Aviva glaser prairies and the 2014 farm bill ls

The State of the Prairies in the 2014 Farm Bill: The good, the bad, and the opportunities ahead Aviva Glaser National Wildlife Federation May 31, 2014

Overview of Talk • • • • • • •

Why the Farm Bill matters for prairie conservation Overview of 2014 Farm Bill Highlight 2 conservation programs Top Conservation Successes in the 2014 Farm Bill Top conservation failures in the farm bill Key issues in implementation Opportunities for Engagement

Why should we care about the Farm Bill?

Farm Bill Conservation ProgramsWhy should we care?

Around 50% of the US is currently managed as cropland, pastureland, or rangeland ! Farm Bill is the largest source of funding for conservation on private lands ! Unlike regulatory programs, participation is entirely voluntary, can help to avoid need for listing, regulation ! Popular: Application backlogs for most programs !

Farm Bill Conservation Programs !

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Provide financial incentives for farmers, ranchers, and forest owners to adopt more sustainable practices Protects Habitat and Improves Water Quality ! Enable large set asides of land for wildlife ! Protect native grasslands ! Protects and restores wetlands ! Buffer streams, lakes and other waters ! Reduce erosion and polluted runoff

The Agricultural Act of 2014 was signed into law on February 7, 2014‌

They started working on it in 2011!

2014 Farm Bill: Overview

Overview of Farm Bill Conservation Programs !

Working Lands Programs ! Environmental

Quality Incentives Program ! Conservation Stewardship Program !

Easement/Land Retirement Programs ! Conservation

Reserve Program ! Agricultural Easements Program " grasslands,

!

wetlands, ag lands

Partnership Programs ! Regional

Conservation Partnership Program

The 2014 Farm Bill “streamlined” conservation programs by consolidating 23 programs into 13

Insert conservation funding slide?

Source: USDA ERS

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) !

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Marginal, environmentally sensitive cropland taken out of production, planted with environmentally-beneficial plant mixes Primary purpose: to conserve and improve soil, water, and wildlife resources 10-15 Year Contracts, Rental, 50% cost share Continuous Conservation Reserve Program directed at environmentally sensitive land – riparian buffers, field borders, filter & wind strips, etc

USDA ARS

CRP in the 2014 Farm Bill !

Allows managed harvesting including haying and biomass harvest (at least once every 5 years but no more than once every 3 years), routine grazing (no more often than once every 2 years), prescribed grazing of invasive species !

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All require 25% reduction in rental rates except when done by beginning farmer or rancher

Emergency haying & grazing use authorized by the Secretary of Agriculture is allowed without rental rate reduction Includes 2 million acres for working grasslands Does not require cropping history ! Annual payment up to 75% of grazing value !

CRP$Acreage$Caps$$ 2002#Farm#Bill# 2008#Farm#Bill# 2014# 2015# 2016# 2017# 2018#

39.2#million# acres# 32#million# acres# 27.5$million$ acres# 26$million$ acres# 25$million$ acres# 24$million$ acres# 24$million$ acres#

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) New program that promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation assistance to producers and landowners ! ~$250 million/year funding ! 3 pools of funding !

! Federal

grants (40%) ! State grants (25%) ! 8 “Critical Conservation Areas” (35%)

Prairie Grasslands Critical Conservation Area Overall Goal: Restore and protect native prairie grasslands and wetlands, and promote sustainable use of soil and water resources to mitigate flooding, drought and overdraft of the Ogallala Aquifer. ! Resource Concern Priorities: !

! Inadequate

Habitat for Fish and Wildlife: Habitat degradation ! Insufficient Water: Inefficient use of irrigation water ! Excess Water: Runoff, flooding or ponding ! Degraded Plant Condition: Excessive plant pest pressure

The 2014 Farm Bill: The Good and the Bad

The Good: Highlights for Conservation 1.

2.

$56 billion for conservation/10 years Key soil and wetland conservation provisions (known as conservation compliance) tied to crop insurance subsidies ! !

3.

Historic conservation victory Some weakening of wetland protections; implementation will be critical

Funding for easements maintained into the future; grasslands of “special environmental significance” can receive waiver of cost-share

4. Language prohibiting invasive plants in key energy program strengthened Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP): provides financial assistance to landowners to help them grow grass or tree-based energy crops ! Prohibits the planting of invasive or “potentially invasive” plants for bioenergy under program ! Multiple efforts to remove term “potentially invasive” were DEFEATED ! Language included in the final bill was an improvement to existing law !

5. New Sodsaver Provision !

According to USDA data, in just one year (2011-2012), nearly 400,000 acres of non-cropland broken out had 3rd highest acres converted, after Nebraska and South Dakota

! Texas

A provision to try and protect remaining native prairies from conversion to cropland ! Key Republican support, but also fierce opposition ! Sodsaver limits subsidies farmers receive on newly converted land, but only in six states: SD, ND, MN, IA, MT, NE !

