Farm Bill Forum & Workshop
Farm Bill Forum & Pay-for-Performance Conservation Workshop
Wednesday, July 20 & 21, 2011
Multiple participation opportunities to discuss and affect change in the upcoming Farm Bill. Choose some or all as your schedule permits.
FARM BILL FORUM: Wednesday 8:30am-Noon.
Sponsored by the Sand County Foundation and organized by SWCS and the Farm Foundation, the Farm Bill Forum will include two panel discussions on the Conservation aspects of the 2012 Farm Bill.
The opening panel on policy is intended to explore the integration of conservation policy as it intersects with the continued need for the production of food and fiber, commitment to biofuel feedstock production, challenge of addressing the nation’s water quality issues, importance of protecting fragile land resources and habitat, and agricultural land conversion for alternative uses.
The second panel will address the importance and effectiveness of farm bill programs to achieve objectives in erosion control, water quality protection, sustainable biofuel feedstock production, habitat protection and restoration. Invited panelists include elected officials and congressional staff members, farm bill coalition members, and conservation policy experts.
PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE CONSERVATION WORKSHOP: Wednesday Noon to Thursday 2pm.
This important and participatory workshop titled "Paying for Performance: Improving the Performance of Farm Bill Conservation Programs" will take place at the Omni Hotel immediately following the Farm Bill Forum.
This will be a participatory workshop where participants will generate concrete options for improving the Farm Bill conservation programs. The goal of the workshop is to increase the technical- and cost-effectiveness of Farm Bill conservation programs by increasing producer flexibility and innovation for providing conservation outcomes. Workshop participants will learn about the theory and practice of performance-based incentives and will develop a set of specific recommendations for incorporating pay-for-performance approaches into Farm Bill conservation programs.
Participants will include farmers, watershed coordinators, federal, state, and local agency staff, conservation organization leaders, farm and commodity group representatives, researchers and extension agents, and policy experts. This workshop is being organized by Winrock International, Sand County Foundation, American Farmland Trust, and other partners. Registration is available through the SWCS annual conference registration at www.swcs.org/11ac.
For more information on the workshop, go to www.flexincentives.com/2011workshop or email jwinsten@winrock.org.
Fees
Forum: $75 with full conference registration; $125 otherwise
Workshop: $150
Paying for Performance:
Improving the Cost-effectiveness of Farm Bill Conservation Programs
Workshop Agenda (Download as PDF)
July 20-21, 2011
Day 1 – Opportunities for Change
12:00 – 12:45pm Opening lunch with participant input
• Welcome and introductory comments
• Jon Winsten, Winrock International
12:45 – 1:30pm Opening Keynote
• “Improving Performance in the Conservation Programs: Achieving More with Less”
Diane Gelburd, Special Assistant to the Chief for Strategic Natural Resource Issues, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Participant questions and discussion
1:30 – 3:15pm From Point A to Point B
Point A: Where are we now?
o How conservation is currently delivered and challenges for the 2012 Farm Bill
Martha Noble, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
o Current and future regulatory environment for agricultural NPS pollution
Roberta Parry, Environmental Protection Agency
o Relationship of pay-for-performance to ecosystem service markets
Frank Casey, U.S. Geologic Survey
o Participant questions and discussion
Point B: Where do we hope to get to?
o An alternative vision for the delivery of conservation
Mitch Hunter, American Farmland Trust
o Why pay-for-performance conservation?
Jon Winsten, Winrock International
o Participant questions and discussion
3:15 – 3:30pm Break
3:30 – 5:00pm Panel Discussions (Moderator: Joseph Britt, Sand County Foundation)
• Ground Truths: Lessons from Participants in Pay-for-Performance Pilots
• Promise and Challenges: Reactions from Agricultural Groups, Ag Professionals and Conservation Professionals
5:00 – 5:30pm Setting the stage for Day 2
Jon Winsten, Winrock International
Day 2 – Challenges and Choices
8:30 – 10:00am Understanding the Details
• Quantifying performance: where and how?
Jon Winsten, Winrock International
• The issue of incentives
Marc Ribaudo, USDA Economic Research Service
• Generating ideas for policy change
Mitch Hunter, American Farmland Trust
• Participant questions and discussion
10:00 – 10:15am Break
10:15am – 12:00pm Developing Policy Recommendations
• Active participation in facilitated breakout groups
Each group will develop a vision and specific recommendations
12:00 – 12:45pm Lunch
12:45 – 2:00pm Putting the Pieces Together
• Report back from Breakouts
• Synthesis of Recommendations and Key Insights
• Identification of Next Steps
2:00pm Adjourn
