Tom Harkin: Harkin Encourages Producers To Take Advantage Of Conservation Enrollment

Funding secured by Harkin allows for new USDA signups

August 7, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) encouraged producers to take advantage of open enrollment in the Conservation Security Program (CSP) announced today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Harkin secured funding for this enrollment in an appropriations bill that passed Congress in June. He has been working with USDA since that time to release the funding and commended today’s action by Secretary Johanns.

“The Conservation Security Program pays proactive farmers and ranchers for good conservation, and it is important that the USDA continues to enroll new producers and fully honors its commitments to those who are already enrolled in CSP,” said Harkin. “Farmers like CSP, they grasp it and they see the vision of it. Yet previous spending bills shortchanged the program and prevented it from reaching its full potential.”

“This new funding helps restore confidence in CSP by continuing to enroll new producers and fulfilling all existing obligations under these contracts,” he continued. “I thank Secretary Johanns for his willingness to increase investments in conservation and work to get this enrollment accomplished and I commend him for finding a way to accomplish this given the end of the fiscal year. I encourage producers to take advantage of this open enrollment.”

The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act provided sufficient funding needed to fully pay for all existing CSP contracts, including all contract modifications, as well as providing the funds necessary to carry out an enrollment for the already-announced watersheds eligible in 2007. Until this bill was passed, providing some $115 million in added funding, money was not available for the 2007 enrollment announced last fall before new fiscal year began.

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry in 2002, Senator Harkin was instrumental in writing into the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act new conservation initiatives and a nearly 80 percent conservation funding increase. The most important of these initiatives is the Conservation Security Program (CSP).

A list of the eligible watersheds can be viewed at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/. USDA offers CSP in new watersheds annually on a rotational basis in as many watersheds as funding allows. For more information about CSP, including a map of targeted watersheds and eligibility requirements, please visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp.

Source: Senator Tom Harkin

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