Federal Farm Bill

There are four USDA conservation programs that, with much-needed updates and changes, could fully leverage Farm Bill financial and technical assistance to boost the adoption of conservation practices that improve water quality in the watershed.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) are key programs that have been used for decades to install riparian forested buffers and exclude livestock from streams. These programs should be expanded to allow additional types of lands, like marginal pastureland or grasslands, that have positive impacts on water quality to be eligible for these funds. For CREP, we need to make it easier for farmers to enroll, simplifying the process for participating states to adopt new incentives and offering more attractive incentives to landowners.

Third, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which is designed to help farmers get conservation practices on the ground, should prioritize grazing practices. Grazing practices benefit the environment in numerous ways, including reduce runoff and improve water quality.

Fourth, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a valuable tool for testing innovative approaches to conservation. It encourages public-private partnerships to address natural resource conservation challenges on farmland. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is one of eight Critical Conservation Areas for which the RCPP provides support for partners to work on regional conservation priorities.

Forested buffers are one of the most cost-effective ways for landowners to reduce pollutants into local streams and the Bay. They are also a key component of the Bay states’ plans to achieve the pollution-reduction goals of the Clean Water Blueprint. Unfortunately, implementation has declined dramatically in recent years and is not on pace to achieve state and federal commitments. In 2024, only 25 percent of the watershed-wide goal for planting forested buffers was achieved. Legislative changes that remove barriers to enrollment and make it easier for states to take advantage of program improvements and incentives for landowners will help re-invigorate this critical program and bring us closer to meeting our watershed buffer implementation goals.

In addition to improvements to CREP incentives and administration, the Farm Bill offers an opportunity to increase buffer plantings by creating a “turn-key” program under CREP for this region that would allow a third party to take on the responsibility for designing, planting, and maintaining forested buffers on private lands. This program is modelled after, and would build upon, the success of the partnership among the James River Association, Virginia Department of Forestry, and CBF that planted and maintains buffers for interested landowners. This program is responsible for planting 63 percent of all buffers in the James River watershed. Expanding this type of partnership into a turn-key pilot program funded through CREP would get more buffers on the ground throughout the watershed.

USDA established the Chesapeake Bay States’ Partnership Initiative (C-SPI) in 2022 to invest an additional $22.5 million in conservation program funding for farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with a focus on providing assistance to Pennsylvania landowners. C-SPI aims to leverage locally led conservation and coordination to ensure funds are targeted to priority local watersheds. This additional investment is critical to allow Bay states to respond to the high demand among farmers for additional conservation support, as well as to provide targeted sign-ups for priority areas.

Technical assistance from USDA staff ensures that our farmers are equipped with the knowledge, tools, and expertise they need to implement effective conservation practices that benefit both water quality and their farms. Unfortunately, demand for technical assistance far exceeds current USDA staff capacity. The Farm Bill provides an opportunity to ensure that USDA recruits and retains well-trained, qualified staff to meet farmers’ technical needs. Expanding programming for high schools, community colleges, and technical institutions would go a long way toward expanding this workforce.

In the Bay, blue catfish are an invasive species. They were introduced in Virginia in the 1970s to create a recreational fishery, but have since spread to tributaries throughout the watershed. Blue catfish prey on native commercially and recreationally important Bay species, including the declining populations of our iconic blue crabs.

A thriving commercial market for wild-caught blue catfish provides both an economic opportunity for watermen and a critical tool to manage the impact of this destructive non-native species.

Currently, the USDA oversees all inspections of blue catfish, despite not being properly equipped to deal with the timely and highly variable harvests that define this fishery. Catfish are the only fish inspected by the USDA, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) handles food safety reviews for all other fish species. USDA requires in-person inspectors to examine the catfish before they go to market. Processing catfish in a dedicated space at a time when USDA inspectors are available has posed a serious hurdle to creating a robust commercial catfish industry in the Chesapeake Bay. The next Farm Bill can correct the problem by transferring inspection responsibility to the FDA.