Environmental Effects Of Us Department Of Agriculture Conservation Programs

"Section 6 of Public Law 95-192, the Soil and water resources conservation act of 1977..., requires the Secretary of Agricultre to develop a national soil and water conservation program to guide the Department's future conservation activities on the Nation's private and other nonfederal lands. This document, prepared in response to the Act, is based on an appraisal of existing resource conditions and trends and projected resource needs. It discusses the status of soil, water, and related resources; identifies resource problem areas; analyzes the effectiveness of existing conservation programs; establishes objectives for a national soil and water conservation program; develops alternative programs for meeting these objectives; assesses environmental impacts that would result from implementing the alternative soil and water conservation program; and presents the procedures under which the new programs would be evaluated."--p. iii.

Originally published in 1982, this report explores long-term trends in demand for U.S. agricultural production, energy prices and agricultural technologies and their effect on natural resources such as land and water in the United States. Crosson and Brubaker also discuss possible policy modifications in order to lessen the environmental impacts expected to emerge from these trends. This title will be of interest to students of Environmental Studies.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) administers conservation programs, such as the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP, formerly the Conservation Security Program) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), to help farmers reduce soil erosion, enhance water supply and quality, and increase wildlife habitat, among other things. This testimony is based on reports on CSP and EQIP, each issued in 2006, and a 2008 report on farm program payments. It discusses: (1) the potential for duplicate payments between CSP and other conservation programs; (2) USDA's process for allocating EQIP funds to the states to optimize environmental benefits; and (3) USDA's management controls over farm program payments.