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Conservation research a focus of farm bill hearing

Senate Ag Committee members discussed conservation funding during a recent farm bill hearing.

Minnesota Democrat Tina Smith tells Brownfield there’s a great need to research working lands conservation practices.

“For example, in northern climates where you might need to be thinking about different ways of doing cover crops. Or with different seasons, different ways for that to work.”

She says the farm bill hearing focused on how research dollars should be targeted in the ag sector.

“And because of the Inflation Reduction Act, which put significant support into conservation, we want to make sure that we have the research to support that, to make sure those dollars are being used well. And to make sure that this works for farmers.”

Smith says that’s because farming is a business and not a non-profit, so conservation practices have to work for the producers’ bottom line.