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What are the conservation provision of the 1996 farm bill?
The 1996 Farm Bill implemented both new conservation measures and revitalized previous measures. Two of the "older measures" are the Sodbuster and Swampbuster provisions, introduced in the 1985 Farm Bill. Farm land that is "highly erodible" must be planted in accordance with an approved conservation plan. The midwestern and western states have tremendous loss of soil from wind and rain. Sodbuster was the Congress's response to reduce the loss of precious soil by restricting the type of crop that could be planted.
Swampbuster applies to farming or changing wetlands. Swampbuster works in conjunction with the CWA- but violators of the provisions are subject to elimination of all program payments if Swampbuster was violated. The 1996 Farm Bill highlights and reinforces the provisions of Swampbuster. A farmer cannot plant a wetland, nor dredge, fill, level or manipulate a wetland in any way.
A few of the older conservation programs have been included in programs new in the 1996 Farm Bill. These program are:
The Environmental Conservation Acreage Reserve Program (ECARP) now includes the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP); Wetland Reserve Program (WRP); and the new creation the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The USDA has, under the auspices of ECARP, the responsibility to preserve the health of land which is extremely vulnerable to damage.
The CRP pays farmers for enrolling a portion of land in their program. The farmer/rancher agrees to plant a conservation ground cover, among other things. The WRP is structured differently, for under its program, the farmer/rancher actually gives an easement (right to use) to the USDA in return for payments. The EQIP program combined four previous programs into one. The purpose of the EQIP is to protect farmland where the soil, water and/or other natural resources are in jeopardy. The EQIP is a cost-share program with the several states; it is broad in scope and offers not only cost-sharing but technical training to crop farmers, livestock ranchers, and all other owners of agricultural land that poses a serious risk environmentally. |
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