Senate Agriculture hearing: witnesses say conservation programs strained by staffing cuts and funding shortfalls

At a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing witnesses from states across the country told senators that voluntary, locally led conservation programs are under strain because funding and staff at USDA have not kept pace with demand.

The testimony focused on technical assistance, program backlogs, and workforce reductions at the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency that, witnesses said, are slowing enrollments and payments for programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

Why it matters: conservation programs in the farm bill pay for practice adoption and planning that producers say make farms more resilient, improve soil and water, and support wildlife habitat. Witnesses warned that without more staff and stable funding many producers will be unable to implement practices they have contracted to do.

Gary Blair, president of the National Association of Conservation Districts, told the committee that "technical assistance is the…