Conservation Program for Farmland

The New York Times reports that the federal goverment will not lift penalties on farmers who breach contracts that set aside farmland for conservation.  Under the Conservation Reserve Program, farmers are paid not to plant crops for a period of years.  The Program protects land, currently 34.7 million acres, that includes bird nesting sites and flyways, and provides a variety of conservation benefits.  Barton James, of Ducks Unlimited, described the Conservation Reserve Program as the “holy grail of conservation.”

Farmers had pushed for a lifting of the penalties this year, to permit more planting to reduce crop prices.  Organizations like the American Bankers Association and the National Pork Producers advocated in favor of lifting the penalities, because their members face increased costs of production as crop prices rise.  The government determined that prices on some crops had not increased as much as expected and that the benefits of the conservation program should be supported.  If crop prices remain high. farmers are likely to take land out of the program, either by paying the penalties or by not renewing the contracts when they expire.

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