**2007 Farm Bill Conservation Title:**

**Investing in Conservation Programs That Preserve Natural Resources**

-   **Extends the Popular Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Authorizes 39.2 million acres to be enrolled in the program through
    2012.

-   Includes a new provision to allow retired landowners participating
    in CRP to modify their contracts if the land is being transferred to
    a beginning or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher. This would
    allow a beginning or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher to
    return some of this land to grazing or crop production

> [Program Basics:]{.underline}

-   CRP helps farmers and ranchers comply with Federal, State, and
    tribal environmental laws and encourages environmental enhancement.

-   It encourages farmers to convert highly erodible cropland and other
    environmentally sensitive land to vegetative cover.

-   Farmers agree to a multi-year contract and receive an annual rental
    payment. The program also includes cost sharing to establish the
    vegetative cover practices.

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-   **Renews & Expands the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Provides funding to reestablish a baseline and extend the program
    through 2012.

-   Adds 1.33 million acres to the program, which could include up to
    10,000 acres of floodplain easements each year.

-   Directs USDA to determine the fair market value when evaluating
    appraisals that are used for payment offers.

> [Program Basics:]{.underline}

-   WRP is a voluntary, nonregulatory, incentive-based program that
    helps private landowners, farmers and ranchers protect and restore
    wetlands on their property and removes marginal croplands from
    production.

-   Eligible landowners receive financial incentives to restore, protect
    and enhance wetlands that they agree to retire from agriculture
    production.

-   In 2006, USDA changed the regulations for WRP, which has resulted in
    lower WRP payment offers for landowners, and as a result, some
    landowners are not participating in the program. That is why the
    2007 Farm Bill proposal includes language directing USDA to use fair
    market value when appraising land for WRP.

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-   **Extends and Increases Funding for the Environmental Quality
    Incentives Program (EQIP)**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Expands funding for EQIP each year through the end of the Farm Bill
    in 2012.

-   Includes the promotion of forest management and energy conservation
    in the EQIP program goals, while continuing to allocate 60% of the
    program funds for livestock production.

-   Expands the activities for which a producer can receive incentive
    payments to include technical services that will help fruit and
    vegetable producers access the program.

-   Changes the evaluation process for EQIP applications to give
    priority to address State, regional or local resource concerns.

-   Allows for applications that address similar agriculture operations
    to be considered together.

-   Makes organic certification eligible for cost-share payments

> [Program Basics:]{.underline}

-   EQIP offers financial and technical help to assist farmers and
    ranchers install or implement conservation practices on eligible
    agricultural land to protect water, air and soil quality as well as
    wildlife habitat.

-   EQIP can provide cost-sharing for up to 75% of the costs for certain
    conservation practices. Beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers
    and ranchers may be eligible for cost-shares up to 90%.

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-   **Continues and Funds Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Provides \$20 million per year from 2008-2012.

-   Establishes a comprehensive conservation planning pilot for the
    Chesapeake Bay

-   Provides funds for outreach to fruit, vegetable and organic
    producers

-   Provides \$150 million for air quality programs

> [Program Basics:]{.underline}

-   Conservation Innovation Grants help identify, test, and implement
    innovative environmental solutions. State and local governments,
    non-profit groups and individuals may apply for the competitive
    grants.

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-   **Creates a New Regional Water Enhancement Program (RWEP)**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Authorizes this new program and funds it at \$60 million per year
    from 2008-2012.

-   Allows cooperative agreements between the Secretary and agriculture
    producers or non-federal governmental entities to improve regional
    water quality or quantity in priority areas, including the
    Chesapeake Bay, Klamath, Everglades, and Upper Mississippi River
    Basin.

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-   **Extends and Increases Funding for Farm and Ranchland Protection
    Program (FRPP)**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Expands funding for FRPP each year through the end of the Farm Bill
    in 2012.

-   Includes changes to address numerous concerns that the current
    program is becoming increasingly bureaucratic and inaccessible by
    establishing a more user-friendly certification process that will
    determine eligibility for program funds

> [Program Basics:]{.underline}

-   FRPP provides matching funds (up to 50 percent of the fair market
    easement value) to help State, tribal, or local governments and
    non-governmental organizations purchase development rights to keep
    productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses.

-   Participating landowners agree not to convert their land to
    non-agricultural uses and to develop and implement a conservation
    plan for any highly erodible land. Landowners retain rights to use
    the property for agriculture uses.

-   FRPP is a very popular program, especially in the Mid-Atlantic and
    Northeast regions of the United States.

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-   **Provides New Resources to Protect and Restore the Chesapeake Bay
    Region**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Includes \$25 million for a Chesapeake Bay pilot program for
    comprehensive conservation planning under the Conservation
    Innovation Grants program to help producers find cost effective
    strategies to address resource concerns.

    -   Includes \$150 million for river restoration projects in the
        Chesapeake Bay to improve water quality, and restore and enhance
        wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

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-   **Renews & Funds the Small Watershed Rehabilitation Program (SWRP)**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Provides \$200 million to create a baseline for program funding and
    extends the program through 2012.

> [Program Basics:]{.underline}

-   Provides technical and financial assistance from USDA for the
    rehabilitation of existing small watershed projects that may include
    upgrading or removing the dams.

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-   **Improves the Structure of the Conservation Security Program
    (CSP)**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Collapses the three tiered system and replaces the structure with an
    annual stewardship enhancement payment to compensate producers for
    new and ongoing implementation and maintenance of conservation
    practices and activities.

-   Allows for contract modification of existing contracts for farmers
    participating under the old CSP program.

> [Program Basics:]{.underline}

-   The current CSP program pays farmers who are implementing
    conservation practices on their working lands. It provides annual
    payments and increasing financial incentives to encourage the
    continuation of farming practices that benefit soil, water, and air
    resources

-   USDA has not implemented the program nationwide, as the original law
    required and has restricted CSP participation by limiting program
    enrollment each year to producers in specified, priority watersheds.
    This has been controversial and has prevented many eligible farmers
    from accessing the program.

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-   **Extends the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)**

> [Program Basics:]{.underline}

-   WHIP helps landowners develop and improve wildlife habitat primarily
    on private land, providing technical assistance and up to 75 percent
    cost-share assistance to establish and improve fish and wildlife
    habitat.

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-   **Continues and Expands the Grassland Reserve Program**

> [2007 Farm Bill:]{.underline}

-   Extends the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP), which offers landowners
    the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance grasslands on their
    property.

-   Provides funding to enroll 1 million acres in the program

-   Allows for third party ownership, negotiation and enforcement in
    GRP.

-   Places an emphasis on long-term benefits for grasslands.

> [Program Basics:]{.underline}

-   GRP helps landowners restore and protect grassland, rangeland,
    pastureland, shrubland and certain other lands and provides
    assistance for rehabilitating grasslands. The program conserves
    vulnerable grasslands from conversion to cropland or other uses and
    conserve valuable grasslands by helping maintain viable ranching
    operations.

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-   **Establishes a Cooperative Conservation Program Initiative**

    -   Allows third parties, for example State and local governments,
        producer groups and Indian tribes, to help identify specific
        conservation areas and issues that could better be addressed
        with their involvement.

    -   This initiative could help reach underserved populations, such
        as minority farmers and ranchers and specialty crop producers.

    -   A similar provision in the 2002 Farm Bill was included to foster
        partnerships and cooperation to make the best use of scarce
        federal funds and address the shortfall in the availability of
        technical assistance for conservation. Unfortunately, that
        provision was never implemented.

-   **Creates an Open Fields Program**

    -   Provides incentives to state governments and Indian tribes to
        provide public access to private land for hunting and fishing.