Stretching conservation assistance

Excerpt

OVER the past 10 years, a number of new initiatives to solve soil and water resource problems have been put forth. Early in the 1970s, policymakers were besieged by proposals to reduce water pollution from agricultural sources. Water quality and soil erosion concerns also stimulated considerable conservation planning by the states. A major issue throughout the period was how best to encourage farmers to practice more soil conservation.

More recently, the emphasis has focused on shifting federal assistance from soil erosion control activities on land with low returns per dollar spent to more erosive land, where a dollar buys more control of soil loss and greater protection of water resources. Now in place, as a result of the Resources Conservation Act (RCA) program, is a commitment to target gradually up to 25 percent of the assistance provided under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs to those areas with the most serious problems. Also, because of action taken by the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) in administering the Agricultural Conservation Program (ACP), there is a variable cost-sharing program used voluntarily in a number of counties. Instead of altering …