Although there is reportedly a record amount of conservation activity being undertaken in United States agriculture this year, there have been concerns that elements within the US Farm Bill, currently undergoing reforms, will cut funding for conservation measures at a time when agriculture drastically needs to reduce its impact on the environment.

There has been a flurry of activity in the United States to ensure a Farm Bill goes before Congress by the time the current bill expires on 30th September this year. Last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee published its proposals for the reformed Bill.

Under the committee’s recommendations, spending would be cut by $25 billion over ten years and subsidy payments would be slashed. The House of Representatives Agriculture committee wants even deeper cuts; it has suggested as much as $33 billion and a reduction in spending on food stamps, although nothing has yet been formalised.

The Senate proposes to cut spending on conservation efforts by $6.3 billion and reduce the amount of land farmers can register for management under the Conservation Reserve Programme, which improves environmentally sensitive land and creates wildlife habitat. Furthermore, streamlining will merge 23 government supported programmes into 13, although the Senate said this will not affect the programmes’ remit.

In the United States, half of all farmers who submit applications for conservation programmes are rejected due to lack of public funding. Politicians, conservationists and farm groups have expressed deep concern at plans to further reduce available funding from this year, arguing that it will affect farmers’ ability to operate as ‘stewards of the land’.

Democrat Congressperson Ron Kind reacted strongly to the proposed cuts, which he said would impact on tourism and farmers’ long-term viability.

Kind, who represents an agricultural district in Wisconsin, said, "These programs are vital to our family farmers and our clean water supply; many state economies rely heavily on outdoor conservation and tourism. This is the wrong time to be making these drastic cuts to conservation."

"Clearly the farm bill needs reform, but deep cuts to conservation programs are not the answer. There is waste to be found - including the billions of dollars in farm subsidies supporting few but very large agribusinesses. We've got to weigh our priorities here and ensure a smart farm and food bill for the 21st century."

US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has suggested the "serious, serious depth of cuts" being proposed by US legislators could irreparably harm conservation initiatives and social programmes including food stamps; these cuts could also impact on farmers, who see 16 cents of every food stamp dollar spent.

However, spending on renewable energy production is expected to increase, though the biofuel industry will most likely be the principal beneficiary of any such rises.

The Farm Bill will last four years. Although cuts in spending on subsidies and food assistance programmes appear inevitable, it remains to be seen where most pain will be felt following extreme spending cuts to the Bill. Under the current bill, passed in 2008, $280 billion was allocated to the USDA for spending over five years.

There will be further work on the Farm Bill before September. After the draft Bill has been voted on in the Senate, the final proposals will be subject to change following political lobbying and moves to reconcile the Bill with the House’s Bill, which has yet to be published.  

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