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Congress for special and competitive grants for water quality research. ERS estimates the economic 

 impacts of existing and alternative policies, programs, and technology for preserving and improving soil 

 and water quality. Along with the National Agricultural Statistics Service, ERS collects data on 

 agrichemicai use, agricultural practices, and costs and returns. 



Famt Bill Pmgrams — The Food Security Act of 1985 has four major provisions that contribute to 

 meeting water quality protection objectives; the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 

 adds four additional programs. 



• Conservation Reserve Program — The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), authorized in the 

 198S Farm Bill and expanded in size and scope to cover water quality concerns, allows USDA to 

 make annual rental payments to landowners who voluntarily retire highly erodible cropland and 

 other environmentally critical lands firom production for 10 years. It pays up to 50 percent of the 

 cost for establishing a soil-conserving cover crop on the retired lands. 



• Conservation Compliance — The Conservation Compliance provisions require farmers who 

 produce on highly erodible cropland to develop and implement a conservation compliance plan by 

 January 1, 1995. The requirement affects 40 percent of U.S. formers, 135 million acres of highly 

 erodible land, and involves 1.3 million plans. Less than 2 percent of highly erodible land will be 

 uncovered once the plans are implemented. A combination of the conservation reserve and 

 conservation compliance program is projected by USDA to reduced erosion by 1.5 billion tons per 

 year, half of all erosion on all cropland. 



• Sodbuster & Swampbuster Provisions — Sodbuster provisions prevent farmers from new 

 production on highly erodible land unless it is done under an approved conservation plan. 

 Swampbuster provisions prevent farmers who convert wetlands to crop production from collecting 

 farm program benefits, unless USDA determines that conversion would minimally affect wetland 

 hydrology or biology. 



• Wetlands Reserve Program — The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary program 

 offering landowners a chance to receive payments for restoring and protecting wetlands on their 

 property. Authorized by the 1990 Farm Bill, the WRP provides a unique opportunity for farmers 

 to retire marginal cropland and reap the many benefits of having wetlands on their property. WRP 

 obtains 30-year or permanent conservation easements from participating landowners and provides 

 cost share payments for wetland restoration. Currently, 50,000 acres are under easement to 

 restore previously converted wetlands, reducing NPS pollution potential, and enhancing wildlife 

 habitat, flood control, and ground water recharge. 



• 



Water Quality Incentive Program — The goal of the Water Quality Incentive Program (WQIP) is 

 to achieve source reduction of agriculture pollutants by implementing management practices 

 (BMPs) in an environmentally and economically sound manner on 10 million acres of farmland 

 by thee end of 1995. USDA provides agricultural producers with the necessary financial, 

 educational, and technical assistance required to make changes in management systems to: 



1) restore or enhance the impaired water resources where agricultural NPS pollution has a 

 detrimental effect; and 



2) prevent future impairments. 



Producers must submit applications for enrollment, and a long-term agreement is developed, 

 generally for three years. The WQIP incentive payment limitation is $3,500 per person per year 

 for up to 5 years. Eligible acres for WQIP has expanded to include areas identified in state NPS 



