Conservation, Energy & Environment
With farms and ranches making up more than half of the land mass of the lower 48 states, agriculture, energy and the environment are intimately intertwined. Agriculture is the largest source of pollution in rivers and streams, affecting roughly half of total stream miles. Over 100 million acres of cropland still erode at unsustainable levels, despite decades of soil conservation efforts stemming back to the Dust Bowl. Nearly two-thirds of threatened and endangered species are listed due in some part to agriculture and agro-chemicals.
Federal farm, energy and environmental policies have enormous implications for meeting these challenges. Unfortunately, current policy mechanisms predominantly encourage intensive row-cropping, corn ethanol and large-scale confined livestock production systems. These styles of agro-industrial production are reliant on mechanization and large amounts of fossil fuels, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides.
Meanwhile, recent research once again confirms that sustainable and organic farming methods when compared to conventional agriculture can result in the reduction of nitrogen pollution and other agricultural pollutants. Additional studies also show that organic over conventional rotations show greater yield and steadily improved soil quality.
Conventional agriculture is a ravenous consumer of fossil fuels and producer of greenhouse gases, yet sustainable and organic systems have the potential to serve as part of the solution to climate change and as a source of farm raised sustainable and renewable energy.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and its member organizations are working to advance federal policies in the Farm Bill and Clean Water Act that promote conservation measures, the sustainable production of renewable energy, as well as sustainable and organic farming systems as a primary means to reduce or control agricultural pollution, and to rebuild the soil and address climate change.
Major Priorities for the Conservation, Energy & Environment Committee for 2009:
Conservation Stewardship Program (also a grassroots appropriations campaign priority)
Organic Conversion Assistance and Other Organic Conservation Issues
Minor Priorities for the Conservation, Energy & Environment Committee for 2009:
Climate Change Issues Related to Farm Bill Conservation and Energy Title Programs.
Conservation Title — Program Regulation Problems and Implementation Problems
Sodsaver and Conservation Compliance Implementation and Administrative Reforms
Recent Actions Taken by NSAC:
- Sign-on letter to Senator Herb Kohl and Representative Rosa DeLauro opposing conservation cuts in the President’s FY 11 Budget, February 5, 2010.
- NSAC comments on the Conservation Stewardship Program Interim Final Rule, October 28, 2009.
- NSAC comments on Conservation Practice Standards, August 11, 2009.
- Letter submitted to Secretary Vilsack on behalf of 75 organizations supporting strong implementation of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), May 20, 2009.
- NSAC submitted to NRCS these comments on EQIP on April 17, 2009.
- NSAC submitted to NRCS these comments on the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative on April 8, 2009.
- NSAC submitted these comments to NRCS on the Wetlands Reserve Program Interim Final Rule on March 16, 2009.
- NSAC submitted these comments to NRCS on the Technical Service Provider Assistance Interim Final Rule on March 17, 2009.
- NSAC submitted this sign-on letter to Secretary Vilsack requesting mandatory funding of conservation programs on February 13, 2009.
- NSAC submitted these comments on NRCS EQIP EA-FONSI on February 13, 2009.
- NSAC submitted these comments to CSREES on NIFA implementation on February 6, 2009.