A University of Illinois farm policy expert says the House and Senate conference committee should preserve the Conservation Stewardship Program in the final farm bill. Jonathon Coppess leads the Garner Agriculture Policy Program and the Bock Ag Law programs at the University of Illinois and says, “For farmers, like in Illinois who are trying to combat nutrient loss, this is one of those programs that work within agriculture. This isn’t taking land out of production so much, it’s helping farmers as they farm improve conservation and natural resource stewardship on their land.”
Coppess tells Brownfield the House bill eliminates the program, but farmers need it more than ever to use additional conservation practices.
