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Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators: Overview of Conservation Programs and Expenditures Ralph Heimlich No. (AH722) , August 2000 A range of policy tools or instruments exist to encourage or compel adoption of conservation and environmental practices. Federal government programs for natural resources and the environment based on these policy tools have evolved and expanded over the years. USDA has historically focused on some of these instruments in conservation programs intended to benefit natural resources and the environment affected by agriculture, and ignored others. Older programs discontinued in the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 phased down as new programs were implemented, while other programs extended by the Act continued. In 1998, USDA's conservation program expenditures represented a quarter of total Federal conservation and environmental spending. Over half of USDA's conservation expenditures were for rental or easement payments on lands in conserving uses, while expenditures for technical assistance and cost-sharing were a third of the total. Keywords: conservation policy, soil erosion, wetlands, water quality, wildlife, agriculture, expenditures, conservation practices, ERS, USDA In this series ... Reports are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Chapter 6.1: Overview of Conservation Programs and Expenditures, 630 kb. Contents Policy Tools for Conservation USDA Conservation Programs Since 1996 Land Retirement and Farmland Protection Cost Sharing and Technical Assistance Subsidies for Conservation Investment and Public Works Education, Data, and Research USDA Conservation Program Expenditures USDA Expenditures Related to Other Federal Programs USDA Expenditures on Different Conservation Policy Approaches EQIP and ACP Expenditures See other chapters in the Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators series. web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov page updated: October 7, 2003

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