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Originally published Vol. 4,
Issue 2 (April 2006)
Roger Claassen
Conservation compliance effectiveness depends
on where the money goes
USDA’s
Conservation Compliance Program was designed to
ensure that Federal farm programs did not encourage
crop production on highly erodible land (HEL) in
the absence of measures to protect against soil
erosion. Under this program, farmers who grow crops
on HEL must apply an approved soil conservation
system or risk losing eligibility for Federal income
support, conservation, and other payments.
The effectiveness of conservation
compliance in enhancing soil conservation depends,
in part, on the extent to which farms that crop
HEL also receive Federal farm program payments.
Overall, 86 percent of all cropland and about 83
percent of highly erodible cropland is located on
farms that receive farm program payments.
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