While these objectives may or may not be met, individual farmers across the country are adopting these practices. They're finding that protecting the environment can be profitable. Herman Hartl, South Texas Herman Hartl's little corner of South Texas had roughly 900 acres under conservation tillage last year. According to the Conservation Technology Information Center, the USDA's National Conservation Buffer Initiative has helped establish almost 1 million miles of buffers, nearly halfway toward the goal of 2 million miles of buffers by the year 2002. There are several types of conservation buffers.
Producers benefit in several ways by establishing buffers.
With Conservation Reserve Program cost sharing, for example, it's possible to make more money from buffers than from growing crops. Buffers eliminate end rows and can help reduce taxes. Buffers also can increase farm safety and generally make fields easier to farm. First published April 1, 2001.