Farm Bill includes a slight increase for the Conservation Reserve Program

Congress on Wednesday passed its final version of the 2018 Farm Bill, a $867 billion spending package that includes some additional support for conservation but fails to make up for previous cuts to wildlife-friendly programs.

About 80 percent of the legislation is directed to subsidies in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), but enough of the balance affects land-use and agricultural practices that the bill is widely considered one of most important conservation pieces of the federal budget.

The 2019 edition includes a modest increase for the Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to remove environmentally-sensitive land from agricultural production and instead plant grasses and other species to help improve ecological health.

The legislation increased the program to 27 million acres, up from 24 million in the previous bill but well below the peak of 36.8 million acres enrolled in the program in 2007.

Of interest to hunters, the bill also reauthorized the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) at $50 million. The program is the only one of its kind funded by the federal government to expand hunting and fishing opportunities on private lands.

The bill also doubles to 10 percent the wildlife portion of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), providing an estimated $200 million per year. The program provides farmers and ranchers with financial cost-share and technical assistance to implement conservation practices on working agricultural land.

As it is, the 2019 Farm Bill represents the first increase in CRP acreage since the 1996 version of the legislation.

But many conservation organizations were lobbying for more.

“Although we’re pleased with the Conservation Title, we are concerned that over the last several Farm Bills, conservation funding and acres have either remained flat, or in cases like CRP acres, reduced," said Dave Nomsen, vice president of governmental affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.

Participation in CRP averaged 33 million acres from 1990 to 2012 and is credited for helping push continental duck populations toward record highs as well as assisting other wildlife, including ring-necked pheasants and grassland-nesting songbirds.

In April 2017, 23.5 million acres were enrolled, the lowest level since the late 1980s, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are typically 10 to 15 years in length.

The bill, approved by the House and Senate, is now before President Donald Trump.

No action on LWCF

Despite historical bipartisan support and strong current backing by the public, Congress has failed to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 

The LWCF, established in 1965, uses a portion of revenue from companies involved in offshore oil and gas extraction to fund conservation, recreation and historical preservation projects in the U.S.

The most recent version of the legislation expired Sept. 30.

Wisconsin has received $218 million in LWCF funding over the past five decades, protecting places such as the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and North Country National Scenic Trail, the St. Croix National Scenic River and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

A poll of 500 Wisconsin voters conducted in June showed 86 percent of the state's electorate supported continued funding for the program, including 91 percent of Democrats, 88 percent of independents and 79 percent of Republicans.

Wolf listing/delisting update

Although the House in November passed HR 6784, legislation to remove gray wolves from protections of the Endangered Species Act in Wisconsin and several other states, the Senate has not taken up its version of the bill.

And with time running out on the lame duck session, most observers don't expect the Senate to do so.

However, the same language in HR 6784 was included in two riders in the House version of an Interior Department appropriations bill. The Senate version did not include the wolf delisting provisions.

The final version of the bill, which will feature compromises between the House and Senate, is expected to be released next week.