In a survey of over 800 farmers and ranchers across five states, the Center for Rural Affairs found overwhelming support for the farm bill’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The Nebraska-based organization, which advocates for environmental stewardship and rural communities, concluded that the CSP should continue to exist and be funded as a standalone farm-bill initiative.
The survey comes as Congress prepares to conference the House and Senate versions of the farm bill, which offer differing outcomes for the CSP.
The CSP encompasses more than 70 million acres of agricultural and forest land nationally. It rewards producers for meeting a high standard of conservation stewardship in their farming and ranching operations, and incentivizes additional practices.
Farmers and ranchers offered several reasons for their participation in the CSP, including “[t]o help sustain natural resources” and “to help the natural environment.” One Kansas producer noted that CSP contracts help producers work toward better environmental stewardship amid leaner financial times: “With the close margins on commodities, it allows you to do the enhancements you would like to do without hurting your bottom line as much and being able to try new ideas and techniques.”
Some of the positive effects of CSP participation that farmers and ranchers identified were improved pasture, better soil quality, increased yields, and more efficient water use. Soil monitoring was of particular importance to those surveyed; in all five states, soil quality and degradation are among the top few natural resources issues that NRCS has identified.
Over 85 percent of respondents said they have a high or very high level of satisfaction with their participation in CSP programs, and said it should be a top priority in the coming farm bill. The five states surveyed were Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
As Congress prepares to reconcile the vastly different House and Senate versions of the farm bill, conservation advocates are particularly concerned about the fate of the CSP. The House version of the bill eliminates the CSP altogether, whereas the Senate version maintains the program with some shifts in funding.