The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E403 on March 6, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY ACT
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HON. JERRY MORAN
of kansas
in the house of representatives
Thursday, March 6, 1997
Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support legislation regarding one of this Nation's most important and effective conservation programs, the Conservation Reserve Program.
Under the Conservation Reserve Program Flexibility Act, H.R. 861, producers whose contracts expire and whose bids to re-enroll are not accepted under new USDA rules for the CRP, will be allowed to extend, for up to 1 year, their existing contracts at the countywide rental rate as established under the new enrollment criteria.
In Kansas, the Conservation Reserve Program protects 2.9 million acres of environmentally sensitive land by encouraging farmers to dedicate this land to conservation use. Contracts covering almost 2 million acres of Kansas CRP land will expire by September 31, 1997. Unfortunately, the timing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's rulemaking process does not always coincide with needs of farmers. For producers of fall crops, like winter wheat, the enrollment decision date is simply too late.
This legislation would allow producers to explore the full range of grazing and cropping options as they bring their CRP land back into production. Due to extensions over the last 2 years, contracts representing nearly 22 million acres of this program are now expiring at once. At this point, we do not know exactly what land will be accepted, but it is estimated that 20 to 25 percent of the currently enrolled acres will not even be eligible. This represents around 4 million acres that we know will not be in CRP and will be back into production.
Mr. Speaker, adding 4 million acres into production with a limited range of planting options could be disastrous. This sort of market disruption can be avoided if we allow producers across the country to explore all of their options on how to bring this land back into production.
There are several important realities that this bill acknowledges. Under this legislation, the enrollment cap is not changed. As sign-up progresses, 36.4 million acres will still be the statutory limit on acres in the program. Even with the continuous enrollment for filter strips, riparian areas, and other high-priority areas, the current enrollment is only 32 million acres. Allowing a 1 year extension would not limit signup of new acres going into the program.
Another important factor is the payment rate. Under this 1 year extension, the payment will be either the new enrollment rate or the current rate, whichever is lower. This bill is not designed to give farmers the incentive to extend for 1 year at a substantially higher rate, it is designed to keep CRP benefits enrolled in a cost-effective manner and allow for an orderly return of this land back into production.
Mr. Speaker, massive changes have occurred in this Nation's agricultural programs within the last year. With any program changes, a smooth transition is both necessary and desired. This legislation will allow producers to make sound, market-based decisions as they bring their land back into production. Again, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this much needed legislation.
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