Implementing the Farm Bill

Implementing the Farm Bill. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

The 2012 Farm Bill is slowly taking shape and for the first time ever has more support for conservation programs rather than commodities. Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow talks about the conservation programs.

STABENOW: It is important to note that the majority of land in our countries, 70% of our land is owned by someone and the farm bill conservation programs are the number one way that we help protect those lands, waterways, wetlands, forests and so on and so the local conservation district is the place to start working with farmers. But we’re talking about best management practices on farms that are important for farmers to be successful but also protect our land and water.

And she says it will take some time to get all the parts in place.

STABENOW: At this point the Department is still putting together the specifics of conservation compliance. Anyone who has gotten direct payments, marketing loans or used any part of the commodity tile already has been doing conservation compliance because they’ve been tied together. What we’re talking about are people, who going forward, are only purchasing crop insurance and so it will be some time before that’s rolled out. Once they are able to purchase crop insurance they’ll have a number of years in order to be able to come into compliance.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.