The following represent the official PNDSA policy positions on issues pertinent to our mission. We welcome any input or questions you may have.
Over the next three years, thousands of acres of Conservation Reserve program (CPR) land in the Pacific Northwest will reachthe end of current contracts. Given current commodity prices and the drive to develop a viable biofuel industry in the PNW, it is likely much of this land will be brought into annual crop production. Over the life of a CRP contact many environmental benefits are delivered, including protection of highly erodable land and carbon sequestration. It is the opinion of the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association that the return of this land to annual crop productiondoes not have to have severe and negative environmental consequences.
To help reduce the potential negaive environmental impact of this impending action, CRP contract administrators can allow and encourabe landowners to adopt and utilize direct seed crop systems. To help facilitate this action, PNDSA members unamously passed the following resolution at the January 22, 2008 PNDSA 8th Annual Meeting:
1. Maintaining planting flexibility - Direct seed systems enhance the sustainability of agriculture through improved economic and environmental benefits. Diversified rotations are a critical element to maintaining both the economic and environmental integrity of direct seed systems. The PNDSA endorses farm policies that continue to encourage, not penalize farmers for making planting decisions that include rotational diversity and respond to market signals.
2. Conservation Incentive Payments - Growers should be rewarded by the public for adopting practices such as direct seeding that reduce negative environmental impacts on our streams and rivers. Incentive based programs that recognize the environmental benefits conservation farming practices promote can help encourage farmers to transition into direct seeding. Increased adoption of better conservation practices will enhance air and water quality as well as wildlife habitat. The public's desire for environmental stewardship in production agriculture should be balanced with the responsibility to mitigate increased costs and risk to implement these practices. The PNDSA facilitates the process of accessing public and private funding sources to address these transition costs.
3. Conservation payment eligiblility should be accessible on a non-discriminatory basis to producers regardless of past efforts to incorporate conservation practices in their operation.
4. Family Farm Business Viability/Safety Net Programs - PNDSA believes some minimal safety net programs are necessary to insure economic integrity of family farm businesses. PNDSA believe farmers have an obligation to institute all possible measures at their disposal to operate competitively. In addition to demonstrating production skills, farmers should be encouraged and rewarded for efforts to enhance their marketing, financial and business management proficiencies. Future farm policies should consider incentive systems that fund expanded educational opportunities for farmers to build better proficiencies in these areas.
The PNDSA encourages farmers to maintain crop residue in their cropping systems. Residue reduces soil erosion, retains valuable nutrient, increases organic matter, and results in healthier soils. Burning is a management tool that should be available for specific situations, such as helping to control disease and pest problems and facilitating transition into direct seed systems where heavy crop residue can make it difficult to establish a crop.
The PNDSA will take an active role in educating growers and the public about the use of burning as a management tool and alternative strategies to adopt direct seeding in heavy residue situations without destroying surface residue. The PNDSA supports increased research on viable options to field burning that do not involve increasing tillage. Research successes can substantially reduce the amount of acres burned in the PNW. The PNDSA will work with all stakeholders to promote responsible use of burning with regard to smoke management and consumer air quality concerns.
The PNDSA recognizes the importance of several salmon species in the tri-state region, and believes agriculture plays a key role in the process of recovery. The importance of water quality in promoting better spawning conditions is critical to that recovery. Conservation farming practices that include direct seeding can help bring endangered salmon species back to our rivers. Direct seeding contributes directly to salmon recovery through reduction of soil erosion and pesticide runoff and improvement of spawning habitat. PNDSA supports formation of partnerships with entities interested in environmental improvement that will directly enhance salmon recovery through improved production practices.
Having a comprehensive set of risk management tools is essential to PNW farmers’ viability. The design of specific program provisions in crop insurance programs should encourage implementation of diverse crop rotation systems. Some RMA policies and claims procedures penalize growers with diverse rotations, and insurance programs often fail to deliver the expected coverage purchased when the actual claims process takes place. The PNDSA recommends that the Pacific Northwest Steering Group (representatives from the major PNW commodity groups along with representatives from RMA and the insurance industry) reconvene to review a number of risk management problem areas. PNDSA encourages RMA working in concert with the Steering Group to consider the following priorities in Federal Crop Insurance programming: