Enhancing Farm Bill Conservation Programs
Expenditures for conservation and environmental quality incentive programs administered by the USDA far exceed the investments made by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) in habitat programs. All American taxpayers have an investment in these programs. Audubon of Kansas is an advocate for reauthorization and restoration of higher acreage levels for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), restoration of conservation easement programs that will hopefully mimic the phenomenal success of the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP), which was part of the Farm Bill prior to 2014, and improvement of the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) with more utilization of wildlife habitat practices and more emphasis on improvement of native rangelands without the use of destructive herbicide applications. Some USDA-funded programs and projects result in destruction of natural habitats.