A conservation commitment to the future

Excerpt

THE United States for the past several years has witnessed a dramatic change in the use of its natural resources. Pressures on these resources have increased. More and more citizens realize that natural resources can be depleted, that soil and water resources must be protected for the future use and welfare of this country. This protection is necessary not only for the production of food and fiber but for sustaining a suitable environment.

A 1977 report by the General Accounting Office estimated that the nation was losing about 12 tons of valuable topsoil per acre per year on agricultural lands. The report further estimated that annual soil losses should be no more than five tons per acre in deep soils and one ton per acre in shallow soils to maintain fertility and productivity.

The Soil Conservation Society of America is concerned about these increasing pressures on our basic resource—the soil. SCSA is concerned that inflation and extended demands on federal, state, and local budgets are depleting the incentives and assistance available to landowners to practice conservation.

Benefits from soil conservation practices and programs accrue to both the landowner and society in general. Therefore, the cost of conservation practices …