JPANet: Protect our environment, save taxpayer dollars

Right now Congress is considering the Farm Bill, the legislative package of federal farm and food legislation that sets the farm, food, and rural policy goals and priorities for our nation. The Farm Bill is widely known for its funding of SNAP (formally known as food stamps). Lesser known but very important components of the bill are its soil and water conservation elements.

Farm policies should support agricultural practices that are good for farmers, good for the environment, and good for America. The conservation compact between farmers and taxpayers has been one of America’s greatest conservation success stories.

Basic conservation requirements to protect against soil erosion and wetland drainage have been a condition of receiving farm subsidies since 1985. This so-called “conservation compliance” policy has dramatically reduced soil erosion on farmland and protected wetlands, keeping land productive and natural resources intact.

Currently these requirements do not apply to federal subsidies for crop insurance, which is the nation’s biggest farm subsidy program. As the use of crop insurance grows, we need to make sure that conservation compliance is reattached to crop insurance subsidies.

Why this Matters

By requiring basic levels of protections for soil, water, and wetlands, the conservation compact between farmers and taxpayers can help ensure that where public money is invested, the public’s interests are protected. This requires no additional federal investment—in fact complying with conservation requirements saves the government millions of dollars in disaster and crop insurance payments, while protecting vital natural resources. Conservation compliance protects the productivity of farmland by significantly decreasing soil erosion and protecting wetlands and other sensitive lands.

Most of the farmers enrolled in the crop insurance program today are also enrolled in other federal agriculture programs and are thus already subject to conservation compliance.  However, some farms are enrolled only in crop insurance and are therefore not currently subject to rules aimed at preventing unsustainable soil erosion and wetland loss. Current high commodity prices make it more enticing to drain wetlands and plant marginal highly erodible land. With the receipt of federal support comes a responsibility to protect resources for future generations; most farmers agree, yet are placed at a competitive disadvantage when poor stewards are allowed to cut corners and reap the same public benefits.

The conservation compact has sparked unprecedented progress in limiting soil erosion, cleaning up waterways, and protecting wetlands. It has served both farmers and taxpayers very well and should certainly be honored in the largest federal farm support program—crop insurance.

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