Transcript Slide 1

2012 Farm Bill Planning
National Wildlife Federation
Affiliate Leaders Farm Bill Meeting
November 16, 2010
Farmland
in the U.S.
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Nearly 907 million Acres – or 50% of the
US – is currently managed as cropland,
pastureland, or rangeland.
Endangered and Declining Species
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Aquatic species are in worst shape with the following either
extinct, critically imperiled, imperiled, or vulnerable:
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69% freshwater mussels,
51% crayfish,
36% amphibians and
37% of freshwater fishes....
Habitat degradation cited as reason for decline for 85% of
endangered species
30% of US land in federally owned, but 41% of the landbased T&E species do not occur on federal land—if aquatic
habitats are included, then 67% of aquatic and land species
do not occur on federal lands
Habitat Conservation Programs
Farm Bill Conservation Programs
Conservation Reserve Program
Wetlands Reserve Program
Grasslands Reserve Program
32 million acres
2 million acres
3 million acres
Total
37 million acres
Other Habitat Conservation Programs
Nat. Wild. Refuge lands (minus AK)
Pittman-Robertson (acquired lands)
Duck Unlimited (conserved to date)
Private Land Trusts (under easement)
26 million acres
4 million acres
11 million acres
5 million acres
Agriculture: both source
and solution of global warming
Ag is responsible for at least 6% of Global
Warming pollution:
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Carbon Dioxide - from tillage, conversion of habitats, fuel
use, fuel used to make fertilizers and chemicals, etc.
Methane (23 times worse than CO2) – from animal
manures and enteric fermentation
NO2 (310 times worse than CO2) – from fertilizers
Ag could sequester about 12% of our annual
emissions just through soil sequestration
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No till or conservation tillage
Use of cover cropping
Restoration of native covers on marginal lands
Many other opportunities – including manure
management
Farm Bill Funding
Farm Bill Budget Summary
Source:
Presentation
by Craig
Jagger,
9/14/10
Farm Bill Budget Summary
Source:
Presentation
by Craig
Jagger,
9/14/10
Source: USDA Economic Research Service
http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/conservationpolicy/background.htm
Source: USDA Economic Research Service
http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/conservationpolicy/background.htm
Budget Outlook
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Current fiscal crisis:
 FY
2010 Deficit = $1.368 trillion (9.4% of GDP)
 Projected 2nd largest deficit in history
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Rise of fiscal conservatives in Congress, Ag
Committee
“…This is going to be the worst budget for a farm bill
in a long time"
-Craig Jagger, chief economist for the House
Agriculture Committee.
Budget Outlook: Baseline Issue
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37 current farm bill programs and provisions have
no baseline after 2012
 Titles
with the most provisions: energy and conservation
 Includes WRP, GRP, and BCAP
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The cost of providing funding to these programs
similar to 2008 farm bill levels through 2017 is ~ 9
billion
Offsets will need to be found elsewhere to fund
these programs
Budget Reconciliation
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Requires all authorizing committees to change their
mandatory spending programs to reduce federal
spending
 Last
budget reconciliation: 2006
 1990 and 1995/6 farm bills were done in tandem with
budget reconciliation
 Average annual proposed Ag cuts: $1.9 billion
 Expected that the next farm bill will be done in tandem
with budget reconciliation
Agriculture appropriations
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Conservation programs are never fully
appropriated at levels set out in the farm bill
 EQIP
funding most commonly cut
 CSP recently on chopping block
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Increasingly, farm bill conservation programs are
being used to offset other vital programs (e.g. child
nutrition)
FY11: Continuing resolution likely in lame duck
Our Challenge:
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Bottom line: Funding for farm bill programs will be
tighter than ever
Expanding the farm bill to include new programs
will only be an option if those programs can be
demonstrated to be cost-saving measures
Instead of fighting to expand conservation
programs, we will be fighting a battle to maintain
current levels
Our Opportunity:
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The current budget crisis may allow for an
unprecedented gathering of forces to protect ag
funding
Coalitions with groups to who we have not typically
worked with on farm bill issues
 Green
groups
 Ag industry groups
 Tribal partners
 CBC, CHC
 Forestry groups
New Farm Bill Politics
Senate Agriculture Committee
Democrats (12)
Blanche Lincoln (AR), Chair
Tom Harkin (IA)
Patrick Leahy (VT)
Kent Conrad (ND)
Max Baucus (MT)
Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Ben Nelson (NE)
Sherrod Brown (OH)
Bob Casey (PA)
Amy Klobuchar (MN)
Michael Bennet (CO)
Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
Republicans (9)
Saxby Chambliss (GA), Rnk. M.
