April 8, 2005

Three out of four farmers and ranchers who apply for farm bill conservation programs are rejected, according to recent figures released by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The 2004 unfunded application data reveals that an additional $4.3 billion would have been needed to address the backlog of 150,901 farmers and ranchers whose applications to participate in federal conservation programs went unanswered.

The 2002 Farm Bill dramatically increased the amount of funding available for conservation programs. Despite this record commitment to conservation, the amount of funding available has not been able to keep pace with demand. And while the 2004 data shows a decrease in backlogs from 2003, when five out of six applicants were rejected, it does not include the growing number of farmers and ranchers who elect not to apply for funding because they had either been rejected in the past or knew someone who had.

AFT's chart on conservation program backlogs (Excel file) provides information on unfunded applications in each state.

Farm bill conservation programs provide important public benefits such as the protection of water resources, improved air quality, preserved open space and wildlife habitat. They are open to all producers rather than a select few as is the case with federal income support programs. Unfortunately, congressional appropriators continue to cut funding for these programs.

During the 2003 and 2004 fiscal years, four conservation programs (EQIP, FRPP, WHIP, and WRP) were funded at a total of $200 million below the levels authorized by the 2002 farm bill. While this money would not have eliminated the backlogs facing these four programs, it would have provided hundreds of additional farmers and ranchers with access to the programs.

The NRCS has allocated $1.46 billion to states to provide financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers interested in the EQIP, FRPP, GRP, WHIP and WRP during FY 2005, an increase of $93 million over FY 2004 levels. This increase is attributable to a new law that brought to an end the practice of transferring financial assistance dollars from EQIP, FRPP, GRP and WHIP to provide technical assistance for land retirement programs.