St24.02
{As prepared for delivery}
by
Deputy Secretary Jim Moseley
Farm Bill 2002:
U.S. Department Of Agriculture
Washington, D.C. -November 7, 2002
“Thank you, Bob. Good
morning and welcome to everyone joining us for this National Technical Service
Provider Summit.
“Whether you’re with us in
person, here in Jefferson Auditorium, or tuning in through satellite hookup,
we’re glad you’re part of this discussion.
We welcome your comments and participation.
“What makes this dialogue so unusual
is that it brings together voices from across the country, right from the
start, as we craft the process that will bring technical service providers -or
TSPs --to conservation.
This is our chance to take
advantage of new opportunity built into the 2002 Farm Bill. We’re here to maximize the potential of this
historic conservation legislation.
“Before we get underway,
let’s take a minute to thank everyone who’s worked long and hard to coordinate
this Summit ... the leadership of the Natural Resources Conservation Service
and Farm Service Agency ... Chief Bruce Knight and Administrator Jim Little are
here with me. They’ve spent a lot of
their time working together on this, melding FSA and NRCS ... to get this done
and get it done right.
“They’ve already held
listening sessions across the country to involve stakeholders and consider
their needs and expectations as we develop the interim final rule. I felt from
the beginning that this was too important a task to leave to the experience of
those of us in D.C.
“Today’s Summit will
contribute substantially to that information, and I urge your participation.
I want
to thank our panelists. We needed people like you, on the ground, to bring your
personal experiences to this morning’s discussion. Our panelists are wearing
three different provider hats B as recipients of services, and as public and
private providers.
“We’re here to do more
listening than talking.
“What you have to say today ... in
person, by phone, or written statement ...
will help move conservation programs into the hands of America’s farmers
and ranchers.
“Make no mistake. This may
be a technical issue, but it’s absolutely fundamental to the heavy workload of
this Farm Bill.
“When President Bush signed
the legislation, he put the full faith and trust of the American people in our
ability to deliver the services that come with a $13 billion investment over
six years.
“This is the largest
commitment of resources to conservation on private lands in the nation’s
history.
“At the same time, the new
law recognized that we’d need help to get this enormous job done. It is an enormous task. But
it’s also an enormous opportunity, and therefore a responsibility, to do it and
do it right.
“Third party providers
aren’t new. But the Farm Bill’s formal mechanism for paying for outside
help is one of the law’s most significant and innovative features.
“We’re determined to make it
work and succeed for farmers and ranchers. To do that, we all need to
understand several points:
“ First, while we’re
creating a whole new industry of conservation service providers, these people will
not replace NRCS employees in any way.
In fact, they will enhance the stature of NRCS.
They
will expand NRCS’ capabilities well beyond what we could accomplish by
ourselves, as a federal agency. If we
tackled this on our own, the dedicated people in our field offices wouldn’t see
their families for the next six years ... and we still wouldn’t get the job
done.
“At the same time, the TSP
concept is very efficient. Because it has a market orientation, it falls in
line with the goals of the President’s Management Council, to use the private
sector where it makes sense.
“As we expand the
infrastructure for delivering conservation services, we’ll build on our
historic partnerships with the conservation districts and state agencies,
depending as always on their experience and expertise.
“In every respect, this is
service -- one of my fundamental principles
of American government. This is
service to the land, service to landowners, and service to America’s taxpayers.
* Second, Congress made clear that Farm Bill
money is for farmers, for landowners, and not to support government
bureaucracy. This is money for farmers on the ground, where they need it,
through programs like EQIP and WRP and the CRP. That principle does not change.
“Whether government
employees provide services, or farmers opt to pay for outside assistance from
certified sources, including state agencies, the funds that go to TSPs will not
reduce benefits to farms and ranches.
“In fact, in my experience
as a hog farmer from Indiana, TSPs help expand benefits in ways that
make a big difference for my operation. I
work closely with my own consultant, who’s made a big difference in a
broad area, including profitability.
“When I need help, I don’t
call in 10 specialists for a piecemeal approach to conservation. I call in my consultant because he’s the
conduit for the technical resources I need.
We view the farm through a
“whole resource” lens.
“Much like holistic
medicine, we consider the farm as a complete entity -- soil, water, animal,
plants, air, each in complex relationship with the other.
“In the words of
conservationist Aldo Leopold, Athe landscape of any farm is the owner’s
portrait of himself.”
“Equipped with this complete
picture of the farm and its components working together, we get the needed
resources, and create a conservation plan. And an interesting thing begins to
happen ... what we learned on my farm applies to others, and the benefits go on
and on. In my view, this is just one
strong example of the opportunities the TSP process will make available.
“This is your chance to
influence an administrative rule that will
guide the success of this historic Farm Bill and the nation’s
conservation planning well into the future.
What we apply to the land always has a long-term impact, whether
positive or negative.
“I urge you to make your
voice heard. If you prefer not to speak out today, we invite you to submit
written comments. But do contact us. Let us know what you think about what it
takes to motivate people on the ground to do something different than they did
yesterday.
“And now let’s have a frank and open
discussion.
“Thank you.
“
#