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Agriculture and Prairies

Agriculture and Prairies. Justin Borevitz PrairieEcosystems 4/24/07. Altered Ecosystems. Less complex Reduced habitat variation Lower biodiversity Many species decline, some succeed Cultural Practices influence ecosystem No till, (less erosion, winter nesting

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Agriculture and Prairies

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  1. Agriculture and Prairies Justin Borevitz PrairieEcosystems 4/24/07

  2. Altered Ecosystems • Less complex • Reduced habitat variation • Lower biodiversity • Many species decline, some succeed • Cultural Practices influence ecosystem • No till, (less erosion, winter nesting • Round up ready, improved soil, loss of millet • Mechanical harvest, extra seed for birds • Effects migration pattern • Farm IS an ecosystem • but kinda boring in comparison • Some more boring than others….

  3. Crops as weeds • What is weediness? • Disturbed environments • Little competition, eg poor competitors • Annual • Many seeds • Fast growing, or flexible/plastic flowering time • Early successionals • Complexity builds over time • New evolution, new migration (from where?)

  4. Why pathogen/pest epidemics? • Monocultures select for them.. • How? Strong selection • They want what we want, sweet! • Clean evolutionary landscape • Reduced buffering, by biodiversity and habitat variation

  5. Farm the EcoSystem • Crop rotation • Crop diversity • Management diversity! • No till, plow, rip, disk, spade, fork, pack • Compost, of all kinds • Chemicals, amendments • Beneficial's, sprays (non persistant) spot • Never too much of one thing

  6. Scale • Patchwork of settler fields in a sea of prairie • Many diverse crops in each farm • !! Industrial advances !! • Industrial gains and losses • Patchwork of remnant Prairies • Sea of corn and soybeans

  7. Bee’s • Where are they? • Social insects.. • 1/3 of hives in the US dead, didn’t come home.. $2-4B loss in almond farms • 70 crops rely heavily on honeybees trucked in for pollinization. • Honeybees pollinate every third bite of food ingested by Americans http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0404/p13s01-sten.html

  8. colony collapse disorder • berries and nuts, as well as the alfalfa and clover • $14 billion a year • unnatural toxins • cell phones • nicotine-based pesticide • used to protect bees from a tiny mite that had been infesting many hives has gone on to kill the bees http://www.buffalonews.com/149/story/59936.html

  9. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) 1985 • New Deal, farmers paid not to grow • Butts “Fence Row to Fence Row” • Paid a fixed, now only volume mattered • CRP paid to leave unproductive land aside • Where subsidy > yield *fixed price

  10. Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) • Established 1996 Farm Bill • Voluntary program addressing soil, water & other natural resource concerns on agricultural lands. • Administered by NRCS, funding through CCC, facilitated by FSA • Technical & financial assistance for… • regulatory compliance, • environmental enhancement, • conservation planning. • 5X over subscribed.

  11. EQIP Priority Areas • Local CD identifies & proposes, State Conservationist prioritizes •  65% of funds spent in priority areas • Watersheds, regions or areas of special environmental sensitivity or… • Areas of special soil, water, or related natural resource concerns • Soil erosion --Water quality/quantity • Wildlife habitat --Wetlands • Forest lands --Grazing lands.

  12. 2002 EQIP Funding • $9 billion total budget • GA 2002 - $4,002,717 • Ramp to $1.3 billion/yr by 2007 (6X) •  60% to livestock operations •  40% to crop producers. • 1-10 yr contracts. • $450,000 payment cap, 2002-07. • 90% Cost share for limited resource or beginning farmer/rancher

  13. 2002 EQIP: Other Changes • Incentives expanded to annual & perennial crops and CNMPs • Incentive payments emphasize residue, nutrient, pest, invasive species and air quality mgmt. • Applied research support. • Ranking based upon national conservation priorities. • CAFOs are eligible for all parts of program.

  14. 2002 EQIP: Water Conservation Program • Cost share assistance and incentive payments to conserve ground and surface water • Emphasis on irrigation efficiency & dryland alternatives. • $600 million total • $50 million for Klamath Basin

  15. EQIP Resources • USDA Farm Bill site: http://www.usda.gov/farmbill/ • NRCS EQIP site: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/ • Farm Foundation Publications and National Producers’ Survey site: http://www.farmfoundation.org/2002_farm_bill.htm • Environmental Working Group Database: http://www.ewg.org/

  16. Other Conservation Programs • Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) • Cap increased from 1.075 to 2.275 million acres • $1.5 billion total. • http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/pdf/WRPFct.pdf • Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) • Cost share payments to provide wildlife habitat • 1.6 million acres in program • Budget 10X to $700 million • http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/pdf/WHIPFct.pdf

  17. WRP Acres

  18. The Conservation Reserve Program

  19. The Legislative History of CRP • Established by the Food Security Act of 1985. • Re-authorized by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990. • Re-authorized by the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996. • Re-authorized by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.

