Washington – U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), both members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act – legislation that modernizes the process for updating conservation standards at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This legislation would remove bureaucratic barriers and better support farmers in implementing conservation practices that improve soil health and water quality.
“Streamlining updates to conservation practice standards helps cut the bureaucratic red tape that our farmers have been wrongly forced to navigate. Our producers work hard to find new, innovative ways to work the land while conserving its resources, and the federal government should be a partner in doing so – not a roadblock,” said Senator Marshall.“I’m proud to work on this bipartisan solution with Senator Ernst to ensure farmers have the tools necessary to support conservation efforts and help producers leave their land better than they found it.”
“Traveling across Iowa, I regularly hear from farmers who are eager to implement conservation practices that improve soil health, water quality, and long-term productivity – but they face real barriers when rigid USDA standards slow things down,” said Senator Ernst.“I’m leading the Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act to modernize how USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service updates its technical standards. Ultimately, the goal is simple: let’s cut the red tape, let’s keep standards science-based and flexible, and help farmers get conservation tools in use faster.”
This bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) and Richard Durbin (D-Illinois).
“By leveraging innovations in regenerative agriculture and soil health practices, we can help farmers and producers make their working lands more resilient,” said Senator Heinrich. “Our bipartisan legislation accomplishes this by updating and streamlining the process for developing new conservation practice standards at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. This will allow producers to build more resilience into their operations.”
“Illinois ranks fourth in the nation in planted cropland, but for years, has ranked as low as 37th in farm conservation funds that USDA distributes to help farmers adopt cover crops, conservation tillage, and other critical environmental practices. USDA’s statewide one-size-fits-all conservation practice rules do not always match the unique needs of each farm,” said Senator Durbin. “This bill creates a process to add more flexibility to these standards, provide routine updates to keep up with the latest innovations, and ensure more academic and farmer input into developing the conservation practices.”
The Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act would update the USDA’s process to:
- Require a regular review of existing conservation practice standards.
- Create a public process for submitting and adopting new practices.
- Prioritize the integration of innovative tools like nutrient efficiency technologies – biological fertilizer being one example that’s proven to improve plant growth.
The full text of the legislation can be found here.
