Thank you Mr. Chairman for inviting me to testify before this Committee on conservation programs in the current farm bill. The conservation title is an important component of farm policy, and it is most appropriate for the Committee to review these programs as it prepares to develop new farm legislation.
Agricultural production affects the environment in many ways.
Over the past 15 years, better conservation and stewardship efforts have improved agriculture's performance, reducing soil loss, improving wildlife habitat, improving air and water quality, and preserving and restoring wetlands. Emerging issues include damage to water quality from crop and livestock nutrient runoff, carbon sequestration to mitigate global warming, and air quality problems from particulate matter, chemicals, and livestock-produced odor. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers farmers an array of conservation and environmental programs, ranging from land retirement that reduces soil erosion and provides other environmental benefits, to easements that protect farmland from urban sprawl. A sense of how USDA conservation funds have been spent over the last 15 years is provided by considering four broad categories of programs, classed according to the approach taken to promote conservation and stewardship, that account for most USDA expenditures. These programs also provide the producer with technical assistance and cost-sharing for practices to establish the cover or restore the wetland.