Farm Bill Anniversary

Kansas NRCS Celebrates Farm Bill Anniversary with Success

With the one-year anniversary of the 2002 Farm Bill, conservation officials announce that conservation programs are successfully delivering benefits beyond Kansas farms and ranches.

State Conservationist Harold Klaege, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Salina, says, "Last year, NRCS professionals, working with our partners, fielded over 70,000 requests for technical assistance which resulted in more than 1.2 million acres being improved by conservation practices."  These agricultural producers across Kansas are among the first to benefit from the conservation provisions in the 2002 Farm Bill, which was signed into law last year on May 13th by President Bush.

By this time next year, NRCS officials expect a significant increase in the number of producers receiving assistance. "I'm pleased by the overwhelming number of applications received from Kansas producers who wanted to participate in the Farm Bill conservation programs," said Klaege. "I'm also thankful for the hard work of our field staff in implementing these programs--they've done a terrific job, but I also know we have a big job ahead of us," he said.

The 2002 Farm Bill authorized an unprecedented increase in program funding and the 2002 Kansas Report Natural Resources Conservation Activities provides an overview of conservation programs along with accomplishments resulting from the new farm bill.  Programs include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Wildlife Incentives Program, Wetland Reserve Program, Resource Conservation and Development Program, and Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative.  In addition, the report also updates the reader on Soils, Watersheds, and Plant Materials, and provides a summary of the new Farm Bill.  The report reflects how these accomplishments are possible as a result of NRCS working in partnership with 105 Kansas conservation districts, 10 Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Councils (including two pending), Tribes, and various environmental organizations.

According to Bruce Knight, Chief, NRCS, "The new Farm Bill represents the largest investment in conservation on America’s working lands in Farm Bill history."

NRCS is working with landowners everywhere assisting them in reaching their land use goals while at the same time achieving the greatest conservation functions and values on every acre enrolled in conservation programs.

The unprecedented increase in program funding is targeted to help private landowners conserve, protect and enhance soil, water, air, plant, and animal resources. "The conservation provisions in this new Farm Bill represent a historic opportunity for producers to implement conservation on private lands through a variety of programs," Klaege said.

"These programs help Kansas’s farmers and ranchers continue with their efforts to improve watershed health, water quality and wildlife habitat," he said.

"I urge Kansas landowners with natural resource concerns to contact their local NRCS, conservation district, or RC&D offices to take advantage of this historic opportunity," Klaege said.

"The first year has been a success," he says, "but we're all looking forward to getting more conservation on the ground in Kansas throughout the life of the Farm Bill."