"Supporting Farmers, Strengthening Conservation, Sustaining Working Lands"
House Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology
2025-06-05
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Source: Congress.gov
Summary
The Conservation Research and Biotechnology Subcommittee held a hearing on farm bill conservation programs, emphasizing their role in supporting farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. Key witnesses, including representatives from Texas Farm Bureau, Ducks Unlimited, and American Farmland Trust, discussed the success of voluntary, incentive-based programs such as EQIP, CSP, and RCPP. The hearing highlighted concerns about chronic underfunding, staff and office reductions, and the abrupt cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program. Participants advocated for reinvesting unspent Inflation Reduction Act funds into the Farm Bill to establish permanent baseline funding, enhance technical assistance, and preserve locally led decision-making. The discussion also focused on program reforms, including modernizing the Conservation Reserve Program, improving administrative efficiency, and prioritizing climate-resilient practices. Attendees stressed that without stable, equitable, and accessible conservation support, the agricultural sector faces growing challenges from climate change and land loss.
Participants
Transcript
The committee will come to order. Welcome and thank you for joining today's hearing entitled Supporting Farmers, Strengthening Conservation, and Sustaining Working Lands. After brief opening remarks, members will receive their testimony from our witnesses today and then the hearing will be open to questions. In consultation with the ranking member and pursuant to Rule 11E, I want to make members of the subcommittee aware that other members of the full committee may be joining us today. Good morning. Welcome to today's Conservation Research and Biotechnology Subcommittee hearing. Today we'll be examining farm bill conservation programs and hearing from a distinguished panel of witnesses for their perspectives. Title II of the Farm Bill authorizes a suite of conservation programs that are critical for supporting the long-term viability of farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. These programs have the dual benefit of supporting the producer and addressing pressing natural resource concerns at the local level. As we have today's discussion, hear about the programs, and discuss potential improvements, it's important that we have some context for why and how our system of farm conservation developed over many years. The roots of our conservation system date back to the 1930s and the actions that the federal government took in response to the Dust Bowl. In the 19th century, the Homestead Act was enacted with the best of intentions. but it had unintended consequences. When settlers came west in search of fertile land to farm, it didn't take long for them to realize that the sandy soils in the southern Great Plains were susceptible to erosion when unprotected, or not protected, I should say, by native vegetation. Coupled with severe drought conditions, this led to massive dust storms in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas in the 1930s. Perhaps the worst fell on April 14, 1935, a day that has become known as Black Sunday. The dust storms were so severe, their effects were felt far beyond the southern Great Plains, gathering attention of lawmakers in Washington.
Only 13 days after Black Sunday, President Roosevelt signed legislation into law establishing the then-named Soil Conservation Service. Renamed the Natural Resources Conservation Service in 1996, the agency administers most of the Farm Bill conservation programs and provides technical assistance for others administered by the Farm Service Agency. Voluntary conservation practices are critically important for supporting agriculture and ensuring we don't have another dust bowl again. With this year marking the 90th anniversary of both Black Sunday and the establishment of the now named NRCS, today's hearing is timely to hear more about these programs and how Congress may be able to further improve them. We are currently in the second extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, and rural America badly needs legislation to reflect the current status of agriculture and the rural economy. this extends the conservation programs and reforms we can include to build on the progress we've made in recent farm bills last year's committee passed farm bill proposed historic new funding for conservation programs by rescinding the unobligated uh... inflation reduction act funding and reinvesting it in title two The House-passed reconciliation bill similarly reinvests the unobligated IRA funding into the conservation title. Reallocating those dollars would increase the title's baseline over the long term, making it a permanent investment in conservation programs. It also allows for continued support for orphan programs, increased funding for successful programs like small watershed program, and the creation of new forestry easement program. In addition to funding, last year's bill placed an emphasis on science, technology, and innovation. The bill makes precision agriculture specifically eligible for cost share under EQIP and CSP, requires more frequent updates to conservation practice standards, and creates an Office of Innovation at the Office of the Secretary.
The bill streamlines RCPP, provides common sense flexibility for ACEP, and reforms the technical service provider program. The bill also proposes a modernization of CRP and focusing the program on marginal lands by incorporating soil capacity class into rental rates for general enrollment. These are all welcome changes intended to improve program administration and make them more producer friendly. Farm Bill Conservation Programs have been so successful because they are voluntary, incentive-based, and producer-first. programs have also been so effective because they are locally led which allows for states and regions to determine the priority natural resource concerns as we think about the next farm bill it's important for us to keep all of this in mind conservation programs have been so effective because the flexibility built into them and because we have continually encouraged the local lead process to work I'm proud of the work that this committee has done over the past several Farm Bill cycles to improve the programs because we know voluntary conservation works. I'd like to welcome all of our witnesses today and thank Ranking Member Takota for her partnership on this hearing. And with that, I yield to the Ranking Member for any opening remarks that she would like to provide. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Good morning. Aloha, everyone. Thank you for being at our convening today. As ranking member, I'm proud to join you and our colleagues in reaffirming a shared commitment to supporting America's farmers, ranchers, and producers through smart, effective conservation policy. I also want to thank our panel of witnesses for being here today and extend an especially warm mahalo to Nicole Galassi for traveling all the way, I think she came the farthest, all the way from Hawaii to share the perspective of food producers operating in some of the most remote and climate vulnerable parts of the country.
Now, let's begin with some common ground. USDA conservation programs work. Whether it's EQIP, CSP, ACEP, RCPP, the whole alphabet soup of acronyms, these programs provide practical tools to improve soil health, manage water more efficiently, and keep operations productive and resilient. But here's the hard truth. The weather isn't what it used to be, no matter what you want to call it. Climate change, extreme weather, shifting seasons.
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