Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years. Monday, July 22, 2024

Environment

ARC, PLC, CRP payments on the way

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2017 – Beginning this week, USDA will be making approximately $8 billion in 2017 payments to producers through the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, and $1.6 billion under Conservation Reserve (CRP) programs.
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Soil Health

Cover crops gain momentum, but fall below targets

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 - Farmers from Maryland to Illinois are turning their soil into a kind of sponge and absorbing the benefits: Planting cover crops such as cereal rye and varieties of radish during harvest season can simultaneously enhance the soil and increase yield. New studies support what farmers and agronomists have been saying for years – that cover crops reduce nutrient runoff, improve soil health and, most important for farmers, increase yields.
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wetlands_habitat_nature_wildlife

Groups seek changes in conservation, crop insurance incentives

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 - A coalition of environmental groups, joined by the National Farmers Union and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, want Congress to tighten enforcement of conservation compliance, increase spending on conservation programs and revise crop insurance rules to encourage more farmers to plant cover crops.
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