Transcript U.S. Department of Agriculture Structure and Programs

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Structure and Programs
Roberta Parry
EPA Office of Water
May 19, 2011
USDA Organization Chart
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USDA 2011 Budget
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USDA and Conservation
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Voluntary
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Financial and technical assistance
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~ $5 billion a year
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Working lands or land retirement
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Cross-Compliance for Commodity
Programs
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Conservation Compliance on Highly Erodible Land
Swampbuster/Sodbuster
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Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) Organization
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National Headquarters
 National Policy
State Offices
 State Conservationist
 State Technical Committees
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provide information, analysis, and recommendations on
implementation, priorities and criteria for natural resources
conservation
Request membership through the State Conservationist -interest and relevant credentials
District Conservationists (county-level)
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Local Working Groups
 recommendations on local natural resource priorities and
criteria for conservation activities
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USDA Conservation Programs
Working Lands - NRCS
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Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
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Cost-share up to 75% for conservation practices
1-10 year contracts
Structural and management practices
$1 billion annually
By law, 60% must be used for livestock production
Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)
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Stimulate development and adoption of innovation
conservation approaches, not research
Annual competitive grants at national and state levels
Eligibility: government, NGOs, individuals
50% matching requirement (25% can be in-kind)
~$25 million in FY 2011
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USDA Conservation Programs
Working Lands - NRCS
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Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
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Payments for
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Eligibility, ranking, payment based on addressing state priority
resource concerns
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Management and maintenance of existing conservation systems.
Adding additional conservation practices.
soil quality, soil erosion, water quality, water quantity, air quality,
plant resources, and animal resources, energy
Funding: ~ $1 billion/year
Acreage: 12.8 million acres/year
5-year contracts, potentially renewable
Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI)
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special local and regional projects with farmers, ranchers,
NGOs, states, tribes, etc.
~$100 million/yr, 6% of EQIP, CSP, and WHIP
Example: Mississippi River Basin Initiative
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NRCS
Conservation Practice Standards
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~170 national standards
Basis of EQIP funding and technical
assistance.
NRCS state offices develop state versions
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Can be more restrictive, specific
Key Nutrient Practices
590 – Nutrient Management
633 – Waste Utilization
340 - Cover Crops
393 – Filter Strip
391 – Riparian forest buffer
634 – Waste Transfer
592 – Feed Management
355 – Well Water Testing
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USDA Land Retirement Programs
Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) NRCS
 permanent or 30 year easements
 ~150,000 acres/year
 Raised cap to 3.041 million acres (from 2.275 m acres)
Farm Services Agency (FSA)
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
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Plant long-term resource-conserving covers to improve water
quality, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat.
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10 to 15 year contracts
32 million acre cap (down from 39.2 m acres)
General sign-up = bids based on national environmental index
Continuous sign-ups for “highly desirable environmental
practices”: filter strips, grassed waterways, riparian buffers,
public wellhead areas
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
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Federal partnership with states, NGOs
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Farm Services Agency (FSA)
Organization
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Farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster,
loan, and price support programs
HQ - Conservation
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State Offices
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CRP regulations
Environmental Benefits Index
CRP sign-up decisions
State Committees, appointed by USDA
County Offices
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Elected farmer county committees
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administer programs, provide policy guidance and
determine who meets eligibility requirements for programs
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National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA)
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Formula funding -- state land grant universities,
research stations.
Competitive research grants, includes Water Program.
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FY 2012 proposed budget: $1.2 billion
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Priorities: global food security and hunger, climate change
sustainable energy, childhood obesity, food safety
research and education - $701 million
extension activities - $467 million
Cooperative Extension System
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nationwide, non-credit educational network
state offices at land grant universities, local or regional offices
federal, state, and local funding
eXtension website http://www.extension.org/
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Other USDA Agencies
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Agriculture Research Service
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National Agricultural Statistics Service
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USDA in-house research arm, 100 research locations
1,200 research projects within 22 National Programs
~$1 billion a year
Census of Agriculture
Economic Research Service
Rural Development
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Water/waste disposal loans, loan
guarantees, and grants (<10,000 pop.)
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USDA’s Conservation Effects
Assessment Project (CEAP)
Goals
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Quantify environmental effects of conservation practices/programs at
the watershed scale
New Vision: Integrate science into management of agricultural
watersheds
National Components
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Cropland: water quality/quantity, soil quality modeling
Grazing Lands
Wildlife Habitat
Wetlands – ecosystem services
Watersheds
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Synthesis of CSREES (now NIFA) watershed research
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Quantify effects of conservation practices at the watershed scale.
Validate models and quantify uncertainties.
Tools to optimize selection and placement of practices in a watershed.
Some projects have socio-economic and outreach components.
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CEAP Literature Reviews
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Bibliography—7 volumes
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Environmental Effects
Barriers and Incentives
Environmental Credit Trading
Reviews and the State of the Art and Research Needs.
Grazing Lands
Wetlands in Agricultural Landscapes
Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and
Wildlife
Dynamic Bibliography
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Web-based search engine
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http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/Bibliographies/ceap-scholarly.shtml
Literature Reviews
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Cropland, fish and wildlife
Coming soon: wetlands, grazing
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Farm Bill §1619
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Any USDA employee/cooperator shall not
disclose
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information provided by an agricultural
producer or land owner about the land, farm
operation, or conservation practices
GIS information
Exceptions
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technical/financial assistance w/ consent
disease or pest threat
aggregate information
payment information
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Contact Information
Roberta Parry
EPA – Office of Water
Senior Agriculture Advisor
(202) 564-0508
[email protected]
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