All too often we associate public land with wildlife, but private lands are vitally important to the conservation of wildlife in Mississippi. They constitute 60% of the land ownership in the lower 48 states. In addition, 45% of the land-base in the contiguous U.S. is managed as cropland, pastureland, and rangeland, and 30% as forestland.
The success in conservation and wildlife management we have been able to achieve in this country is anchored by key pieces of legislation that have been passed in the last 130 years. One such critical piece of legislation is the Farm Bill, which had its beginning in the 1930s. Back then, it was known as the Agricultural Adjustment Act.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) executes the Farm Bill through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The presence of these agencies in almost every county or parish of the U.S., and the longstanding relationships with the agricultural community, have resulted in a trust that makes them highly effective in communicating values and marketing practices for conservation with stakeholders. With landowners and conservation districts, these agencies are vital for successful conservation. The FSA administers commodity and disaster programs, plus the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
By law, states established local conservation districts. The 1985 Farm Bill provided for keeping highly erodible lands out of production and decreasing drainage of wetlands in agricultural landscapes; rental payments were provided as an incentive for landowners to remove highly erodible land from production. These, and other measures, marked a shift that began to put teeth into what were previously only conservation recommendations. Various options for promoting conservation objectives, such as cost-share payments, incentives, and easements followed in the 1990 Farm Bill and subsequent amendments. These programs became vital parts of the “toolbox” to increase conservation measures on private lands.
The FSA currently administers five areas: farm programs, farm loans, commodity operations, management, and state operations. By administering farm commodity programs, the agency provides U.S. farmers with security against financial setbacks. The agency is responsible for ad hoc disaster programs and continues to preserve natural resources via the CRP. The FSA offers credit to agriculturalists who might not qualify for private, commercial credit; beginning, minority, and women farmers and ranchers receive special consideration. Through the commodity operations division, FSA acquires commodities that are used for global philanthropic work, feeding the hungry around the world, and school children in the U.S. In addition, FSA supports disabled persons by purchasing the products they manufacture.
Through state and county offices, the FSA administers programs to assist producers in improving agriculture industry’s economic stability, such as farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster, and loan programs.
James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a nonprofit conservation organization founded to conserve, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their website is www.wildlifemiss.org.
