The Sidney herald., 1960-02-10
Give Answers
To Questions
On Conservation,

people asking NueSuOnS about the
Conservation Reserve, its obiec-
tives and how it fits into, the ma
tional farm program, Chairman
Arthur r. Anderson of the Rich
land County Agricultural Stabili-
zation and Conservation commit
tee gave the following answers to
some of the questions most COM
monty asked:
@. What is the purpose of the
Conservation Reserve?
A. It's main purpose is to with
draw cropland from production
for the present and thus help
check surpluses that hurt farm
prices and income. At the same
time it assures that the acres
taken out of production are de-
voted to conservation uses.
@. Is this the same program
that is sometimes called the Soil
Bank?
"A. Yes. The Soil Bank ORR
ginally had two parts. There was
the Acreage Reserve, which ap-
piled to few main crops. and
the Conservation Reserve, which
applies to total cropland. The
Acreage Reserve was discontinued.
and the Conservation Reserve is
now the entire Soil Bank program.
@. How is the program carried
out?
A. Through contracts voluntar-
lily entered into between farmers
and the Government. The farmer
agrees to hold specific land out OF
production and devote it to con-
Servation uses. The Government
makes an annual per-acre pay
ment to the farmer for the life
of the contract and pays part Oh
the cost of establishing grass
trees, or some other conservation
use on the land.
Q. Is all farmland eligible tt
be put in the Conservation
Reserve?
A. No. 1t must be classed a.
cropland and must have produced
a crop or been in a regular crol
rotation during the year immedi
; ately preceding the first year O
! the contract.
: Q. May a farmer put all hi
5 cropland in the Conservation
Reserve?
z "A. Yes. In fact, that is en-
: couraged, because it leaves n
cropland available ON the farm
and thus assures reduced produc
r ton. The family may continue II
/ live on the farm and use tn
2 non-cropland such as permanen
{ pasture or orchard land.
D Q. What does farmer do fo
: the payment he receives?
n A. To help check Surpluses
S the national interest, the farme
d gives up the opportunity he migl
have to make more money
= farming the land. Also, he goes
e considerable expense in carryir
Vt out conservation practice on I'll
n land to protect it.
Q. Are many farmers willi1
IS to do this?
d A. In each of the last tv
e years, more farmers have apple
i for contracts then could be accep
S, ed within available funds.
E Q. What about the cost of I'll
p program?
], A. For all the land in the Or,
le gram through the 1859 crop Sc;
p son, the rental payment per ac
, averages $11.53. Payments RAM
from low of about So an acre
[ high of $25., and a SubStanti
J. amount of high-producing Ian
has been placed in the progral
ar @. Is the program gettil
Of results?
le A. The results to date are G.
&c coTaging. The amount of land
&c the Conservation Reserve in 19
~ will amount to more than 6 pc
r cent of the country'S total Gro
Id land and an even higher percer
as age of the land normally devot
to crops. A survey shows til
re this land would normally ha
Id produced large quantities of lea
'rt ing crops, especially corn, oa
grain sorghum, wheat, barley, a
", soybeanS, to add to existing 81
nd lpluSes.
s.