The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) is a voluntary program that assists farmers and ranchers to maintain grasslands as grazing land and prevent conversion of grassland into other uses, such as cropping or urban development. The program focuses on supporting working grazing operations, protecting grassland, and enhancing biodiversity through provision of habitat. Normal haying and grazing activities are allowed under GRP. Producers must also restore and maintain appropriate grasses, forbs, and shrubs and address resource concerns such as soil erosion. The 2002 Farm Bill established the GRP, which is administered jointly by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, and the Forest Service.
The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, P.L. 110-246, was passed on June 18th 2008, over the veto of President George W. Bush. Despite protracted debate, the FCEA represents an evolutionary change in farm legislation relative to previous so called Farm Bills. The FCEA consists of fifteen titles: (1) commodity programs, (2) conservation, (3) trade, (4) nutrition, (5) credit, (6) rural development, (7) research and related matters, (8) forestry, (9) energy, (10) horticulture and organic agriculture, (11) livestock, (12) crop insurance and disaster assistance, (13) commodity futures, (14) miscellaneous programs, and (15) trade and tax provisions. This overview document will examine the programs under Title II: Conservation of the 2008 Farm Bill, representing some 11% of anticipated expenditures.
The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program is a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat primarily on private land. It provides both technical assistance and cost-share payments to help establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat.
Congress established the Farmland Protection Program (FPP) in the 1996 Farm Bill to limit nonagricultural uses of certain agricultural lands. The program was renamed the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP) for the 2002 Farm Bill, and changed back to the FPP in 2008. The objective of the Farmland Protection Program is to help farmers and ranchers keep their working agricultural land in agriculture. Producers voluntarily sell conservation easements for their land in exchange for rental payments. Purchasing organizations for the conservation easements include the USDA itself, state and governmental organizations.
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), formerly called The Conservation Security Program (CSP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on tribal and private working lands. Working lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture, and rangeland, as well as forested land that is an incidental part of an agriculture operation. In the first sign-up, CSP was offered in 18 watersheds located in 22 states. In 2005, the program is available in all 50 states, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. The program provides equitable access to benefits to all producers, regardless of size of operation, crops produced, or geographic location.
There are fifteen titles in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (known as the 2008 Farm Bill). Our focus is the conservation title, Title II, which has seven main conservation programs: the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Farmland Protection Program (FPP), and the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP). All of these programs are continuations of programs from the 2002 Farm Bill or earlier.
A voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial support to help landowners with their wetland restoration efforts. The NRCS goal is to achieve the greatest wetland functions and values, along with optimum wildlife habitat, on every acre enrolled in the program. This program offers landowners an opportunity to establish long-term conservation and wildlife practices and protection beyond that which can be obtained through any other USDA program.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program whereby the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides technical and financial assistance to active farmers and ranchers to address natural resource concerns such as soil conservation, water quality and quantity, nutrient management, and fish and wildlife habitat. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is working with these landowners to maximize the environmental benefits gained for the expenditures made in the program. Funding has expanded significantly under the 2002 Farm Bill, with the amount of annual funding authorized reaching $1.3 billion by fiscal year 2007. The EQIP has been used to implement a wide variety of practices that are considered beneficial to many species of fish and wildlife. The NRCS is also beginning to use EQIP to address the needs of declining and other at-risk fish and wildlife species. Few data are available that document fish and wildlife response to EQIP. Program implementation to date is summarized, and recent information on planning of practices with the potential to benefit fish and wildlife resources is examined.
