Pinpointing Policy: Positioning Kansas for a Climate-Smart Future
Published
10/11/2024
We’re constantly bombarded with headlines, articles, research and field days touting the concepts of climate-smart, sustainable, regenerative and more recently carbon intensity. And it’s exciting. Much of it is new, and maybe a little scary, as any new production practice seems to be when we’re trying to figure out how best to make it work on our unique farms. But let’s remember, as farmers and ranchers, we’ve always been focused on soil and range health. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) policy 237 / National Conservation and Environmental Policy 1 states, “We support improving the environment by enhancing conservation, wise use and productivity of our natural resources through private ownership, individual freedom and market-oriented approaches as our most important conservation and environmental goal and a consistent long-term national conservation and environmental policy should be pursued that would: 1.8. Recognize farmers and ranchers as stewards to the land and protectors of the environment.”
That’s not lip service, that’s always been our belief and goal. Today, with advancements in research, technology and improved farm equipment (think air seeders and planters with adequate down pressure) we can do so much more than we could 30, 20 and even just 10 years ago.
With the next farm bill seemingly a mirage on the horizon, farmers I talk to are getting more and more resolved that future farm safety nets will likely continue to be more conservation focused and possibly less reliant on traditional risk management like the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs.
So, the question for Kansas farmers and Farm Bureau members is, how do we ensure future federal programs best fit Kansas agricultural rotations, practices and the semi-arid environment we call home? One answer may be to ensure the crops that over time have proven their place in our Kansas rotations receive credit for their contributions to conservation and more importantly, have a place in a more conservation-focused farm safety net.
Which brings me to a couple of resolutions that you’ll be voting on this coming December at the KFB Annual Meeting. Both involve wheat, serving in a dual role as cash and cover crop. For decades, wheat has played a central role in Kansas crop rotations. A veritable “Swiss army knife,” whose quick growth in the fall allows it to maintain cover and hold soil in place during the long, cold, windy winter months. In the fall and winter, it can be grazed, providing a high protein forage; and the following summer, can be harvested, providing a cash crop.
In many ways, wheat already gets some credit for its many qualities. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), currently recognizes wheat as a cover crop, and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) allows farmers to classify winter wheat for the dual uses of grazing and cash grain.
The KFB Wheat Advisory Committee believes that if we move to a more conservation-focused farm safety net, wheat should receive credit as a cover crop, and yet be allowed to remain a cornerstone to many Kansas crop rotations. The first resolution addresses Farm Service Agency (FSA) rules that say a cover crop cannot be taken to harvest1.
225 / Risk Management/Crop Insurance
1.3. We Support:
1.3.114 The option to classify mechanically seeded (non-volunteer) winter annual grasses or small grains as a standalone cover crop that can be taken to grain harvest and be eligible as a part of a conservation enhancement for cover crop programs while or remaining a cash crop covered by crop insurance.
The second, and this may be the more important of the two, addresses Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) rules that say cover crops must be terminated before going to seed2.
237 / National Conservation and Environmental Policy
4. Conservation and Environmental Program Implementation
4.5. We support:
(new) 4.5.36. Changing NRCS policy and allowing mechanically seeded (non-volunteer) winter annual grasses, and fall seeded small grains and minor oilseeds, to be considered cover crops within all NRCS programs and practices but exempted from termination requirements and harvest limitations.
If these changes in Farm Bureau policy ultimately become changes in USDA rules, both wheat and Kansas farmers would be better positioned to compete within a more conservation-focused farm safety net. The KFB Wheat Advisory believes it’s time to consider giving appropriate credit to farmers for growing crops that serve multiple purposes, such as conservation and soil health along with providing income as a cash grain crop.
It may be argued that qualifying for conservation payments and allowed to be harvested as a cash crop is “double-dipping.” But think about it over the life of that wheat plant. Winter wheat is unique, from planting to harvest, it’s on that acre from nine to 10 months. Compare this to a separate, fall planted cover crop [earning a payment], followed by a cash corn crop, which combined would be on that acre for just a little longer, 10 to 12 months.