Fence Sitting on Farm Bill Puts Conservation Programs in Limbo

The future of nutrition assistance in the stalled 2018 Farm Bill has dominated news headlines, but Midwest farmers and ranchers are equally concerned about what will happen if conservation programs are not renewed. Programs in jeopardy include the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays landowners to enroll some of their land, providing they plant and maintain grass or other wildlife habitat. The program is in limbo after a U.S. Senate and House conference committee failed to agree on a final version of a new farm bill. Dave Nomsen is vice president for government affairs with Pheasants Forever, a conservation organization focused on pheasant conservation. He says the voluntary program has protected fragile or marginal crop lands for more than 30 years. "Farmers, I think, are getting a lot smarter at putting a pencil to a paper and really taking a look as to what's the best use of those lands, and that means more lands are probably better off longer-term in some sort of a conservation program," he states. Government officials say current CRP contracts will not be affected by expiration of the farm bill, but no new lands will be enrolled until a new bill is passed or the old bill is extended...MORE