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Farm Bill Proposal Hits the MarkCheck Your Conservation Plan if You Add Corn to Your Rotation Farm Bill Proposal Hits the MarkINDIANAPOLIS, April 3, 2007 – In August 2005, USDA held a Farm Bill listening session at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Farmers’ Day. Evidently, USDA officials were listening to what Indiana farmers had to say. Last month when USDA Secretary Mike Johanns released his proposal for the 2007 Farm Bill, he hit the mark for most of the comments that farmers made at the listening session. “We reviewed the transcript comments that were made person by person, and matched them up with the administration’s proposal,” says Jane Hardisty, State Conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “Indiana farmers asked for several specific things that came through in the proposal, including more resources for beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers, help for fruit and vegetable growers, and initiatives to promote bio-energy production from the farm.” “One of the other areas farmers focused on specifically was the Conservation Title,” says Hardisty. “Over and over we heard support voiced for current conservation programs, and the financial support for conservation that has come through the 2002 Farm Bill. There were requests to simplify conservation programs, which is addressed in USDA’s 2007 proposal. There was strong support for the new Conservation Security Program, and requests to expand and fully fund it. The proposal recommends moving that direction. Support for a fully funded Conservation Technical Assistance Program was the most common thread in the Conservation Title. There was no specific line item for that in the proposal, but it will likely be an issue in budget considerations in the coming weeks and months.” INDIANAPOLIS, April 2, 2007 – Ag Corn prices have gone up, and farmers all over Indiana are thinking about adding corn to their crop rotations. One consideration for producers with highly erodible land should be staying eligible for USDA benefits. Check Your Conservation Plan If You Add Corn to Your Rotation INDIANAPOLIS, April 2, 2007 – Ag Corn prices have gone up, and farmers all over Indiana are thinking about adding corn to their crop rotations. One consideration for producers with highly erodible land should be staying eligible for USDA benefits. “Don’t forget to check your conservation plan when you make planting decisions this spring,” says Jane Hardisty, State Conservationist for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “If your conservation plan requires a crop rotation to protect against erosion, you will have to continue the same level of protection to stay eligible for USDA programs.” The 1985 Farm Bill put conservation compliance issues in place. Farmers with highly erodible soils are required to have a conservation plan that reduces erosion in order to stay eligible for USDA benefits. “If the conservation plan is based on a particular crop rotation or specified tillage decisions, they’ll want to be sure that changes to add corn don’t put fragile soils in jeopardy,” says Barry Fisher, State Agronomist for NRCS. “This is an important issue for farmers. USDA program benefits can be substantial because they include Conservation Programs, the Farm Loan Programs and Disaster Assistance, in addition to Commodity Price Support Programs.” Management decisions play a role too, and Fisher offers the following list of considerations to farmers: · There is a reduction in yield when corn follows corn instead of soybeans. If additional tillage is planned to reduce that yield loss, there are additional costs for those operations. And, make sure tillage operations don’t bury too much crop residue. · Corn after corn takes 40-60 more pounds of nitrogen than corn after soybeans. · There is added risk for insect and disease problems with corn after corn, so additional pesticides and/or stacked-trait resistant hybrids may be needed. · Shifting to more corn will likely add to the time needed for planting, and that can push more acres of corn outside of the optimum planting window. · At harvest, trucking, drying and storage costs are considerably higher for corn than soybeans. · The additional inputs can be expected to add at least $62 per acre and can be as high as $150 per acre. "Farmers can certainly make their own choices about cropping rotations and what they plant, however, we ask that you check your conservation plan when considering management decisions in order to remain eligible for USDA program benefits."
