Farmers and ranchers across the US have been vocal in their support for the climate-smart agriculture funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act since its enactment in 2022, with demand far surpassing availability. Despite this overwhelming popularity and the demonstrated effectiveness of the IRA in addressing conservation needs, there are concerns that the House Agriculture Committee may undermine these efforts in the upcoming farm bill. Data from FY2023 shows continued oversubscription of key conservation programs and significant investment in climate-smart practices even alongside IRA funding, highlighting the ongoing need for and popularity of such initiatives. Congress is urged to maintain and even expand funding for these programs in recognition of their success and farmer demand…. Read More →
CSAF
Building Resilience Through the Conservation Stewardship Program
A key question in the 2023 farm bill reauthorization is whether Congress will approve a bill that builds climate resilience for farmers whose livelihoods depend on it. USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program is perhaps the single most ready-made tool for farmers to voluntarily tackle climate change. This post examines how CSP’s unique design creates greater conservation benefits than other approaches and how spending within the program shows a record of delivering support to producers ready to implement climate friendly practices on their farms…. Read More →
Correcting the Record: The IRA Made More Money Available for All Conservation Work
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) invested billions of dollars in working lands conservation programs, making more money available to all farmers and for all conservation activities. This post looks at what this means for farmers hoping to implement CSAF practices as well as other conservation activities…. Read More →