News

A targeted approach to conservation programs

A new program that streamlines conservation programs in the 2014 Farm Bill has been launched.

The new Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) targets eight critical conservation areas including the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the Columbia, Colorado and Mississippi river basins, the Longleaf Pine Range, prairie grasslands and the California Bay Delta.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack says the areas are designed to encourage broad and comprehensive partnerships.

“The size of the project is not key, what is key are results, there is going to be accountability with this program,” said Secretary Vilsack. “We’re going to be looking for innovative approaches, approaches that have never been tried before, partnerships that have never been developed before.”

Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee says the new RCPP provides farmers not only with some very important tools, it also shifts the emphasis of the Farm Bill.

“This is the first Farm Bill where we are supporting agriculture and supporting our natural resources through the Conservation Title with more dollars than the Commodity Title,” said Chairwoman Stabenow.

Audio: Sec. Vilsack’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program teleconference (17:50 mp3)

Earl Garber, President of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD says the new program is something NACD supported throughout the Farm Bill process.

“We really feel like this was quite an accomplishment to come up this type of a program,” Garber said. “To allow more partners to come into the picture and also leverage these funds from private industry, from organizations, ag organizations, then we’ve got the money we really need.”

Audio: Earl Garber, President, NACD (5:20 mp3)

The overall federal commitment in the program over the next five years is $1.2 billion.