Seeding Dates
*Seeding which includes Tall Fescue
and/or Perennial Ryegrass ProgramsUSDA Conservation Program Briefs 1) EQIP-WHIP-CCRP-HELC and WELC Requirements-CSP EQIP Applications are currently being accepted by NRCS for the 2007 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Cost-Share and Incentive Payments are available to assist farmers to put conservation practices on the land, and to make management changes which benefit both the environment and their farming operations. A wide variety of practices can be addressed. Applications must address environmental concerns determined at the local, state, and national levels. While applications can be accepted at any time during the year, any applications received by February 20, 2007 will be considered for funding in the 2nd Round of 2007 EQIP funding along with remaining unfunded applications from previous rounds. There may or may not be additional funding rounds during this fiscal year, so if you are interested in the EQIP program opportunities, please contact NRCS District Conservationist Bill Harting here in our office as soon as possible so that he can begin working with you on conservation planning on your land. WHIP Applications can be accepted any time for this program which provides cost-share to land owners/land users for conservation practices which establish wildlife habitat on the land, either agricultural or non-agricultural land. CCRP Applications can be accepted at any time by the USDA Farm Service Agency for various high priority conservation practices, including but not limited to grassed waterways, vegetative filter strips along water bodies, or riparian buffers (trees) along streams, or quail buffers established in grasses along field borders. Cost share, incentive payments, and cash rental payments all continue to be available through this program on cropland acreage. HELC and WELC Requirements Farmers and Agricultural Landowners: Remember to notify the Farm Service Agency (FSA) if you plan to bring any land into agricultural production, or plan to install or improve any drainage on cropland acreage, so that any needed HEL determinations or Wetland determinations may be performed by NRCS, in coordination with FSA, to assure compliance with the Highly Erodible Land Compliance (HELC) and Wetland Compliance (WELC) provisions of the Farm Bill CSP Funding through the Conservation Security Program (CSP) may be available later this year for farmers in the Clifty Creek Watershed as it is a sub-watershed of the Upper East Fork of the White River Watershed which has been nominated for funding through a perspective sign-up later this year. Farmers in this watershed are encouraged to begin gathering resource information now to be prepared for this sign-up should it be announced later this year. Farmers are encouraged to visit NRCS's website @ http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp/ to obtain additional information concerning preparing for the Conservation Security Program, so that you will be prepared whether its this year in the Clifty Creek Watershed in SE Shelby County or in future years for other watersheds selected which include Shelby County sub-watersheds. 2 ) EQIP Available for Livestock Producers with Emergencies Owners of confined feeding operations with immediate environmental emergencies can now turn to a USDA conservation program for financial assistance to correct the situation. The Natural Resources Conservation Service has allocated a portion of the funding from this year’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to deal with failures and impending failures in manure storage facilities, mass animal mortality situations, and for livestock producers who only apply for Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans. NRCS is accepting these applications now. Applications that are determined eligible will be funded on a first-come first-served basis: - as long as these EQIP financial assistance funds are available, - funded independent of other EQIP applications, and - without need to wait for a funding selection period. “We can see opportunity to help producers with confined livestock systems that we haven’t been able to reach before. This will have an immediate positive impact on the local environment, and cumulative positive effects in the state,” said Jane Hardisty, State Conservationist for Natural Resources Conservation Service. “So we have given our local District Conservationists specific guidance on how to work with producers whose systems are leaking, have some failed structural components or in danger of imminent failure, or have experienced mass animal mortality.” “The other thing we are including in this effort is development of Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) for confined feeding operations. A CNMP covers all aspects of an animal feeding operation including manure tests, storage, handling, and application on fields along with commercial fertilizers.” says Hardisty. “The CNMP may give producers the plan they need to comply with state and other guidelines as well.” Applicants currently under an Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Enforcement action are not eligible for EQIP. Confined feeding operators can find out more by contacting the local USDA Service Center at 317-392-1394 ext. 3.
Last changed: 06/19/08 |
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1110 Amos Road Suite C, Shelbyville, IN 46176 317-392-1394 ext 3 E-mail us by clicking HERE Copyright Shelby County SWCD Last Updated:06/19/08 |
