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Friday, October 11, 2024 - 3:21pm

October is a special month, full of opportunities to reflect on the beauty and strength found in our diversity. As we celebrate both Global Diversity Awareness Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we’re reminded of how different perspectives and experiences can shape a more inclusive future. These observances push us toward a shared goal: creating an environment where everyone—regardless of their background—can thrive.

Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 2:57pm

National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 to October 15, is a time to celebrate the rich history, cultural diversity, and contributions from Hispanic communities. USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area is home to over 8,000 of the world’s best and brightest minds in agricultural science, data, and innovation. This month, REE is spotlighting several brilliant colleagues who are pioneering change at USDA and within their communities.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - 2:27pm
Photo credit: USDA

EDITOR’S NOTE: On October 9, 2024, NSAC released Stewarding Success: CSP Under the 2018 Farm Bill, a comprehensive analysis of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) over the course of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill). The report offers an in-depth analysis of CSP’s enrollment trends, conservation practices supported, and funding impacts, including the effects of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. This blog post is the first of a series of five posts highlighting the key findings of the report and offering a national overview of this vital farm bill conservation program.

What is the Conservation Stewardship Program?

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a voluntary program run by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). CSP aims to enhance natural resources while maintaining profitable agricultural production. It does this by providing farmers with financial and technical assistance to actively manage, maintain, and expand conservation activities – like cover crops, rotational grazing, ecologically-based pest management, buffer strips, and the transition to organic farming – even while they work their lands for production. CSP was first established in the 2002 Farm Bill as the Conservation Security Program, becoming the Conservation Stewardship Program in the 2008 Farm Bill. CSP was reauthorized in the 2014 Farm Bill and the 2018 Farm Bill. In this series, we feature highlights of CSP during the five-year life of the 2018 Farm Bill, from fiscal years (FY) 2019 to 2023. 

CSP Remains the Largest Conservation Program, but Suffers from Underinvestment

While CSP performed well during the 2018 Farm Bill lifespan, Congressional underinvestment in the program means CSP has not grown to meet farmer demand. CSP remains the largest conservation initiative in the US, with 69 million cumulative acres enrolled in the program in FY2023 (see Figure 1). Despite this strong foundation, this figure is actually a drop in cumulative acres of nearly 7 million acres during this farm bill cycle. 

Figure 1: Shrinking Cumulative Acres Enrolled in CSP

While the figure above shows a general downward trend in total cumulative acreage, with a slight up-tick in FY2023, it is important to recall the multi-farm bill history of CSP’s funding. Both the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills cut CSP’s total funding, funding that remains subject to further reductions through mandatory sequestration, leading to a long-term trend of shrinking program acreage. 

Under the 2018 Farm Bill, CSP funding stair-stepped up from $700 million for new contracts in FY2019 to $1 billion for new contracts in FY2023. FY2023 CSP funding was also supplemented by $250 million dollars of IRA funding for new CSP contracts. However, CSP’s shrinking national footprint clearly shows that even the combined stair-step of 2018 Farm Bill funding and infusion of IRA dollars was not enough investment to reverse multiple farm bills’ worth of underfunding. This has been and continues to be a major loss for conservation agriculture, as acreage under CSP contracts is one of the clearest metrics available nationally of long-term conservation on the landscape supported through federal investment. Congress must fix this trend of disinvestment if we hope to see a growing CSP footprint under the next farm bill.

Many New Contracts, Still Unmet Demand

From FY2019 to FY2023, 36,799 new CSP contracts were signed, enrolling 49 million new acres in the program (see Figure 2). It is extremely encouraging that both the number of new contracts and acres enrolled increased substantially each year in FY2021, FY2022, and FY2023, and the role of IRA funding (shown in light green below) is significant in driving new enrollments in FY2023. Our next post in this series explores the role of the IRA in CSP in greater depth. 

Figure 2: A Bumper Crop of New Contracts

Despite these encouraging new CSP contracts, the program is still unable to meet the significant demand from farmers wishing to enroll. Recent analysis from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) found that in FY2020 just 18% of CSP applicants were awarded contracts. Despite that number growing to 25% of applicants receiving contracts in FY2022 and 31% in FY2023, thanks to a boost from the IRA, the vast majority of farmers who want to participate in CSP are still unable to due to chronic underfunding by Congress. 