  20. Location of CRP Enrollment, October 2000

  21. USDA resources are going to be directed at expanded and new conservation programs: CRP will receive divided attention. Third-party providers of technical assistance will be used in the implementation of CRP Contracts. CRP Under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002

  22. Pilot Program for Wetland and Buffer Acreage in CRP (continued) • The owner or operator shall: • Restore the hydrology to the maximum extent practicable • Establish vegetative cover (which may included emerging vegetation in water) [Sec. 1231 (h)(3A and 3B)] • The Secretary may enroll in the conservation reserve under this section not more than a total of 1,000,000 acres nationally or move the 100,000 acres in any one state. [Sec. 1231 (h)(2C)] • Enrollment will be available through continuous signups. [Sec. 1231 (h)(4B)]

  23. Funding Level and Duration of the Grassland Reserve Program • A total of $254,000,000 has been provided for the program. • The program is funded at this level for the 5-year period of fiscal year 2003 through fiscal year 2007. [Sec. 1241 (a) (5)]

  24. Maximum Enrollment • The total number of acres enrolled shall not exceed 2,000,000 acres of restored or improved grassland, rangeland, and pastureland. • Minimum size = 40 acres [Sec. 1238 N (b) (1)]

  25. History • 1930’s Dust Bowl

  26. History • Soil Conservation Nurseries --1934 • Bureau of Plant Industry Federal Emergency Relief Act Universities/Agricultural Experiment Stations • Multi-Partner Effort • Land Owners, Universities, Government Agencies

  27. Propagate/evaluate introduced and native plants to reduce soil erosion

  28. Develop/determine plant production techniques--Harvesting Equipment

  29. Plant Materials ProgramNow • Plant Science Technology • Improve air & water quality • Native plants for conservation work • Controlling noxious & invasive plants • Plant Releases for commercial production • Ag Experiment Stations • Seed Certification Agencies

  30. Plant Materials Program • 27 Centers Nationwide

  31. Plant Materials Program • 500 + releases • 400 commercially available • Grazing • Restoration • Native alternatives • Erosion control • Culturally important plants

  32. 1899-Congress authorizes soil survey program to map tobacco lands and establishes National Cooperation Soil Survey. 1800-Kansas is a sea of native and prairie grasses. 1904-First soil survey completed in Allen County. 1850-Settlers start moving into Kansas and the Great Plains and begin plowing the land. 1900-Farmers continue to farm the land without regard to soil conservation. Productive top soil is being lost.

  33. 1920’s-Soil erosion increases. Some farsighted farmers in eastern Kansas build terraces in an attempt to check erosion. Hugh Hammond Bennett, later named father of the soil conservation movement, is lecturing on the dangers of soil erosion.

  34. 1930-A severe and sustained drought period starts followed by huge dust storms and the depression. 1933, April 5-Civilian Conservation Corps established. September 19-The Soil Erosion Service begins operation in the U.S. Department of Interior with Hugh Hammond Bennett as director and first employee.

  35. NRCS Mission: To provide leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, improve and sustain our natural resources and environment NRCS Vision: A productive Nation in Harmony with a Quality Environment

  36. Overview Environmental Quality Incentives Program Program Objectives: • Conserve our nation’s natural resources: soil, water, air, plants, and animals on private lands. • Grass-roots Conservation…locally led initiatives • Tailor conservation program to meet local needs and priorities. • County level • Watershed level • Statewide level

  37. Environmental Quality Incentives Program • Conservation Tools (technical, financial, & educational) • Local Conservation Leadership • Conservation Plans • Contracts • Technical and Financial Assistance to Apply Practices. • Conservation of our Natural Resources! How the Program WORKS!

  38. Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program Program Objectives: • Enhance Wildlife Habitat • Address Local Wildlife Habitat Needs • Provide Technical and Financial Assistance The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program is a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat primarily on private lands.

  39. Title II Conservation New Conservation Programs • Conservation Security Program • Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program • Grasslands Reserve Program

  40. Conservation Security Program • Through FY06 to assist agricultural operators in adoption of conservation practices on working lands. • Conservation Security plans and contracts to provide land and payment amounts. Payment level is based on level of treatment. • Three Tiers (Maximum payments) • Tier I - $20,000 • Tier II - $35,000 • Tier III - $50,000

  41. Conservation Lands • Big Open and Terry Badlands • Little Missouri Grasslands..

  42. Midterm

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