On January 31, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns released the
Bush Administration's proposal for the 2007 Farm Bill. The length
and breadth of the proposals -- the summary runs 183 pages -- seems
to signal that the Administration plans to play an active role in
the upcoming Farm Bill debate.

Some highlights, and lowlights:

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The Bush Administration proposes
no increase in the CRP from its current authorization level, 39.6
million acres (currently, about 37 million acres is actually
enrolled in the program). However, USDA plans to give priority in
future CRP sign-ups to lands used for biomass production, which will
reduce the wildlife value of those lands.

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). The Bush Administration proposes to
continue the program at its current authorized level of 250,000
acres per year, while merging the current Emergency Watershed
Program floodplain easement function into the WRP. (In practice,
Congressional funding limits have kept actual enrollment well below
250,000 acres annually). The Administration also proposes to change
WRP by allowing third parties to hold easements and allowing
landowners and others to contribute a share of the easement cost.
The Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program would be changed to be more
like the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, providing for
states to share in the cost for targeted efforts.

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). The proposal would
eliminate the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, merging it into
an expanded Environmental Quality Incentives Program along with the
Forest Land Enhancement Program and several other cost-share
programs. The Administration would boost EQIP funding by 30 percent
over the next decade. The proposal would also establish a new
Regional Water Enhancement Program to address water quality and
quantity problems at a regional scale.

Private Lands Protection Program. The Administration would merge the
Grassland Reserve Program, Farm & Ranchland Protection Program, and
Healthy Forest Reserve Program into a single Private Lands
Protection Program. The new program would fund easements designed to
protect a variety of lands including native prairie, non-industrial
forest land, grazing lands, and open space. It would also provide
additional consideration in the ranking process for landowners who
provide open access for public recreation on easement lands.

Conservation Security Program (CSP). The proposal would continue the
program, but with funding levels far less than was contemplated
under the 2002 Farm Bill, and with some substantial changes. It
would eliminate cost-share payments for new practices (along with
maintenance and base payments), and limit enrollment to up to 1
percent of all cropland in any one year.

Sod Saver. The Administration recommends a new "Sod Saver"
provision, that would permanently deny farm price and income support
payments on acres of rangeland and native prairie converted to crop
production in the future. This would build on existing Sodbuster and
Swampbuster provisions in the current Farm Bill.

Overall, the Administration's new Farm Bill proposal is a mixed bag
for wildlife. It includes some good ideas like Sod Saver, but
appears to fall short of the level of effort needed for conservation
and wildlife in the next Farm Bill.

Duane Hovorka
Farm Bill Outreach Coordinator
National Wildlife Federation