Conservation A Priority For The Trump Administration

Climate Smart Agriculture; a term we heard a lot during the Biden Administration.  Obviously, with each new administration, priorities change and evolve, but just because you might not hear buzz words and phrases, doesn’t mean conservation practices aren’t a priority.

“I’ve talked to the chief a number of times about, where do we want this administration’s NRCS policy? Where do we want their heads?”

We Can't Force Conservation

Richard Fordyce, USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation says it's all about putting voluntary conservation on agriculture land.

All day. 

Every day.  

As a farmer in Missouri, Fordyce says he’s spent most of his adult life advocating for soil conservation and water quality improvements.  He added that his family employs conservation practices on their farm and if they find something new, they want to implement it.  But from a policy perspective;

“We’re not telling anybody what they have to do," Fordyce said.  "A farmer can choose to implement whatever conservation practice is going to fit on their land. So, in Indiana, you’ve got a myriad of soil types, and so one conservation practice in one part of the state is going to work, and a lot of people will subscribe to that. In another part of the state, it’s going to be something different. And what’s great about NRCS and that suite of conservation practices is we likely have something that will fit that farm the best for that geography where it’s at.”

Fordyce encourages farmers to reach out to NRCS to explore what local assistance could be available for your operation.

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