Virginia Panel Highlights Need to Modernize Vital Agricultural Cost-Share Program
Virginia’s popular agricultural cost-share program has contributed significantly to improving local water quality in the Commonwealth and cutting pollution that ultimately flows into the Chesapeake Bay, state analysts said in a report released on Tuesday.
However, the Virginia Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program (VACS) could benefit from changes to prioritize the most cost-effective practices and ensure that the state is getting the most bang for its buck, according to the report from the state’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).
Even with calls to make the program run more efficiently, VACS is one of the state’s primary tools to improve water quality and is largely effective, the report found.
The report noted that during the last five years, the number of farmers participating in the program has grown by more than 30 percent, to nearly 2,600. Over the same period, the program has collectively helped fund more than 200,000 pollution-reducing conservation practices on the Commonwealth’s agricultural lands.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has strongly supported the program, which received a record $304 million for the current budget year.
For more than 40 years, VACS has helped farmers install projects that both benefit the environment and their farm. Fencing cattle out of streams, planting streamside trees and grasses, and other conservation practices are among the most cost-effective steps Virginia can take to reduce nutrient pollution to local streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.
Farmers can receive up to $300,000 in reimbursements through the program for developing good management practices – critical funding when, for example, they’re putting up miles of fencing along streambanks. Virginia’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) help distribute funding from the program and provide technical assistance.
The JLARC report made several recommendations for changes to the program, including:
Prioritizing the most effective practices by cataloguing top projects, revising the grant award process, and including new economic incentives for the most effective projects
Creating an outreach pilot program to bring more farmers into the program
Developing a plan to reduce the state’s reliance on annual practices, which can be more costly over time, by implementing more long-term practices like planting vegetation near bodies of water or fencing livestock away from streams
Virginia legislators have set a July 1, 2028, deadline for farmers to meet goals for reducing pollution from agriculture. Even after reaching these goals, continued investment will be needed to keep pollution from growing.
The state budget that took effect July 1 is the first one after Virginia joined state and federal leaders from across the region in December to commit to an update to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. That new accord binds Virginia to meeting numerous environmental goals by 2040.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Policy Manager Jay Ford issued the following statement:
“This program has been great for farmers and for promoting healthier rivers and streams in Virginia. It will continue to be an important resource for farmers working to ensure the prosperity of their operations and implementing sustainable agriculture practices.
“Any program of this size will need to be tweaked and refined over time. The JLARC report makes clear that Virginia must prioritize long-term practices that will boost water quality while ensuring taxpayers get the biggest bang for their buck.
“Long-term practices like planting vegetation near rivers, fencing cattle from streams, and creating wetlands can deliver major cuts to pollution while being more cost-efficient.
“Even with these recommendations, the report reaffirms the substantial value of the program: over the last five years alone, VACS has collectively helped fund more than 200,000 pollution-cutting conservation practices as enrollment increased more than 30 percent.
“We hope farmers will take advantage of this year’s record investment in the program. Reducing pollution and runoff from farms is one of the best, most cost-effective ways to preserve and restore local streams and the Chesapeake Bay.
“We stand ready to work with the legislature and with farmers across the Commonwealth to help ensure the program’s continued success and long-term sustainability.”