A Boost From the IRA

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) appropriated more than $19.5 billion to support climate smart agriculture within USDA’s existing conservation programs, including $3.25 billion for CSP. NSAC’s analysis concludes that the IRA was a resounding success in CSP, supporting the adoption of climate smart practices through thousands of new contracts and millions of new acres in FY2023. 

Of the 11,023 new CSP contracts signed in FY2023, 2,400 (22%) were funded through the IRA. Of the 14.71 million new acres enrolled in FY2023, 3.28 million (22%) were funded through the IRA.

Figure 3: The IRA Grows CSP Enrollment in 2023

As Figure 3 shows, the IRA played a significant role in CSP in FY2023, bringing more than three million additional acres into the program. The IRA provided substantial additional funding to CSP, helping to address the needs of American farmers and support long-term conservation efforts. It is vital that IRA funding for conservation be protected in the next farm bill to continue this trajectory of growth and keep invigorating existing USDA conservation programs. The next blog post in this series examines the IRA in greater detail.

Struggling Renewals and Damage to Long-term Conservation

CSP contracts span five years and are intended to support long-term conservation practices and whole-farm approaches to conservation. At the end of their five-year contract, CSP participants are eligible to renew their contract for an additional five years, provided they are in compliance with the original contract and agree to adopt additional conservation practices and address an additional priority resource concern within their operation. Under previous farm bills, farmers that committed to this level of long-term improvement to their conservation efforts could have their contracts automatically renewed. Unfortunately, in the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress mandated a transition from automatic renewal of expiring contracts to a competitive renewal process, which negatively and profoundly impacted the renewal rate and appears to have denied support to thousands of producers committed to long-term conservation on their farms. 

Overall, 12,479 (20%) CSP contracts were renewed between FY2018 and FY2023, a significant decline from annual highs of nearly 60% under the 2014 Farm Bill. The greatest number of CSP contracts was renewed in FY2023, with 2,765 contracts renewed. 17.6 million (27%) CSP acres (as opposed to contracts) were renewed between FY2018 and FY2023. No renewals took place in FY2019 as NRCS designed the competitive renewal process mandated by Congress. 

Contract renewals are an important tool to maintain and improve long-term conservation systems on farms, and opportunities for these renewals were greatly reduced under the 2018 Farm Bill. NSAC urges Congress to address this problem by reinstating automatic renewals for qualified producers in the next farm bill. A later blog post analyzes CSP renewals in detail.

Figure 4: Disappointing Renewals Expanding Access for Historically Underserved Producers

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) plays a pivotal role in supporting socially disadvantaged producers (SDA), producers who belong to a community that has been subject to racial or ethnic prejudice. These farmers and ranchers often face systemic barriers such as difficulty accessing capital in the form of land and loans and historical discrimination from the USDA, lenders, and others, making support from programs such as CSP a valuable tool for long-term sustainability.  The 2018 Farm Bill maintained the mandate that NRCS allocate 5% of CSP funding to socially disadvantaged producers, with the aim of addressing these challenges. 

The percentage of CSP dollars obligated to socially disadvantaged producers held relatively steady over the course of the 2018 Farm Bill at just over the mandated 5% set-aside, varying from 5% of total CSP dollars obligated in FY2019 and FY2020 to highs of 7% in FY2021, FY2022, and FY2023. CSP acres enrolled by socially disadvantaged producers have ranged from a high of 12% of acres in FY2019 and FY2022 to a low of 7% of acres in FY2021. Socially disadvantaged producers enrolled 23% of total IRA acres in FY2023, remarkably higher than the acres enrolled by socially disadvantaged producers in the general farm bill pool. Our third post in this series explores the engagement of historically underserved producers in CSP in more detail.

Figure 5: Socially Disadvantaged Producer Enrollment Has Room to Grow Key Conservation Practices Supported

NRCS offers farmers over 160 basic conservation practices and multiple enhancements for many of those practices, addressing 47 resource concerns. Farmers can choose the practices and enhancements that are most suited to address the priority resource concerns on their farm, including soil, water quality, climate resilience, and wildlife. Conservation bundles are groups of practices and enhancements that work together to provide greater cumulative conservation benefits than individual practices.

During the 2018 Farm Bill, CSP contracts continued to utilize well-established, scientifically proven conservation practices with a long-standing history. The top conservation practices during the 2018 Farm Bill were prescribed grazing, pest management conservation system (formerly integrated pest management, or IPM), nutrient management, and cover crops, demonstrating a strong programmatic focus on water quality and soil health. 

Importantly, there was strong synergy between the conservation practices most widely adopted by farmers and the climate-smart practices supported by the IRA. Seven of the top ten funded practices are considered climate smart and eligible for IRA funding in FY2024.

An enhancement refers to a specific conservation activity that builds upon or improves existing conservation practices to provide additional environmental benefits. These enhancements are designed to address resource concerns in a more advanced or comprehensive way, going beyond the standard conservation practices that are already in place on a farm or ranch and significantly increasing the impact of a conservation practice and acreage. For example, an enhancement to the “no till” conservation practice is using no till specifically to reduce energy use. If a farm adopts this enhancement, they must reduce total energy consumption of their field operations by at least 25% compared to their current tillage system. 

Figure 6: CSP Supports Well-Established Conservation Practices

As the figure above shows, CSP supports long respected conservation practices and its enhancements provide significant expanded acreage and conservation benefits.

Conclusion

NSAC’s recent report highlights the overall success and impact of the Conservation Stewardship Program on American agriculture, while also showing the program has suffered under funding cuts. Currently, approximately 8% of America’s farmland is enrolled in CSP; it remains NRCS’ flagship conservation program. However, while CSP remains a crucial tool for on-farm conservation, the 2018 Farm Bill’s changes have diminished its effectiveness. IRA funding has provided a temporary boost, but permanent policy adjustments are necessary to sustain and expand CSP’s impact in the next farm bill.

Based on our analysis, NSAC recommends the following changes to build upon CSP’s success:

  • Restore CSP’s funding to pre-2018 levels, 
  • Establish permanent climate targeting,
  • Reinstate automatic renewals, and
  • Increase set-asides for historically underserved farmers in future farm bills. 

This is the first in a series of five blog posts that examines the findings of the report in greater detail. Forthcoming posts in the series examine:

  • a detailed examination of the impact of the IRA on CSP,
  • the engagement of historically underserved farmers,
  • the impact of changing CSP contract renewal policies, and 
  • a detailed state-by-state deep dive

The full report can be found here.

The post Stewarding Success: Conservation Stewardship Program appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - 12:00pm

October is National Cooperative Month, and the theme, "The Future is Cooperative," anticipates the increasingly vital role cooperatives play in enhancing the quality of life in rural areas. At USDA Rural Development, we recognize the significance of these businesses in fostering economic growth, creating jobs, and building resilient communities.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - 10:29am

For Immediate Release

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

press@sustainableagriculture.net

Release: NSAC Publication Analyzes Conservation Stewardship Program Data Since the 2018 Farm Bill

Washington, DC, October 9, 2024 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) recently published a new report: Stewarding Success: CSP Under the 2018 Farm Bill. This comprehensive analysis delves into Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) enrollment from fiscal year (FY) 2019 to 2023, uncovering trends in program spending and practices that have significantly enhanced environmental outcomes at the farm, state, and national levels.

“As we look ahead to the next farm bill, it is essential that Congress invest in the Conservation Stewardship Program and long-term agricultural sustainability,” said Becky Schewe, PhD, NSAC Research and Policy Analyst. “The data in this report clearly illustrates the program’s widespread impact on both environmental stewardship and agricultural productivity.”

The report highlights the critical role of CSP as the nation’s largest conservation program, with 69 million cumulative acres enrolled. It reveals that during the 2018 Farm Bill, 36,799 new CSP contracts were signed, enrolling 49 million new acres, although the renewal rate for expiring contracts plummeted from nearly 60% to just 20%. This decline underscores the importance of continued investment in CSP to support long-term conservation practices on farms.

“This report shows that CSP continues to be a popular and powerful tool for producers stewarding land across the country. It shows the resounding success of IRA spending inside CSP, illustrates tens of millions of acres of successful conservation efforts, and demonstrates a clear need for increased investment in CSP going forward,” said Jesse Womack, NSAC Policy Specialist, adding that: “The report underscores the critical need for Congress to enact essential reforms in the farm bill that ensure CSP can effectively promote sustainable agriculture.”

Key findings of the report include:

  • Strong targeting of water quality, soil health, and climate resilience
  • Successful implementation of IRA funding
  • Challenges presented by the new competitive renewals process
  • A need for improved set asides for beginning and socially disadvantaged producers
  • A need for permanent increases in total CSP funding

The most common practices funded were prescribed grazing, pest management conservation systems (formerly integrated pest management), and cover crops. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 further bolstered CSP funding, leading to 2,400 contracts and 3.28 million additional acres enrolled in FY23.