Richard Lugar (IN)
Thad Cochran (MS)
Mitch McConnell (KY)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Mike Johanns (NE)
Charles Grassley (IA)
John Thune (SD)
John Cornyn (TX)
House Ag Committee
Democrats
Collin Peterson (MN)
Tim Holden (PA), Vice
Chairman
Mike McIntyre (NC)
Leonard Boswell (IA)
Joe Baca (CA)
Dennis Cardoza (CA)
David Scott (GA)
Jim Marshall (GA)
Stephanie Herseth
Sandlin (SD)
Henry Cuellar (TX)
Jim Costa (CA)
Brad Ellsworth (IN)
Tim Walz (MN)
Steve Kagen (WI)
Kurt Schrader (OR)
Debbie Halvorson (IL)
Republicans
Kathy Dahlemper (PA)
Bobby Bright (AL)
Betsey Markey (CO)
Frak Kratovil (MD)
Mark Schauer (MI)
Larry Kissell (NC)
John Boccieri (OH)
Scott Murphy (NY)
Bill Owens (NY)
Earl Pomeroy (ND)
Travis Childers (MS)
Walt Minnick (ID)
Frank Lucas (OK), NEW CHAIRMAN
Bob Goodlatte (VA)
Jerry Moran (KS)
Tim Johnson (IL)
Sam Graves (MO)
Mike Rogers (AL)
Steve King (IA)
Randy Neugebauer (TX)
Mike Conaway (TX)
Jeff Fortenberry (NE)
Jean Schmidt (OH)
Adrian Smith (NE)
Phil Roe (TN)
Blaine Leutkemeyer (MI)
Glenn Thompson (PA)
Bill Cassidy (LA)
Cynthia Lummis (WY)
Tom Rooney (FL)
NWF’s Farm Bill History
Farm Bill Titles
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Title I: Commodities
Title II: Conservation
Title III: Trade
Title IV: Nutrition
Title V: Credit
Title VI: Rural
Development
Title VII: Research
Title VIII: Forestry
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Title IX: Energy
Title X: Horticulture and
Organic Ag
Title XI: Livestock
Title XII: Crop Insurance
Title XIII: Commodity
Futures
Title XIV: Miscellaneous
Title XV: Trade & Taxes
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership:
Agriculture and Wildlife Working Group
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Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies
Ducks Unlimited
Pheasants Forever
American Sportfishing
Association
Quail Forever
Quail Unlimited
Izaak Walton League of
America
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Max McGraw Wildlife
Foundation
Ruffed Grouse Society
Trout Unlimited
The Nature Conservancy
The Wildlife Society
North American Grouse
Partnership
Wildlife Management
Institute
Agriculture Conservation Coalition
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Environmental Defense Fund
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
American Farmland Trust
Izaak Walton League of America
National Association of Conservation Districts
Environmental Working Group
Land Trust Alliance
World Wildlife Fund
American Rivers
NWF Staff Discussions
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Building Diverse Partners (Tribes, Black and Hispanic
Caucuses)
Sodsaver issue – Expand beyond grasslands and
link to flood insurance issue
ESA Tax incentives – expand work from last bill
Natural Resources Adaption
Expanding compliance provisions to include a
requirement that all commodity recipients establish
or protect buffers around waterways
NWF Staff Discussions (cont.)
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Continue Forestry incentives but also include some
way to reward protecting existing forests to retain
carbon
Regionalism – Earmarks vs. Targeting – Chesapeake
Bay carve out – expand to Great Lakes, Coastal
LA, Mississippi River, etc.
