Congressional Ag Leaders Agree to
Farm Bill Conservation Funding

Conservation Security Program to be Expanded
Nationwide & Fully Funded

CONTACT: Adam Warthesen, LSP organizer, 612-722-6377

3/19/08
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Agriculture chairs and ranking members in the House and Senate agreed Monday to a $5 billion increase to the Conservation Title. The $5 billion increase above the existing baseline would allow for a fully funded Conservation Security Program (CSP) in the 2008 Farm Bill. It also provides significant funding for other Farm Bill conservation programs.

“This is good news for conservation and particularly for farmers who have been hoping to maintain and increase conservation through the popular Conservation Security Program,” said Adam Warthesen, a Land Stewardship Project organizer. “Senate ag chair Tom Harkin and House ag chair Collin Peterson should be commended for delivering much needed resources to protect our nation’s soil and water.”

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), ranking members of the Senate and House agriculture committees, respectively, also worked to support increased funding for the Conservation Title.

CSP, originally passed in the 2002 Farm Bill, is a voluntary conservation program that supports ongoing stewardship of private agricultural lands by providing payments to farmers for maintaining and enhancing conservation practices.

While 2008 Farm Bill negotiations continue over the spring Congressional recess, the extension for the existing 2002 Farm Bill expires April 18. Farm and rural groups are hopeful a final bill will be passed and signed by President Bush prior to that deadline.

“Our biggest concern now is getting the Farm Bill passed,” said Warthesen. “It’s been a long road, but the bill in front of Congress is definitely better than the 2002 Farm Bill. I hope the negotiations will conclude and the Bush Administration, which has been throwing roadblocks up, can get behind this bill and make it a reality.”

In addition, Harkin today said the USDA will announce a long-delayed fiscal year 2008 Conservation Security Program sign-up. According to a USDA press release, the sign-up will be held April 18 through May 16. CSP has held three sign-ups since 2004, which have resulted in 711 contracts and over 200,000 acres enrolled in the program in Minnesota alone.  For more on Minnesota’s CSP story, see the new LSP fact sheet at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP_MN_fact_sheet.pdf. 

According to Harkin, some $68 million would become available to enroll 6,000 new CSP contracts, or a total of 5 million acres nationwide. While Senator Harkin hailed the new sign-up as important for CSP, proposals in the new Farm Bill could dramatically expand the program with a much anticipated enrollment goal of 13 million acres annually. 

The upcoming 2008 CSP sign-up will focus on the 51 watersheds nationwide previously selected for CSP participation by the USDA. In Minnesota, that will most likely include the Thief watershed in the northwestern part of the state.

“It looks like farmers in the Thief watershed will have an opportunity to enroll in CSP soon,” said Warthesen. “With the changes we made in this Farm Bill, we’re hopeful all farmers in Minnesota will have a fair chance to get into this program next year.”

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