New direction is set for U.S. agriculture

After a year of challenges and showcases of resiliency, U.S. agriculture enters a new political and regulatory environment under President Joe Biden and Secretary Tom Vilsack’s leadership. While many of the platforms and potential changes in regulatory direction are still unknown (Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack was sworn in on Feb. 24), both President Biden and Secretary Vilsack have made it clear that sustainable and regenerative agriculture will play major roles at the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the next four years. Agricultural water, both infrastructure and on-farm, will be important as the USDA seeks to refine and develop programs focused on promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

Sustainable and regenerative agriculture will play major roles at the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the next four years.

One of the first potential programs on the agenda is the development of a voluntary and incentive-based carbon program. In early February, Robert Bonnie, the USDA’s deputy chief of staff for policy, stated that “carbon is a commodity right now.” This comment was a follow-up to the USDA’s transition memo, which stated that the Commodity Credit Corporation “has broad authorization to support, stabilize and protect farm income and prices and to support conservation, and which has been used in similarly innovative ways in the past.” Even though USDA leadership believes they can act under current authority, they have committed toworking with Congress on developing a carbon program.

What does this mean for irrigated agriculture? First, on-farm water management will become even more important than ever. Efficient water use not only ensures that water is not lost through the process of irrigating crops, but it also means that the embedded energy in water is not wasted in the irrigation process. This leads to less carbon emissions and possible opportunities for farmers to have even more incentives to embrace efficient irrigation practices and methods.

In addition to establishing a carbon bank, the USDA is also committed to the following:

• Fund climate-smart practices through USDA conservation programs, including theEnvironmental Quality Incentives Program.Climate-smart practices on farms, ranches andforests can also be financed through existingfarm bill conservation programs in year one.
• Create incentives for climate-smart agriculture through crop insurance policies. The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation isa wholly owned government corporationmanaged by USDA’s Risk Management Agency.In 2019, more than 370 million acres of farmlandwere covered through the FCIC. The USDA willseek opportunities to promote soil health andpractices that conserve natural resources throughthe FCIC.

The resiliency of U.S. agriculture remains strong, as do the opportunities presented by continuous irrigation technology development. We are seeing more openings than ever before for irrigation management to be part of both climate-based and food production-based solutions. Sustainability of U.S. agriculture will be at the forefront of policy at the state and federal levels of government for the foreseeable future, and irrigated agriculture is well positioned to drive programs that protect our environment and natural resources, while  maximizing our yield potential.

John Farner is the industry development director for the Irrigation Association and federal affairs director for the National Ground Water Association.