Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

ASP 201 > Conservation Programs > Flashcards

Conservation Programs Flashcards

(45 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

How does conservation fare in the new Farm Bill?

A

conservation compliance added back to insurance
cuts of $4-5B per over 10 years (decreases acreage enrollment)
consolidation of programs
higher caps on contracts
fewer farms getting contracts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is NRCS?

A

Natural Resources Conservation Service
a federal-state partnership
does the Web Soil Survey, National Resources Inventory and National Cartography & Geospatial Center

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What did NRCS used to be called?

A

Soil Erosion Service
Soil Conservation Service
Soil Conservation District Act

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How does NRCS operate at the state level?

A

prioritize areas and implement programs

state technical committees

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are the general categories of land use?

A

cropland, grassland pasture and range, forest-use land, special uses, miscellaneous land, urban land

special - federal and state parks, wildlife refuges, rural transit, public facilities, farmsteads, farm roads

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is land cover?

A

What the land looks like from the surface.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How has cropland use changed over time?

A

fewer acres in use, less idle cropland, less summer fallow and pasture

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What four crops have dominated cropland use over the last 50 years?

A

corn, soybeans, hay, wheat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is most conservation spending for?

A

land retirement and working lands programs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the historical context for land retirement?

A

initially concerned with controlling surplus production, shifted to primarily worried about controlling erosion in the 1980s

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What did the 1936 Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act do?

A

encouraged a shift to soil conserving crops

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What did the 1956 Agricultural Act create?

A

the soil bank conservation reserve

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

When was CRP created?

A

1985 Farm Bill
Conservation Reserve Program - primary mechanism for moving land into retirement now
amended in 1990 and 1996

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is CRP concerned with?

A

removing highly erodible and marginal lands from production

not concerned with prime farmland

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Why does USDA survey soils?

A

to understand the crop production resource base

through the soil series and soil mapping units

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is HEL?

A

highly erodible lands
defined in 1985 Farm Bill - land capability classes IV - VIII OR erosion excessively greater than T
defined by Federal Register - ratio of RUSLE:T

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is T?

A

the tolerable soil loss

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the soil erosion index?

A 
EI = (R*K*L*S)/T
R = rainfall
K = susceptibility factor
L = slope length
S = slope steepness

EI >= 8 is HEL

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

How is CRP administered?

Study These Flashcards
A

Farm Service Agency does enrollment

NRCS & Extension do technical assistance

20
Q

What does the CRP program look like?

Study These Flashcards
A

10-15 year duration
eligible if land is HEL or environmentally sensitive that is or was recently cropped
applications ranked on an environmental benefits index
payment is the rental rate + 1/2 the cost of conservation measures

21
Q

What are the eligibility requirements for CRP?

Study These Flashcards
A

previous use - cropping AND capable of being planted OR marginal pasture which could be used as riparian buffer

EI >= 8 OR expiring CRP acreage OR in conservation priority area

22
Q

What are the categories of CRP payments?

Study These Flashcards
A

rental payments
maintenance incentive payments
cost-share assistance
other incentive payments

23
Q

What do conservation easement programs do?

Study These Flashcards
A

maintain land in a certain type of use

24
Q

What are different conservation easement programs?

Study These Flashcards
A

Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program
Grassland Reserve Program
Wetland Reserve Program

*consolidated under 2014 Farm Bill - now Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)

25
What is FRPP?
Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep land in ag use lots of easements where many people live (NE) 1996 FB spent $119-171 from 2009-2012
26
What is GRP?
Grassland Reserve Program 1985 FM provides assistance to land owners and operators to protect grazing uses and related conservation values on eligible private range and pasture land
27
What is WRP?
Wetlands Reserve Program 1985 FB provides technical & financial assistance to private landowners and tribes to restore, protect and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring land 1.9 M acres currently enrolled
28
How is GRP beneficial?
supports grazing operations maintains and improves plant and animal biodiversity protects lands under threat of conversion
29
What are the enrollment options for WRP?
permanent easement - USDA pays 100% 30-year easement - USDA pays 75% of easement value and restoration costs restoration cost-share agreement - USDA pays up to 75% of restoration costs; no easement placed
30
What are working lands programs?
they maintain production while improving conservation | practice-based
31
What is EQIP?
``` Environmental Quality Incentives Program 1996 FB private land only provides technical and financial assistance 60% of funding for livestock practices ```
32
What is CSP?
``` Conservation Stewardship Program 2008 FB paid based on conservation performance - hard to measure (not cost share) operation-level, must enroll all acreage self-assessment ```
33
What are the national priority areas for conservation (EQIP)?
impaired water quality conservation of ground and surface water resources air quality improvements reduction of soil erosion and sedimentation improvement or creation of wildlife habitat
34
How does EQIP work?
land owners or operators are eligible identify conservation objectives and help develop a plan (includes some cross-compliance) contract terms of 1-10 years cost-share program (typically 75/25 split) up to 90% for underserved populations payment is after implementation and certification
35
What are the payment limitations for EQIP?
$450,000 for all contracts entered into during a 6 year period tech. asst. excluded from limit organic production - $40,000/yr or $80,000 for 6 year period *limits raised in 2014 FB
36
How does EQIP decide what to fund?
air quality, domestic animals, fish and wildlife, plant conditions, soil conditions, soil erosion, water quality scores based on EBI and conservation practice physical effects (combines impacts on land, labor, capital and risk)
37
What are the eligibility requirements for CSP?
``` farm of record with FSA comply with requirements on HEL and wetlands control over land enroll all eligible land land must meet "stewardship threshold" ```
38
What are the payment limits for CSP?
``` $40,000 per operation per year $200,000 over 5 years amounts based on conservation points paid more for additional activities than existing ones EQIP pays for practice implementation ```
39
What is the Regional Conservation Partnership Program?
new in 2014 FB consolidates several programs CCPI, AWEP, Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative, Great Lakes Watershed Initiative, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program
40
What is CCPI & AWEP?
Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative Agricultural Water Enhancement Program 2008 FB same approved practices as EQIP cost share (25-75-90%) funded from EQIP, WHIP, CSP, non-government sources 1-5 year contracts
41
What makes CCPI & AWEP different from other programs?
partly rely on cooperative participation applications approved for projects across state lines organizations serve as intermediaries between NRCS and farmers leverages funding, tech support, resources
42
What is CEAP?
Conservation Effects Assessment Program multi-agency (NRCS and ARS) quantify environmental benefits topic areas include wetlands, grazing lands, croplands, wildlife
43
How many projects did CCPI have in 2010?
26 projects, 14 states, $6.6 M | ex) restore trout habitat in the Chesapeake
44
How many projects did AWEP have in 2010?
28 projects, 9 states, $19.7M
45
What is the purpose and priority watersheds of AWEP?
promote ground and surface water conservation Everglades, Ogallala, Puget Sound, Red River, Sacramento River Basin, Upper Mississippi Basin, Eastern Snake Plains Aquifer mitigate effects of drought and climate change improve irrigation systems and efficiency restoration and plan development

ASP 201 (5 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions