farmland protection News
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Protecting farmland biodiversity
A new study describes the rate of loss in plant diversity in intensively farmed fields. The authors recommend that measures to protect biodiversity should focus on low-intensity farmland, due to difficulties associated with rebuilding lost biodiversity in intensively farmed land. Intensive agriculture is one of the main drivers of the decline in worldwide biodiversity. The rate of species ...
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2012 Conservation Easement Applications Due February 15
Private landowners interested in protecting their grassland or farmland with this year's funding are encouraged get their applications in soon. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California has set Feb. 15, 2012, as the deadline for accepting applications for both the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) and Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). "These programs ...
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50+ Groups Urge Congress to Reject $1 Billion in Cuts to USDA Conservation Programs
A coalition of more than 50 agriculture and conservation groups representing millions of Americans today are urging lawmakers to reject nearly $1 billion in proposed cuts to farm bill conservation programs. The organizations are asking the House Appropriations Committee to "ensure that reasonable funding levels are continued" when the committee meets today at 5 p.m. to vote on these huge cuts in ...
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House-Passed Cuts to USDA Conservation Programs Threaten Agriculture
The U.S. House of Representatives' approval today of nearly $1 billion in cuts to USDA conservation programs in the agriculture appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2012 is bad policy that the Senate needs to fix, according to a leading conservation group. "We realize that Congress faces tough budget choices, but making draconian cuts to voluntary conservation programs that help farmers and ...
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$139 Million Obligated for California Conservation in Fiscal Year 2010 - Funding amount equals a record setting year for NRCS California
DAVIS, Calif. - The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) California State Office is pleased to announce that approximately $139 million in federal funding was invested this fiscal year for conservation activities throughout the State of California. The funding was distributed through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), ...
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Less agricultural phosphorus could be key to cleaner Baltic Sea
Reducing the amount of phosphorus used in agriculture could go a long way in meeting the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)1 targets. A Swedish evaluation of measures for reducing agricultural phosphorus suggest phosphorus inputs to the sea could be cut by 180 tonnes per year, or about two-thirds of Sweden's target. The nations surrounding the Baltic Sea have established the BSAP to restore the ...
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Populations of grassland butterflies decline almost 50 % over two decades
Grassland butterflies have declined dramatically between 1990 and 2011. This has been caused by intensifying agriculture and a failure to properly manage grassland ecosystems, according to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The fall in grassland butterfly numbers is particularly worrying, according to the report, because these butterflies are considered to be representative ...
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House GOP leaders look at splitting farm bill
A month after suffering an embarrassing defeat, House Republican leaders are considering a new strategy to try to win support for the massive, five-year farm bill: splitting it into two separate measures, one for farm programs and one for food stamps. It's an attempt to gather support from conservatives who voted against the $100 billion-a-year farm bill, and critics say it could lead to ...
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