CONSERVATION PROGRAMS ARE AG PANEL TARGET

The Agriculture Committee of the U.S. House is attempting to change many of the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorities to deal with conservation issues on our nation's farms and ranches.

In far-reaching efforts, the Ag Committee's subcommittee on conservation and credit appears to want to eliminate many of the conservation gains made int he 1985 farm bill. The conservation sections of that legislation have been hailed by many as one of the most constructive pieces of conservation legislation since the formation of USDA's Soil Conservation Service back in the 1930s. In addition, the committee is proposing to eliminate the highly effective Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly SCS) by placing it under the Consolidated Farm Services Agency.

A case can be made for modifying the swampbuster sections of the 1985 bill and the Endangered Species Act. Most farmers, ranchers, and other private property owners and operators would also applaud efforts to compensate property owners when federal government actions drastically reduce the value of privately owned land.

It is difficult, however, to understand why the Natural Resources Conservation Service should be rolled into the Consolidated Farm Services Agency. Farmers and ranchers need a strong, stand-alone technical agency (the NRCS) in USDA which works and represents private landowners and operators on water quality and soil conservation issues. They need an understanding and hands-on partner in their efforts to combat soil erosion on their farms and ranches. NRCS and the local, non-federal conservation districts have been those partners for over 50 years.

If NRCS is rolled into the CFSA, it won't be many years before the EPA and the U.S. Fish and wildlife Service will be the enforcers on farms and ranches in our country. In fact these latter two federal agencies are sometimes consulted by NRCS, but they do not have the final authority over private land in most cases involving soil loss and resulting water quality problems. The voluntary partnership approach of NRCS is much more effective in working with private landowners and operators than any heavy-handed regulatory methods.

The NRCS and local conservation districts have been effective in educating landowners and operators about the need for soil conservation and the resulting improvement in water quality. These partners have been working with farmers and ranchers for 50 years to reduce soil loss and to improve water quality on and off private land all over our country.

It is also difficult to understand why the conservation compliance sections of the 1985 farm bill need eliminating (proposed phase-out over seven years). Under conservation compliance, farmers of highly erodible land are required to obtain and implement an approved soil-conservation plan for their farms. They were not forced into soil conservation but were only required to have and implement the conservation plan in order to participate in any of the USDA crop support, lending or federal crop insurance programs. In other words if they received federal crop subsidies, loans or crop insurance they were required to do a reasonable job of taking care of the soil and water resources under their control. The individual plans are not difficult to put in place, in fact most primarily require conservation tillage in varying degrees as the major conservation practice.

After passage of the 1985 Farm Bill, conservation compliance attracted the attention of farmers who did not see the need for conservation farming and ranching. As a result soil loss has been greatly reduced in the past 10 years on our nation's farm and ranches. Another program from the 1985 Farm Bill, the Conservation Reserve Program, has also helped significantly reduce soil loss, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat.

Let's no undo the last 10 years (or the previous 50) of constructive work in controlling soil erosion in our country by eliminating conservation compliance and the NRCS that works with farmers and ranchers to keep soil in place and to improve water quality.

Peter C. Myers Sr. is a former deputy secretary of agriculture and is currently president of Adopt A Farm Family of America which is a Christian outreach to farmers and ranchers.