USDA conservation spending on working
agricultural lands bucks long-term trend
Roger
Claassen
For over
70 years, USDA has provided financial
assistance to help farmers implement
conservation practices on working agricultural
lands or on lands temporarily retired
from production. Farmers have also received
technical assistance for the purpose
of helping to ensure that conservation
plans are effectively designed and implemented.
As measured
in constant (2002) dollars, Federal
conservation assistance has fluctuated
widely over the period. Peaks have typically
been associated with large-scale land
retirement in the Agricultural Conservation
(1936-1943), Soil Bank (1956-1972),
and Conservation Reserve (1986-present)
Programs. Beginning in 2002, however,
the major increase in conservation assistance
was directed to programs that help farmers
defray conservation costs on working
agricultural lands.
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