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Solutions from the Land emphasizes importance of technical support for farm bill programs

The president of Solutions From the Land says farmers need strong technical assistance for conservation programs in the farm bill to succeed.

Ernie Shea says the proposal recently advanced by the U.S. House Ag Committee continues that commitment with long-term funding and new investments in conservation programs.

“Farmers know how to farm, but they may not have all the technical skills needed to design conservation systems and practices, particularly some that require engineering.”

“They need people help, but they also need cost sharing,” he says.

He says the programs are especially important as the administration has proposed significant cuts in past budgets.

“We’re dealing with an administration that is questioning the value of these federal programs and saying that they are not a federal priority, and looking for state and local governments to pick up the slack and carry the load,” he says. “We think that is a huge mistake.”

Shea says NRCS has already lost more than 20 percent of its workforce and decades of institutional knowledge within the agency.

Solutions From the Land is meeting with key lawmakers and farmers to highlight the value of conservation work as the legislation moves through Congress.

Brownfield interviewed Shea as part of a Congressional farmer roundtable in West Michigan.