The report builds on previous NSAC reports from 2017 and 2020, reinforcing the need for strategic policy decisions that prioritize conservation and sustainability in agriculture.

The full report can be found on NSAC’s publications page here

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The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net

The post Release: NSAC Publication Analyzes Conservation Stewardship Program Data Since the 2018 Farm Bill appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - 10:00am

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces a first-ever regional cadre of USDA Tribal College Liaisons. Three new liaisons serve regions where Tribal colleges are located (Central Plains, Southwest, and Rocky Mountain regions). The liaisons share information on USDA programs and services with Tribal college students, Tribal Nations, Native American farmers, and local communities. In addition, applications are now open for Summer 2025 USDA Tribal Food and Agriculture Policy Internships.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - 10:00am

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced a more than $46 million investment in projects supporting America’s veteran, underserved, and beginning farmers and ranchers to help aspiring producers enter the business and improve their skills and knowledge to sustain their operations for years to come.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - 9:38am

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Advancement (SARA) supports rural communities through strategies that address environmental, economic and social aspects of agricultural sustainability. Additionally, SARA encourages its university faculty and students to engage in research, education and hands-on learning experiences in these communities.

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 - 3:39pm

For Immediate Release

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

press@sustainableagriculture.net

Release: To Meet Farmers’ Diverse Recovery Needs, Disaster Relief Must Include Revenue-Based Assistance From drought and wildfire to hurricanes, an array of natural disasters throughout 2024 highlight the need for disaster assistance to reach all farmers

Washington, DC, October 8, 2024 – As the second major hurricane in as many weeks approaches the Southeast United States, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) has maintained close contact with member organizations from western North Carolina to the Florida peninsula. Initial reports of total loss from farmers in the region are sobering and still emerging. As the Administration and Congress chart a path toward disaster relief, NSAC strongly believes that any approach must include a revenue-based disaster assistance option.

“Natural disasters indiscriminately and increasingly impact countless farmers and ranchers every year, regardless of farm size, production, location, or their familiarity with the Department of Agriculture and its programs. It’s therefore essential for policymakers to respond with an accessible model of revenue-based relief, which reflects a farmers’ actual market price and expenses, not their prior capacity to enroll in federal programs,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC policy director.  “The revenue-based assistance model is a streamlined and responsive option that can meet the diverse recovery needs of all farmers.”

To respond to losses from 2020 and 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase 2, which included a novel option that allowed farmers to submit tax records to prove revenue loss associated with a qualifying disaster rather than requiring previous enrollment in a federal crop insurance or permanent disaster program, which includes the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). This was the first time that congressionally authorized supplemental disaster assistance was accessible to the small to mid-sized and diversified farmers who are often unable to access farm safety net programs. 

“Our staff have spent the past week on the phone with impacted farmers,” said RAFI Executive Director Edna Rodriguez. “In addition to taking care of their own—and often their neighbors’—immediate needs, farmers are dealing with flooded fields and crops, damaged infrastructure, destroyed feed, soil loss, and livestock that were killed or who no longer have access to water. So far, none of the farmers we have spoken with have crop insurance or NAP policies. The scale of this disaster is huge, and we need a response from Congress that meets the need for everyone, regardless of farm size.”

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene is only the latest in a string of more frequent disasters, from wildfires to hail storms. It’s sufficient cause to pause and re-evaluate our approach to agricultural risk management with a holistic eye toward a stronger future,” said Billy Hackett, NSAC Policy Specialist. “Yes, responsive farm policy must always support farmers in crisis. Proactive risk management policy must also center investments that help farmers adopt diversified business models and soil health practices that build resilience, which can in turn mitigate and even prevent future losses. That both-and approach is the only sustainable path to keep farmers on the land and preserve rural communities.

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net

The post Release: To Meet Farmers’ Diverse Recovery Needs, Disaster Relief Must Include Revenue-Based Assistance appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 - 9:14am

This week, we celebrate National 4-H Week and the incredible impact the organization offers young people around the country. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), we pay special tribute to this observance as the 4-H Youth Development program is headquartered in USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This unique partnership with NIFA, the Cooperative Extension System through land-grant universities and the National 4-H Council empowers young people to lead for a lifetime.

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