Conservation

USDA Advances Water Quality Conservation Across the U.S.

Tue, 08 May 2012 20:45:00 +0000

Agricultural producers located in selected watersheds will be able to participate

Source: USDA

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the launch of a new National Water Quality Initiative committed to improving one to seven impaired watersheds in every U.S. state and territory. The 157 selected watersheds were identified with assistance from state agencies, key partners, and NRCS State Technical Committees. USDA's NRCS will make available at least $33 million in financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners this year to implement conservation practices to help provide cleaner water for their neighbors and communities.

Earth Day 2012

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:24:00 +0000

For the past four decades, an annual event called Earth Day has been held in late April across the U.S., which has been a time for all citizens to reflect on our country’s environmental resources, and what we can do individually and as communities to help enhance our environment for the next generation. In recent years, it has become fashionable to point the finger of blame at agriculture and farmers for many environmental issues. However, in reality farmers have been some of the best environmental stewards in the U.S. in the past couple of decades.

CSD Blogs and Opinions

Conservation Practices Preserve Soil, Save Money

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:50:00 +0000

Source: Purdue Extension

Farm conservation practices not only preserve soil and water, but they also can save growers money, says Tony Vyn, a Purdue Extension agronomist. Techniques such as no-till and sub-surface nutrient banding can keep soils productive, protect nutrients from runoff, lessen the amount of fuel farmers use and reduce labor costs.

Conservation Crusader | Paraguayan Rolf Derpsch Helped Expand No-Till Across Globe

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:56:00 +0000

The message from no-till legend Rolf Derpsch is the same all over the world: Protect the soil. His expertise spans four decades and many consider his research work to help farmers adopt no-till as nothing short of remarkable.

Buffer Booster | Cut Nitrates by Routing Tile Water Through Grass Buffer

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:51:00 +0000

Directing tile water through a grass buffer can significantly improve drainage water quality. This new conservation drainage practice, called a “saturated buffer,” removes nitrates from subsurface drainage water at low cost – without affecting farm field drainage.

Future of the Conservation Reserve Program

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:37:00 +0000

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is likely to be a key focal point during the development of the next farm bill in the coming months. In an era when Congress and the administration are looking to reduce the Federal budget deficit, there will be pressure to reduce the current annual expenditure of just under $2.0 billion on CRP, including about $1.7 billion in annual rental payments. Most experts expect the size of CRP to be reduced from the current maximum level of 32 million acres to around a maximum of 25 million acres in the next farm bill.

CSD Blogs and Opinions

CRP Signup from March 12 to April 6

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:08:00 +0000

USDA has announced a general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup from March 12 through April 6, 2012, at county Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices throughout the Country. There are approximately 6.5 million acres of CRP land with expiring contracts on Sept. 30, 2012. General CRP sign-ups were also held in 2011, when 3.75 million acres were accepted into CRP, and in 2010, when about 4.2 million acres were accepted into CRP. In 2011, the CRP celebrated its 25th anniversary, and over two and a half decades of conservation success. CRP was originally established in the 1985 Farm Bill.

CSD Blogs and Opinions

High Grain Prices Could Lead to Less Conservation Land

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:25:00 +0000

Source: Ohio State University

The USDA's offer to pay farmers and landowners more money to stop farming their land to create additional wetlands and grasslands may not be enough incentive to get more growers to forgo planting crops that have fetched record prices in recent months, says Brent Sohngen, an Ohio State University expert.

Tom Vilsack: Conservation Compliance

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:47:00 +0000

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke at Commodity Classic in Nashville, TN, this month. He talked about conservation, and his thoughts on making it attractive so farmers want to comply and participate, and so the private sector would become more involved in conservation, as well.

Slow Nitrate Flow | Small Check Dams Cut Nitrate Loss in Half

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:42:00 +0000

By installing small check dams within drainage ditches beside fields, research shows that growers can stop close to 30-50% of the nitrate nitrogen (N) from flowing downstream, according to Mississippi State University (MSU) studies.