Conservation issues likely to come to a head in 2012 Farm Bill

Posted by IronPlanet on Feb 29, 2012 4:50:00 AM

This year, the U.S. Senate's existing policy on agriculture expires, meaning that it will be time to draft new legislation on the rules for farmers across the country. Many groups have different issues they'd like to see addressed in the bill, but one of the biggest concerns is conservation, writes the Huffington Post.

On one side, many are pushing for new conservation policies that would force farmers to practice environmentally-friendly techniques in order to qualify for crop insurance. The activists argue that destruction of the environment leads to crop failure, so the U.S. government should ensure that farmers are doing all they can to protect their crops before simply bailing them out with back-up insurance if the crops fail.

On the other hand, large farming organizations are lobbying to keep things the way they are. Mary Kay Thatcher, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, told the news source that conservation "is already tied to farm programs and will continue to be. We are concerned that if a producer is out of compliance due to something beyond his control - a 100-year flood for example - he would then be out of compliance for crop insurance."

However the issue ends up, farmers should be prepared for a big year in terms of planting. It's already predicted to be one of the largest crops in generations, so farmers should be sure to buy used agricultural equipment online through IronPlanet to ensure they're ready.

Topics: Industry Headlines