The initial hearing in the process to write a new farm bill took place Wednesday, with the House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee examining current conservation programs. But the session appeared to focus more on concerns primarily by Republican lawmakers over a potential push for more climate-oriented efforts for conservation programs. Those lawmakers argued that adding the climate aspect to these programs cannot take away from their current primary focus. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member GT Thompson (R-Penn.) said farmers’ climate efforts do need to be recognized but said the conservation programs in the bill cannot be “repurposed as the climate title.”
Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheneaux pointed to expanded climate-related efforts under the venerable Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) were boosting interest and enrollment in the program. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Administrator Terry Cosby pointed to its efforts to bolster climate-smart agriculture.
Lawmakers from both parties also raised questions on staffing levels relative to increased activities related to climate.
Another of the panel’s subcommittees will hold a hearing next week on farm policy with USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie, a chief architect of USDA’s climate-smart efforts. Given what unfolded in the initial session on reviewing conservation programs, Bonnie’s appearance will likely be as contentious if not more so, especially on the topic of inserting more climate-related activities into U.S. farm policy.
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