remarks to the National Association of Conservation Districts.

“Investments in conservation contribute to an increased quality

of life for all Americans through cleaner air, soil and water

and improved wildlife habitat," said Johanns. “Through the

Bush Administration’s cooperative conservation efforts,

landowners are working in partnership with the government to

produce tangible results, conserving natural resources for this

generation, our children and our grandchildren.”

USDA offers a portfolio of conservation programs that give

producers the technical and financial assistance they need to

develop more effective conservation plans that improve the

environment and help rural communities. The Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA)

are in charge of USDA’s conservation programs for private land

management and environmental stewardship.

These 2004 conservation benefits and successes, along with the

President’s conservation budgets, support a continued cooperative

conservation effort that gives farmers and ranchers the ability

to become the best stewards of the land. In keeping with that

vision, President Bush has proposed a strong budget for

conservation efforts in fiscal year 2006, including $3.8 billion

to continue implementation of the conservation programs

authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill. These funds will allow USDA,

landowners and operators to build on a tremendously strong record

for cooperative, voluntary conservation.

National performance highlights of key conservation programs and

initiatives operated by NRCS include:

Conservation Security Program (CSP): During the first year

of the program, more than $35 million helped nearly 2,200

producers conserve and improve soil, water, air, energy, plant

and animal life on nearly two million acres of tribal and private

working lands. Environmental enhancement activities offered by

applicants included improving wildlife habitat, air quality

management and on-farm energy management.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): Nearly $720

million helped almost 46,500 farmers and ranchers improve soil,

air and water quality and related resources on private working

lands. About 62 percent of EQIP funds were associated with

livestock concerns. More than 8 percent of approved contracts

were signed with limited resource producers and beginning farmers.

Approximately 60 percent of funded practices directly impact one

of the four national EQIP priorities while 40 percent reflect a

primary impact on state or local

priorities.

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP): $90 million funded

550 conservation easements on nearly 115,000 acres of valuable farm

and ranch land to protect it from conversion to nonagricultural uses.

For every federal dollar invested through FRPP, an additional $2.28

has been contributed by participating state and local governments,

nongovernmental organizations and landowners.

Grassland Reserve Program (GRP): $56 million funded more than 1,000

private landowners protect and restore grasslands, biodiversity and

wildlife habitat and reduce soil erosion while sustaining viable

working ranches on 283,000 acres. An additional $2 million was

provided to help greater sage grouse conservation and recovery

efforts in four western states. GRP is administered jointly by NRCS

and FSA.

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP): Nearly $275 million helped more

than 1,000 private landowners restore, enhance and protect wetlands

to maximize wildlife habitat and wetland functions and values on

close to 200,000 acres. Restoration projects were completed on nearly

150,000 acres of wetlands and associated upland areas. The first two

Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) partnership projects were

approved. More than $4 million was provided for the Lower Missouri

River WREP project in Nebraska that will restore and enhance a total

of 18,800 acres when the project is completed. Nearly $3 million was

provided for a WREP project in Minnesota that will restore

approximately 7,250 acres of environmentally sensitive wetlands

throughout the state.

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP): More than $27 million

funded over 3,000 private landowners create, restore and enhance

wildlife habitat for upland wildlife; wetland wildlife; threatened,

endangered or at-risk species and fisheries as well as other types

of wildlife. Of the more than 430,000 acres enrolled in the program

last year, 21,000 acres will help threatened and endangered species.

During the first year of the WHIP Salmon Habitat Restoration

Initiative, 47 landowners, tribes and municipalities signed

contracts and agreements totaling $3.3 million to improve nearly

900 acres of riparian habitat and to open hundreds of miles of

streams for fish passage in five states.

Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA): $10.2 million assisted

723 agricultural producers address natural resource concerns by

incorporating conservation into their farming operations while

managing financial risk on 105,000 acres. More than 8 percent of

approved contracts were signed with women and minority producers.

AMA is available in 15 states where participation in the Federal

Crop Insurance Program has been historically low.

Conservation programs operated by FSA include:

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP): First established in 1985,

CRP protects natural resources and enhances the environment by

allowing eligible farmers and ranchers to voluntarily establish

long-term conservation practices on highly erodible and

environmentally sensitive cropland. In fiscal year 2004, CRP paid

farmers approximately $1.8 billion in rental and cost-share

payments. Trees, grass and soil on CRP land remove an estimated

17 million metric tons of carbon per year from the atmosphere

through photosynthesis. Land enrolled in CRP reduces wind erosion

by 212 million tons per year. The program has reduced soil erosion

by more than 443 million tons per year. During 2004, 76 percent of

all applicants were accepted into the program, the highest

acceptance rates in the program’s history. As a result, the total

acreage of CRP will rise to 35.6 million acres, or 90 percent of

the total 39.2 million acres authorized under the Farm Bill.

Conservation Reserve Program Initiatives (CRP): In 2004, President

Bush announced several CRP initiatives to help protect wildlife,

water and land resources. One initiative will restore 250,000

acres of non-floodplain wetlands and restore large wetland

complexes and playa lakes that are located outside the 100-year

floodplain. Restoring these wetlands will provide vital habitat

for many wildlife species, filter runoff, recharge groundwater

supplies, protect drinking water and reduce downstream flooding.

Another initiative will increase the population of northern

bobwhite quail by 750,000 birds annually on 250,000 acres. So far,

more than 16,000 acres have been enrolled, which equates to

habitat for approximately 48,000 additional quail. The third CRP

initiative underway is to plant 500,000 acres of bottomland timber

on wetlands, which will restore floodplains, establish wildlife

habitat and sequester substantial amounts of greenhouse gases.

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP): CREP is a

federal-state partnership that targets additional resources in

defined geographic areas for conservation practices such as

buffers and filter strips. Three new CREP agreements were

established in 2004. The Ohio River Western Pennsylvania CREP

will provide 100,000 acres of cropland or marginal pastureland to

be devoted to conservation practices. A New Jersey CREP will

improve water quality of streams flowing into the Atlantic Ocean

with 30,000 acres of cropland and marginal pastureland being

planted to filter strips, riparian buffers, grass waterways and

contour grass strips. A New York CREP will enhance water quality

in 12 major watersheds throughout the state.

Detailed information and performance data on NRCS voluntary

conservation programs at the national and state levels can be

found at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs  and on FSA programs

at http://www.fsa.usda.gov .