LAKE STEVENS — Farmers in Snohomish County are concerned about proposed cuts to federal programs that help them keep the environment clean.
Dozens of agricultural and conservation groups across the country are urging the U.S. Senate to reject legislation passed by the House that could slash
more than $500 million from the Department of Agriculture’s conservation programs. Those cuts are greater proportionally than any other areas of the 2011 appropriations bill, conservation groups say, and would disproportionately harm rural areas.
Monte Marti, manager of the Snohomish Conservation District, agrees.
“These cuts would definitely harm our county,” Marti said. “Many farmers here have used these programs to help them deal with manure, plant native trees along our rivers and leave areas for wildlife habitat. And we see the potential here for participation to increase significantly in the future.”
Programs set for budget cuts include the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Wetland Reserve Program and the Biomass Crop Assistance Program. Many of these programs, even without the cuts, are cash-strapped because of their popularity with farmers, conservation groups say.
Between 2002 and 2008, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service paid out close to $400,000 to farmers in Snohomish County under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program alone.
The conservation programs in the county are especially important to fish habitat and other natural resources, Marti said. The programs also protect soil and farmland, bring jobs to rural areas and help encourage revenue from recreational activities, he said.
“For the farmers in our county, every penny is critical to their survival. Even with our larger farms, their profit margins are tight,” Marti said. “The conservation incentive programs allows us to work with landowners to do the right thing. If the money is no longer available, it’s less likely that farmers can afford to take care of their environmental concerns.”
Through the conservation programs, farmers receive cash incentives to install manure management facilities such as lagoons, downspouts and gutters to keep clean water out of the manure, transfer systems and digesters. Environmental programs also could help fund compost systems and pumps that provide stock water for cattle and keep the animals from wading out into rivers and streams to drink.
Small incentives also are paid to farmers who return the riverbanks on their property to a more natural state.
Monroe area farmer Dale Reiner is one of those. Reiner raises cattle and grows canola, hay, corn and Christmas trees on about 80 acres.
“These federal incentives are fantastic programs. They help our economy and it would be a shame if they are cut,” he said “They aren’t meant to be a steady income, it’s just a way to get a farmer started. If a farmer makes money, he will grow more and hire more people to help.”
For Reiner, it has meant being able to clear out Himalayan blackberries and other non-native species from his acreage along the Skykomish River and then plant cedars, firs and dogwood.
“Most farmers would rather help the environment than hurt it. We all need clean water, trees and good soil,” Reiner said.
His 185-foot buffer along the Sky is a source of pride.
“This buffer keeps the river from migrating onto my farmland, it shades and protects fish in the river and it’s a natural filter for any runoff from my land,” Reiner said. “It’s a good thing, but I probably would not have done it without the help unless it had been required of me. If we aren’t careful, all the good work for agriculture that we’ve done in this county could go down the tubes.”
Reiner believes there could be waste in the federal Department of Agriculture budget and some cuts might be warranted.
“You see subsidies for some crops and you wonder why. But we don’t want to wipe out all the programs that conserve our farms,” he said. “We don’t to want end up having to buy all our food from other countries.”
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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