The Bad: Sodsaver regional, not national- key states missing ! $6 billion in cuts to conservation programs !

! Conservation

Reserve Program (CRP) cut by 8 million acres ! Grassland/wetland easement program funding cut from Senate version

Overall, the final 2014 Farm Bill is a good compromise bill that will undoubtedly be a net benefit to our nation’s soil, water, and wildlife.

But, proper implementation will be critical!

Key issues in implementation Implementing the 2 million acre grassland carveout within CRP ! With huge cuts to CRP, ensuring that only top quality land enrolled, and mid contract management enforced ! How to define “grasslands of significant environmental concern” in easements program !

Implementation: Farmers planting nonnatives under conservation programs !

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) ! Rangeland

and pasture planting ! Erosion control ! Contour Buffer strips ! Filter strips ! Field borders ! Conservation cover !

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) ! Mostly

native mixes used, but mixes of native and non-native cool season grasses allowed ! Old CRP lands with non-native monocultures enrolled year after year ! Lack of mid-contract management

re-

USDA-funded non-natives not new In the 1930s, the USDA Soil Conservation Service paid farmers $8/ acre to plant this vine for erosion control

Photo by Kerry Britton, USDA Forest Service

Common non-natives used

Tall Fescue (CRP, EQIP)

Bermuda grass (EQIP)

Smooth bromegrass (EQIP)

Kentucky bluegrass (EQIP)

Old world bluestem (CRP) Weeping lovegrass (CRP)

Opportunities Ahead

Opportunities for Engagement !

Appropriations of Farm Bill conservation programs ! Let’s

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stop the cuts to conservation!

USDA should be releasing yearly on “new breakings” of native prairies ! Good

data of grassland conversion has been enormous challenge ! Need to publicize the data, start building support for national Sodsaver !

Building Congressional champions in TX and OK

Opportunities for Engagement !

Need for engagement on farm bill implementation ! USDA ! State/local

agencies ! State conservationists ! Extension agencies ! County level NRCS meetings ! ****State Technical Committees !

Push federal agencies towards being more proactive on prairie conservation

Opportunities for Engagement !

Natives First Coalition: Help advocate for agency to adopt a natives first approach ! Loose

coalition of conservation/wildlife, agriculture, seed trade groups ! Natives first vs. natives only !

Need for more education on benefits of native plants ! “Naturally

drought-proof pastures” ! Economic benefits - to farmer + local economies ! Wildlife, pollinator benefits

Key message: Need to maximize taxpayer dollars ! Success stories !

Opportunities for Engagement !

USDA initiatives: ! Soil

Health Initiative ! Drought Initiative ! Pollinator efforts ! Climate change hubs ! Working Lands for Wildlife Initiative with DOI ! Ensure that Farm Bill Energy programs and bioenergy research funding is not funding invasive plants

The 2014 Farm Bill has passed, but our work is just beginning!

Opportunities for engagement with National Wildlife Federation !

NWF list serves: ! Farm

Bill Conservation List ! Sustainable Bioenergy List !

America’s Grasslands Conference to be held in August 2015 in Fort Collins, CO ! 2013

conference proceedings at www.nwf.org/grasslandsconference

Email GlaserA@nwf.org for to sign up or for listserves or conference information

Questions?

Aviva Glaser National Wildlife Federation GlaserA@nwf.org

Combined Easement Program !

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Combines wetland, grassland, and farm & ranchland easements into one “Agricultural Conservation Easement Program” State conservationists given one easement funding account and can determine state priorities

Grassland/Ag easements • NRCS provides up to 50% of fair market value of land; land trusts or other eligible entity must provide cash match of 50% of the amount contributed by NRCS, the landowner is allowed to provide the remainder.

• For “grasslands of special environmental significance,” NRCS can provide up to 75% cost landowner can pay the rest

2015# 2016# 2017# 2018# Total#

Funding! $425$million! $450$million! $500$million! $250$million! $2.025$billion$!

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Provides technical and financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and forest owners ! Up to 75% cost share on many soil and water conservation practices, forest, pollinator, wildlife, grazing, invasives, etc. ! Benefits: water quality, nutrient management, emissions reductions, at risk species habitat conservation ! 60% of funds go to livestock, at least 5% to wildlife practices EQIP$Funding$Levels# ! Frequently targeted for cuts during the 2014# $1.35$billion# annual appropriations process !

2015#

$1.6$billion#

2016#

$1.6$billion#

2017# $1.65$billion# 2018# $1.75$billion#

Previous definition

“any plant that is invasive or noxious or has the potential to become invasive or noxious, as determined by the Secretary, in consultation with other appropriate Federal or State departments and agencies.”

Current definition

“any plant that is invasive or noxious or species or varieties of plants that credible risk assessment tools or other credible sources determine are potentially invasive, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with other appropriate Federal or State departments or agencies;”