Realizing the Promise of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act: How Implementation of the Conservation Provisions Measures Up
5-13-2004
This report analyzes actions taken to date by Congress and the Administration to implement the conservation provisions signed into law May 13, 2002. SWCS recommends policymakers program administrators pay urgent attention to four opportunities to enhance the performance of conservation programs in the coming months: (1) conservation programs must be fully funded, (2) USDA must construct a conservation technical services infrastructure suitable for the 21st century, (3) important program reforms are needed to enhance environmental management, and (4) the Conservation Security Program must be ramped up thoughtfully and quickly.
How Conservation Measures Up in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
6-20-2002
On May 13, 2002, President Bush signed the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRI) into law. To help sort out ideas for implementation of FSRI, the Soil and Water Conservation Society has released a report that identifies key opportunities to implement the conservation programs in the new farm law. The Soil and Water Conservation Society will provide more detailed recommendations on how the U.S. Department of Agriculture can take advantage of these opportunities as implementation of FSRI 2002 proceeds.
How Conservation Measures Up in the House and Senate Farm Bills
3-04-2002
The House of Representatives passed its version of the farm bill--the Farm Security Act of 2001--on October 5, 2001. More recently, the Senate passed the Agriculture, Conservation, and Rural Enhancement Act of 2002. A conference committee is now working to reconcile differences between these two proposals. This report compares the conservation provisions in the House and Senate bills with 22 recommendations in “Seeking Common Ground for Conservation, A Farm Bill Proposal: Responding to the Grassroots”—a report SWCS released in June 2001.
Also to aid in the discussion, the Soil and Water Conservation Society has produced a section-by-section summary of the provisions of both bills.
How Do Amendments to H.R. 2646 Measure Up?
10-02-2001
In the past week, two legislative amendments to H.R. 2646 have been proposed. The first is a manager’s amendment to H.R. 2646, prepared by the committee leadership that includes several substantive changes, along with minor corrections, in the committee bill. The second is an amendment to H.R. 2646 that will be offered by Representatives Boehlert, Kind, Gilchrest, and Dingell. That amendment, if passed, would replace the conservation title of H.R. 2646 with a new version. SWCS has prepared this report and a table comparing the provisions in H.R. 2646; the manager’s amendment; and the Boehlert, Kind, Gilchrest, Dingell amendment with the recommendations in the “Seeking Common Ground for Conservation” report.
Read a copy of the report "How Do Amendments to H.R. 2646, The Farm Security Act of 2001, Measure Up?" in pdf format by clicking here.
A Farm Bill Proposal: Responding to the Grassroots
6-06-2001
This report outlines recommendations for changes to the conservation provisions of the 2002 farm bill after receiving participation from the agricultural, water quality, and fish and wildlife communities nationwide.
Click here for the Executive Summary (pdf).
Click here for the entire report (pdf).
Click here for press release on the report.
Seeking Common Ground for Conservation: Preliminary Findings
12-01-2000
The Soil and Water Conservation Society is undertaking a two-year project to help key stakeholders and policymakers shape the conservation provisions of the 2002 farm bill. A preliminary analysis of the ideas and recommendations of more than 75 state and local agricultural, wildlife habitat, water resource, and soil and water conservation leaders for reform of agricultural conservation policy and programs. These findings were presented to leaders of national environmental, agricultural, and water resource organizations; members and staff of U.S. Senate and House agriculture committees; and staff of USDA agencies at a series of briefings conducted in early December 2000.
Sharing the Cost of Conservation: Preliminary Findings
12-01-2000
The Soil and Water Conservation Society is producing an analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture's agricultural conservation budgets from 1985 to 2000.
Reforming the Farm Bill: Ideas from the Grassroots
12-01-2001
This document summarizes the ideas of eighty-two state and local leaders for reform of U.S. agricultural conservation policy and programs. In 2000, SWCS conducted five regional workshops involving invited participants representing the agricultural, water quality, and fish and wildlife conservation communities and asked them to present recommendations for change based on their direct experience with these programs and conservation problems in their states and localities. These workshops were an important element of the two-year project SWCS is undertaking to help stakeholders and policymakers shape the conservation provisions of the 2002 farm bill.
