House and environmental groups criticized it as far too little to achieve the enormous job of reducing farm runoff, curbing farmland loss to sprawl and saving wildlife habitat.

As the table below shows, crop subsidies will absorb the large majority of new farm spending, 66 percent, and account for 70 percent of total farm spending over ten years. On the other hand, conservation assistance will receive only 23 percent of the new money and account for only 22.5 percent of total farm spending. Historically, conservation spending accounted for 30 percent of farm spending. As Congress passed repeated emergency agriculture bills over the last four years, it failed to provide commensurate increases in farmland conservation assistance. During this farm bill debate, EWG and other conservation groups have been strongly advocating that Congress provide these increases.

To put these numbers in context, existing funding for crop subsidies is about $70 billion over ten years (and that doesn’t include the $37 billion for crop insurance). Adding $48.6 billion in new money for crop subsidies will boost payments to large agribusiness by 70 percent, bringing the total to $118.5 billion.

On the other hand, existing conservation funding totals only $21.4 billion over ten years. Although $17.1 billion is an 80 percent increase, it will only bring the total to $38.5 billion over the next ten years. The stark difference in total spending for commodity subsidies versus conservation is shown in the chart below. Conservation sending is critical to the 35 states that receive little from commodity subsides. The Senate retreat from its original conservation commitment of $21.3 billion will shortchange too many farmers and our environment.