Energy – Improve BCAP program and ensure other
programs for promotion of truly green bioenergy
Promote climate benefits from agriculture
Sodsaver
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Makes newly plowed grassland areas ineligible for
crop insurance and disaster payments
Big priority of Ag and Wildlife Working Group in
2008 bill (after defeat in 2002 bill)
Included in both House and Senate Bill in 2008 bill,
but was watered down to a regional, voluntary
initiative in final bill
Conservation Reserve Program
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Marginal Cropland Planted
to Native Plant Mixes
10-15 Year Contracts,
Rental, 50% Cost-Share
Continuous Signup CRP
USDA ARS
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Conservation Reserve
Enhancement Program
32 Million Acres
2008 Farm Bill
Agenda: CRP
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45 million acres
Regular signups
Do not sacrifice CRP
for biofuels
 Conservation Reserve Program
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Cuts program acreage cap to 32 from 39.2 million
acres (current enrollment is around 34.7 million
acres)
Changes eligibility date so land broken since 2002
is now eligible for CRP
Requires annual survey of rental rates, but does not
require USDA to use them for CRP
Allows increased grazing of lands, including grazing
of CRP buffers up to 60 days/year
CRP Outlook
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Not likely to be cut further
Pressure to open up to more haying and grazing
Pressure to open up to bioenergy cropping
Wetlands Reserve Program
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Restore and protect
cropped wetlands
30-year and
permanent easements
1.9 million acres
protected
US Fish & Wildlife Service
2008 Farm Bill
Agenda: WRP
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Increase WRP to 300,000
acres/year
 Wetlands Reserve Program
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Continues program, for which new money had to be secured,
but at lower annual enrollment level than current law (about
185,000 acres per year)
Eliminates annual enrollment target (making it harder to ensure
that program is fully funded by appropriators each year)
Caps cost-share for restoration at $50,000 per landowner per
year
Requires farmer to own wetland for 7 years or more to be
eligible
Provides for a Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program that
can include allowing easement lands to retain grazing rights
WRP Outlook
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No baseline funding, so likely cuts
Effort to add additional lands for eligibility
May be some effort to combine with other
programs
Conservation Stewardship Program
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Whole-farm approach
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Multiple resources
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Pays to install and
maintain practices that
benefit resources
Watershed signup
2008 Farm Bill
Agenda: CSP
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Involve Fish & Wildlife
Experts
Require Fish & Wildlife
Benefits to Qualify
 Conservation Stewardship Program
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New enrollment target of 12.8 million acres per
year
Restores $1.1 billion in funding cut in previous
Congress
Nationwide program, simplifies program statutes
USDA to designate 3-5 priority resources of
concern in each state or watershed
Designates agricultural drainage a conservation
practice, fundable under the program
CSP Outlook
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Very likely to be cut or eliminated to pay for other
programs
Grassland Reserve Program
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Manage and protect
grasslands
30-year and permanent
easements
Cost-share for
restoration
2008 Farm Bill
Agenda: GRP
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Continue GRP, at 2
million acres/year
Incentives for large
native grasslands
 Grassland Reserve Program
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Continues program, for which new money had to be
secured, allowing for an additional1.2 million acres
over five years
$300 million estimated over five years
Requires grazing management plan approved by
USDA, but does not allow for any alteration of plan
unless both parties agree
GRP Outlook
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House Chair likes program so possible expansion
Pressure to combine with Farmland, Ranchland
Protection Program
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program
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Cost-share to Install
Wildlife Habitat
Flexible
Ponds, Food Plots, Rare
Habitat, Remove Dams
2008 Farm Bill
Agenda: WHIP
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Increase WHIP to $300
Million/Year
Target Funds for Aquatic
Habitat
 Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program
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Continues program, for which new money had to be
secured at $85 million per year (current level)
Limits program to agricultural, non-industrial forest,
and tribal land
Limits cost share payments to $50,000 per year per
landowner
USDA can prioritize projects implementing
state/regional/national conservation plans
WHIP Outlook
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No baseline funding
Likely to be combined with EQIP
Private Forestry
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Help Family Forest
Owners Develop
Management Plans
2008 Farm Bill
Agenda: Private
Forests
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Continue Programs
Expand Funding
 Forestry
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Bans importation of wood products harvested
illegally in other countries
Continues Healthy Forest Reserve Program, $9.75
million/year funding 2009-2012
Expands Forestry uses of EQIP
Open Fields
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State Programs Pay
Farmers to Allow Access
to Private Land
2008 Farm Bill
Agenda: Open
Fields
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$20 Million in Grants to
States
Priority in Program
Enrollment for Public
Access
 Public Access & Habitat Incentives
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Grants to states and tribes to encourage wildlifedependent recreation access
$50 million total funding over four years (20092012)
Biofuels
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Next Generation Energy Production
Promote better, greener biofuels
 Promote sustainable, GHG neutral biomass energy
 Ensure protection of native habitats
 Solve Chicken and Egg problem of feedstock supply and
bioenergy facilities
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2008 Farm Bill
Agenda: Biofuels
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Sustainable Energy That
Does Not Sacrifice CRP,
Habitat
NWF Biofuels Innovation
Program
 Bioenergy
Creates Biomass Crop Assistance Program to help
farmers to grow and transport fuels for biomass energy
 Protections for grasslands but not for forests and all
must have conservation plans.
 Extends, but reduces corn ethanol blenders tax credit
(expires this year), increases cellulosic ethanol tax credit
 Provides financing for cellulosic refineries (grants and
loan guarantees)
 $20 million authorized for a new small-scale
Community Wood Energy Program
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Global Warming Mitigation
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New area of work for bill
Probable new Senate Chair interested
Many co-benefits that are good for wildlife, soil,
water and air
Possible mini offsets market