For the first time, the USDA would assess the results of its land stewardship programs, such as tons of carbon sequestered in the soil or reductions in nutrient runoff, under companion bills filed in the House and Senate on Wednesday. The government spends $5 billion a year to support soil and water conservation on farms and ranches.
“Farmers are leading stewards of the land, and they can and must be part of the solution when it comes to mitigating climate change and improving water quality,” said Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania Democrat, a sponsor of the Farmer-Driven Conservation Outcomes Act. Republican Shelley Capito of West Virginia is the Senate co-sponsor. House sponsors are Republican Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania and Democrat Marcia Fudge of Ohio. Thompson said the additional data generated by the bill “will help identify outcomes and meet our long-term conservation goals.”
Besides quantifying the results of conservation programs, the bills call for the USDA to determine the benefits of the dozens of conservation “practices” available to landowners. The House-passed version of the 2018 farm bill included a provision similar to those in the bills filed Wednesday, though it was not included in the final version of the farm bill. “By tracking and evaluating program outcomes, Congress can make federal conservation programs more accountable to American taxpayers and better-performing for American farmers,” said Eric Deeble of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.