USDA invests $400M to pay farmers for saving water in drought-stricken West

 Lawmakers have urged the department for “serious changes” to allow more people to benefit from federal conservation programs.

In recent years, hot and arid weather conditions have desiccated many parts of the West, resulting in abnormally dry areas that have worsened wildfire conditions across the region, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The adverse weather has also prolonged drought levels, affecting crops and livestock.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the USDA is taking an “all hands” approach to support farmers and irrigation districts during these tough times, while ensuring that producers can keep operations running.

“We want to scale up the tools available to keep farmers farming, while also voluntarily conserving water and expanding markets for water-saving commodities,” Vilsack said in a statement.

Participating districts may receive up to $15 million to distribute to farmers. The USDA will also set aside $40 million in funding for participating Native American tribes and tribal producers, according to a release.

“This funding will be instrumental in modernizing aging infrastructure and helping conserve water while ensuring farmers and ranchers can continue to produce essential commodities,” Julie O’Shea, executive director of the Farmers Conservation Alliance, said in a statement.

Farmers can take several steps to conserve water based on their needs, including “irrigation improvements, shifts in management practices, shifts in cropping systems, and other innovative strategies,” according to a release.

In addition to the funding, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service provided $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2023 that helped Western states better steward their water resources and mitigate climate change. The agency expanded priority areas this year, offering more funding through the recently established Western Water Framework for affected states.

Although more money is going out, more work needs to be done to ensure the right people are getting the support they need, according to farmers at an agricultural subcommittee field hearing earlier this summer.

“Colorado and Kansas producers told us they cannot survive the levels of drought unless we make serious changes to how we address it,” Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet said.

To help alleviate challenges, witnesses at the hearing recommended looser restrictions to increase enrollment for certain USDA conservation programs, higher payment caps for those already participating, investments in local climate data providers and additional support for conservation grant programs.

“We recognize that these won’t solve all our water issues in the West, but it’s a good start,” Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said in a statement.

source:agriculturedive