House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry Hearing
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Good morning Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Walz, and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today to discuss the importance of soil health for our nation's agriculture, our environment, and our future.
Introduction
For almost 80 years, the
Largely in response to the devastating effects of the Dust Bowl, on
In 1994,
Today, our focus on soils goes beyond erosion to include the overall health of our nation's soils. When we speak of improving soil health, we are talking about actually enhancing the soil's capacity to function as a vital, living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.
Previously, we were mostly concerned with the chemical and physical qualities of soil, so focusing on soil health reflects a fundamental shift in the way we view and manage soils. As one farmer recently observed, "Anything can have quality, but only living things can have health."
Improving soil health simultaneously addresses many of our nation's most pressing natural resource needs. A healthy soil has better water holding capacity and therefore resilience to extreme weather like drought and heavy precipitation. Because improving soil health promotes water infiltration, this helps recharge the subsoil with water so more is available in time of need, and this greater infiltration means less nutrient and sediment runoff to our streams, lakes, and oceans. Conservation systems that enhance soil health also help increase carbon sequestration and organic matter, enhance nutrient cycling, provide pollinator habitat, reduce energy use, and produce the food, fiber, and bioenergy needs of our rapidly growing population. Farmers tell us that enhancing soil health also increases their profitability, thereby strengthening rural economies.
NRCS Role
NRCS has developed and launched an integrated campaign that emphasizes conservation planning that focuses on soil health and builds the information, tools, and knowledge needed to help producers enhance the health of their soils. There are many components of this effort that build upon one another. To date, we have focused on:
* Reviewing scientific literature and case studies to provide information needed by farmers on the benefits of soil health management systems to their "bottom line".
* Modeling efforts at the national scale to help inform estimates of environmental benefits that may be achieved through accelerated soil health management adoption.
* Aligning funding priorities of our Conservation Innovation Grant Program to support soil health adoption needs.
* Leveraging NRCS's network of Plant Materials Centers to conduct coordinated evaluations of cover crop mixes and their impacts on soil health across different regions, and to use these Centers as soil health training sites.
* Ensuring that all field staffs across the U.S. are trained in the basics of soil health. In just six months, we trained over 2,000 NRCS staff and partners on the fundamental principles for improving soil health.
* Establishing an on-line training library that currently holds 28 soil health webinars conducted by university and government scientists, farmers, and other partners. The training library is available to agency staff as well as the general public. Since
In addition, NRCS has established a Soil Health Division responsible for acquiring, transferring, and implementing the latest technologies for increasing soil health.
Partnerships in
Partnerships are key to the success of improving the health of our nation's soils. The soil health movement is exciting to be part of due to the speed of innovation and adoption by farmers and ranchers, as well as because of the huge array of partners--including agricultural production associations, universities, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, federal agencies, and non-profit conservation organizations--that are leveraging each other's expertise and resources. Collectively, we are bringing forward new ideas, solutions, and practical on-the-ground know-how to support producers.
For NRCS, the core of our partnership is with individual farmers and ranchers with whom we work daily to plan and implement soil conservation measures that help them achieve their economic and conservation objectives. These producers are making positive soil health decisions field by field that together are generating benefits for not only their operations, but also at larger geographic scales such as in river or lake basins.
The conservation programs supported by the 2014 Farm Bill are making a crucial difference in helping producers start soil health management systems on their operations. Soil health management is a systems approach that brings together suites of conservation practices that minimize soil disturbance, diversify soil biota, and maintain living roots and soil cover year round. Since 2009, significant numbers of producers have implemented soil health management practices through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) as shown in the chart below.
NRCS is also partnering with diverse organizations, such as
NRCS is also working with the
To accelerate the knowledge of and exposure to soil health practices on farming and ranching operations, we partnered earlier this year with USDA Sustainable Agriculture, Research, and Education (SARE), the
We are partnering with the
Finally, NRCS is partnering with the
Benefits for Agriculture and the Environment
The benefits of healthy soils are tangible for the producer, the environment, and ultimately the public. Farmers and ranchers in nearly all parts of the country, across a wide range of climate zones and cropping systems, are reporting that they see connections between improved soil health and more consistent (and often higher) yields, higher profit margins, and more weather-resilient operations.
Weather resilience in soils has always been important and will continue to be even more so as we work to improve our natural defenses against climate change and extreme weather, such as extended droughts and severe storms, as well as indirect effects such as changing threats from pest populations and plant diseases. Healthy soils will be a key component for agricultural producers to successfully adapt to these challenges and will help ensure that we can continue to meet the food demands of a growing population. We are already seeing specific examples of how healthy soils are making a difference.
Following the historic drought in 2012, USDA-SARE and the
In addition to survey information from producers, NRCS has learned of positive soil health results directly from individual producers. For example,
In
While these examples show that soil health is making a difference in the lives of individual farmers, their families, and their profitability, the broader public value of the conservation investment should also be recognized. The value of soil health for resilient food production systems is seen in the marketplace every day. Benefits to the environment are also demonstrable.
Our
Yet, there is more to be done. Events like drought in
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, I will conclude by saying that I believe improving the health of our nation's soils is one of the most important things that we can do for this and for future generations. That is because improving soil health not only supports growing the food, fiber, and fuel needed by a rapidly expanding world population, but it also allows us to simultaneously address some of our nation's most pressing natural resource needs. It allows us to increase resiliency to extreme weather events, improve water quality, increase carbon sequestration, enhance habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, increase farm profitability, and we believe also reduce economic risk associated with crop production.
I thank you for the opportunity to be here today, and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Read this original document at: http://republicans.agriculture.house.gov/sites/republicans.agriculture.house.gov/files/pdf/hearings/Weller140918.pdf
Copyright: | (c) 2010 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc. |
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