U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and fellow lawmakers called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adopt changes as they implement conservation programs authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill.
“I worked across the aisle to strengthen conservation programs in the most recent Farm Bill, and now USDA needs to make sure they’re utilizing the program to its full potential, and that includes adopting modifications to ensure farmers and landowners can achieve their conservation and water quality objectives,” Sen. Ernst said on Tuesday.
Specifically, Sen. Ernst and her colleagues want USDA to make several administrative changes to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to maximize its ability to enhance both soil health and water quality, according to an Aug. 27 letter she and U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue.
“Our farmers are the first conservationists, and it’s critical that they are able to utilize conservation programs to keep workable land in production while enhancing water quality downstream,” said Sen. Ernst.
According to the senators’ letter, Congress authorized several key modifications to the Continuous CRP (CCRP) to incentivize the adoption of practices to protect and enhance water quality and allow farmers to keep land in production. However, the senators are concerned that USDA’s implementation of the CCRP “fails to capture the full potential of this program,” they wrote.
As USDA works to implement CCRP, the senators requested adoption of changes such as increasing the practice incentive payments rate to the maximum authorized level of 50 percent to encourage adoption of critical water quality practices, among others.
Sen. Grassley applauded Sen. Ernst’s leadership and determination to ensure Iowans can make the most of the CRP. “The changes we’re seeking will help farmers increase soil health and enhance Iowa’s water quality for generations to come,” he said. “I look forward to continued communication with USDA as it implements the conservation title of the 2018 Farm Bill.”