190 likes | 310 Views
What Farm Bill Conservation Can Achieve and a Path to Leveraging Results. A Midwest farm group’s perspective: Trends, impacts and opportunities. High commodity prices and greater commodity production High land prices and high credit demand Massive soil erosion. What we’re witnessing.
E N D
What Farm Bill Conservation Can Achieve and a Path to Leveraging Results A Midwest farm group’s perspective: Trends, impacts and opportunities
High commodity prices and greater commodity production High land prices and high credit demand Massive soil erosion What we’re witnessing
What we’re witnessing cont. • Intensive consolidation and concentration of ag sectors impacting farm landscape • Very powerful corporate ag lobby • Unbalanced playing field • Demand for working lands programs • Interest in farming
The 10-Year Budget Baselines for 2012-2021 • $702 billion = SNAP • $80 billion = Crop Insurance • $70 billion = Commodity Program • $63 billion = Conservation Programs • $6 billion = Everything Else
What we need out of the conservation title • Tools and resources • Working lands suite • Land retirement and protection programs • Conservation compliance
Conservation Stewardship Program in MN • 3,384 applicants • 1,578 contracts - second in the nation • $21 million to maintain and enhance conservation - top in the nation Survey results • 95% felt CSP enabled them to do conservation • High satisfaction, would recommend to a neighbor • Lack of transparency • Inequitable distribution • Should be in next Farm Bill
Opportunities - Suggestions • Long-term investments: Passage to Implementation to Usage to Results • Building power: The importance of state and regional-based groups • Groundswell – 101 organizing “Many faces, Many places”
Many faces, Many places PLAETZ FARM, AUGUST 2009 WASHINGTON D.C. JAN. 2007
Many faces, Many places SCHWERMANN FARM, JUNE 2008 PETERSON FARM, AUGUST 2008
Adam WarthesenFederal Policy Organizeradamw@landstewardshipproject.orgwww.landstewardshipproject.org612-722-6377