Summary of Conservation Programs Under Farm Bill Conservation Title

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Farm Bill) is landmark legislation for conservation funding and for focusing on environmental issues in the United States. The conservation provisions will assist farmers and ranchers in meeting environmental challenges on their land. This legislation expands existing programs and creates new programs to address high priority conservation goals. The following programs were authorized or re-authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill.

The Conservation of Private Grazing Land Program is an existing voluntary program that helps owners and managers of private grazing land address natural resource concerns while enhancing the economic and social stability of grazing land enterprises and the rural communities that depend on them.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program that retires environmentally sensitive cropland under protective vegetative cover for a 10- to 15-year contract period in exchange for an annual per-acre rental payment. Producers can offer land for enrollment under a competitive process based on an Environmental Benefit Index during periodic signups, or can automatically enroll more limited acreages in conservation buffer practices such as riparian buffers and filterstrips. In the 2002 Farm Bill, the acreage limit was increased to 39.2 million acres. The Farmable Wetlands Pilot Program is expanded to 1 million acres and to all states.

The Conservation Security Program is a new voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance for the conservation, protection, and improvement of soil, water, and related resources on Tribal and private lands. The program provides payments for adopting or maintaining structural or land management practices, including payments for producers who practice good stewardship on their agricultural lands.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible National goals. Through EQIP, farmers and ranchers may receive financial and technical help to install or implement structural and management conservation practices on eligible agricultural land. The 2002 Farm Bill increased EQIP funding, revised certain program requirements, and included a special initiative for ground and surface water conservation. It also allows for a matching grant program for innovative conservation approaches and technology.

The Farmland Protection Program is a voluntary program that helps farmers and ranchers to protect topsoil. The program provides matching funds to State, Tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations with existing farmland protection programs to purchase conservation easements or other interests in land.

The Grassland Reserve Program is a new program established to restore and preserve rangeland, pastureland, and grasslands. The program provides funding for easements, rental agreements, and cost share payments for enrolling up to 2 million acres.

The National Natural Resources Conservation Foundation (NNRCF) was authorized to promote innovative solutions to natural resource problems and conduct research and educational activities to support conservation on private land. The NNRCF is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. The foundation is intended to build partnerships among agencies and agricultural, public, and private constituencies interested in promoting voluntary conservation on private lands.

The Resource Conservation and Development Program (RC&D) encourages and improves the capability of civic leaders in designated RC&D areas to plan and carry out projects for resource conservation and community development. Program objectives focus on "quality of life" improvements achieved through natural resources conservation and community development. Such activities lead to sustainable communities, prudent land use, and the sound management and conservation of natural resources. The 2002 Farm Bill provided permanent authorization of the program and made certain revisions in legal provisions.

The Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary program that provides technical and financial assistance to eligible landowners to restore and protect wetlands and associated uplands through permanent easements, term easements, and long-term restoration agreements on private land in an environmentally beneficial and cost effective manner. The program is designed to enhance wetlands functions and values and improve related wildlife habitat. The 2002 Farm Bill increased the overall program acreage cap to 2,275,000 acres.

The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is a voluntary program that encourages creation of high quality wildlife habitats that support wildlife populations of National, State, Tribal, and local significance. Through WHIP, technical and financial assistance is provided to landowners and others to develop upland, wetland, riparian, and aquatic habitat areas on their property. The 2002 Farm Bill provided for increased cost sharing for longer-term agreements to protect and restore essential plant and animal habitat.

More information about these and other conservation programs is available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/.