Should We Pay Farmers Not to Grow Crops?
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was established under the Conservation Title of the 1985 Food Security Act and is still in place today. This program which intended to assist with possible environmental problems is one that is beneficial to the farmers and our country's environment and therefore should stay in effect. However, it should be examined how this program is being conducted to ensure that the original objectives are being met today and with maximum efficiency.
When the CRP was established in 1985 as a voluntary acreage retirement program, there were seven stated objectives that were introduced as well. 'The stated objectives of the CRP are to (a) reduce water and wind erosion, (b) protect our long-term capability to produce food and fiber, (c) reduce sedimentation, (d) improve water quality, (e) create better habitat for fish and wildlife through improved food and cover, (f) curb production of surplus commodities, and (g) provide needed income support for farmers' (Boggess and Reichelderfer 111). The program also was subject to the constraints of having a minimum of 5 million acres enrolled by 1986 and at least 10 million acres by 1989. It was also specified that no more than 25% of any one specific county's cropland can be enrolled in the program at the same time. (Boggess and Reichelderfer 111). In order to be qualified for the program owners and operators who currently farm 'highly erodible' land may apply for program funding. According to Dana Hoag and Herb Holloway, highly erodible land is defined as 'having an erodibility index greater than or equal to 8' (185).
The main benefits of this program include the extra income for the farmers and the positive env...
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... and Katherine Reichelderfer. ?Government Decision Making and Program Performance: The Case of the Conservation Reserve Program.? American Journal of Agricultural Economics. February 1988. 111-121.
Buchholtz, Shawn, and Michael J. Roberts. ?Slippage in the Conservation Reserve Program or Spurious Correlation? A Comment.? American Journal of Agricultural Economics. February 2005. 244-250.
Hoag, Dana L., and Herb A. Holloway. ?Farm Production Decisions Under Cross and Conservation Compliance.? American Journal of Agricultural Economics. February 1991. 184-193.
Smith, Rodney B.W. ?The Conservation Reserve Program as a Least-Cost Land Retirement Mechanism.? American Journal of Agricultural Economics. April 2005. 52-67.
Wu, Jun Jie. ?Slippage Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program.? American Journal of Agricultural Economics. November 2000. 979-992.
Our system today is inherently opposed to developing a relationship with the land because it depends on evidence in terms of monetary worth. “One basic weakness in a conservationist system based wholly on economic motives is that most members of the land community have no economic value” (246). How much is a wildflower or a songbird worth? Therefore, this infinitely complex ecological system, which depends upon an unforeseeable amount of community-shaping mechanisms, tends to become increasingly diseased. “It tends to ignore, and thus eventually to eliminate, many elements in the land community that lack commercial values, but that are (as we know) essential to its healthy functioning” (252).
America’s federal forest management dates back to the mid 1870’s when Congress decided to create the U.S. Department of Agriculture to maintain the forestry. This environmental department represented the growth in America’s industry and the depletion of forests. Yet, as it was defeating the initial purpose, more natural resources were being lost from their area and the government had not acknowledged the damage. The conservationist Gifford Pinchot, created an impact on society by taking a stand to conserve the natural resources by leading the United States Forest service, embracing scientific forest, and contributed to Roosevelt’s decision to protect wildlife, thus paving the way for natural conservation in the future.
There is currently a “boom” in the price of farmland in Iowa. However, this is not the first time the cost per acre of farmland has seen an increase. There were two prior events that also greatly affected the price of Iowan farmland. These events occurred in the early 1920s and the early 1980s. Upon examining these former “Golden Eras in Agriculture,” we can begin to learn more about the causes of price fluctuations.
Philpott, Tom. “How Farm Policy Affects Us All.” Mother Earth News. 01 Jun 2007. 80. 21 Feb 2008.
Sumner, Daniel, José E. Bervejillo, and Nicolai V. Kuminoff. "The measure of California agriculture and its importance in the state’s economy." California Agriculture: Dimensions and Issues. J. Siebert (2003).
...nses to a Large-Scale Herd Reduction on a Georgia State Park." Natural Areas Journal 27.2 (2007), 161-168.
agricultural conservation easement of a piece of property, that organization then has the right to restrict future land uses that may affect future agricultural use ("Purchase"1). The purchase of conservation easements is an effective tool that is also used by organizations attempting to protect ranchland and open space (Cooper871inb). A second tool used by land trusts, education, attempts to make the public aware of how urban sprawl is threatening farmland and why this threat must be stopped ("About"1). The last, and most important, way these organizations are protecting endangered farmland is by working with the government at all levels to form public policies dealing with the problems the farmers and farmland of this country are facing.
Dommen, Arthur & Carl Mabbs-Zeno. 1989. Subsidy Equivalents: Yardsticks of Government Intervention in Agriculture for the GATT. United States Department of Agriculture: Washington D.C.
There are many potential land uses for the Tambopata Reserve. One of which, that gains much environmentalist backing, is slash and burn agriculture. While this method of agriculture has long traditionally been employed and is seen as “greener,” many are misinformed of its methods and potential for environmental destruction. Slash and burn agriculture declines soil fertility as biomass is extracted, which leads to increases in runoff and eventually desertification. Furthermore, the desiccation of single stands of forested areas for this type of agriculture promotes local extinctions and loss of biodiversity. Once the land is exhausted, it is then left, only for another stand to be destroyed. This predictable loss of land can be avoided by employing the sustainable farming of soybeans. Soybean production has a higher potential to both increase economic prosperity and environmental quality (Dooyou).
In 1980, farmers received thirty one cents. Farmers has to water there plants each day. Farmers feeds the cows corn each day. Farmers produce two hundred sixty two percent more food with two percent fewer. Farmers enjoy food supplied overall and among the world's safest, thanks in large part to the efficiency and productivity of America's farmers.
According to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, in 1951 President George Washington write to farmers requesting information on land values, crop acreage, crop yields, livestock, prices and taxes. This gave an overview of how much money should be allocated locally and nationally for farm programs, extension service projects, research, soil conservation programs and land grant institutions (U.S. Census of
Wildlife conservation is a practice which aims to protect plant and animal species and their habitat. According to Endangered Species of Cambodia (n.d.), Kouprey, known as Forest Ox in English, is considered to be endangered as it was estimated that fewer than 50 koupreys are left in the world. In addition to this, Wild Water Buffaloes, which have undergone a great decline in number and have only few population now, are reported as endangered in the IUCN Red List since 1986 since the total remaining population is less than 4000. In response to these great drops, wildlife conservation was founded in order to save wildlife from becoming extinct. As the result of this establishment, wildlife conservation is seen to be so effective in saving endangered species through its three core actions.
Raman, Saroja. “Ch 7: Land Management for Sustainable Agriculture” Agricultural Sustainability: Principles, Processes, and Prospects. New York: The Haworth Press, Inc. 2006. 93-140.
The New Zealand Forestry Industry utilises New Zealand’s woodlands as a financial asset by deforestation and the exportation of the resulting timber to over 30 countries. (MFE, 2006). It is a Government, Economic and Environmental issue that’s affects the entirety of Aotearoa / New Zealand (MPI, 2013). Providing a significant portion of the country’s financial stability, as calculated by MPI (2012), a national gross income of approximately five billion dollars annually, and directly employs around 6,910 labour force workers. (MPI, 2014).
is some way to prevent the decline of small farms that does not carry the